SO – 100w bulbs are about to be phased out. What about 240v halogen spotlights? Having just fitted about 14 of them, I am hoping not!

Anyone know?

Environment minister has just been on saying they're still gonna be available.

Swap the halogens to led's, slightly different light but still work and consume less energy. That is what im doing in my kitchen anyway.

Swap the halogens to led's,

But would that mean new housings too?

Ooops they are 12v actually so are running on a transformer. I guess that means they can't be swapped for LEDs?…

Which ones are you getting mema? I got some form B&Q and you'd have been better of lighting the room with glow worms.

What type of bulb are they, what's the code for them?

E32…

Not sure if that was directed at me, but here's what I bought that were hopeless.
Innovation GU10 1.2W 240V Model No. 74235

Bloody hell – non-dimmable ones on Screwfix are nearly £6 each! (Dimmable aren't available so I would also have to replace all the switches!)

So – as I have mine on dimmers, and normally have them at about 50% or less output (unless cooking), would there be a power saving and if so, how long to recoup the outlay for the LED bulbs!!!

Halogens will be available for a while yet, at least a couple of years. According to my local electrical wholesaler.

LED's in my experience are a dreadful light, but the technology is improving, so I expect by the time halogens are no more they will be acceptable.

Dimmers don't save energy! They just convert more of it to heat instead of light.

Dimmers do save energy. If the converted all the excess to heat that lightswitch would get very hot. They rapidly switch the current on and off.

Dimmers don't save energy!

Surely they must. The way a transformer works must mean they do. Yes, there will be a % heat loss, but not 100%. They would be a fire risk if all the current was converted to heat!

d4 – there are much higher wattage GU10 LEDs available. I was looking at some 9W ones in B&Q yesterday.

Most dimmer switches work by chopping the incoming AC using a Triac, so you they adjust the duty cycle of the bulb ie they do save energy.

This is why they only work with filament based bulbs, they rely on the element to smooth out the on/off ie the filament won't cool down in 1/100 of a second, so the glow remains the same, except at the low extreme where you can sometimes see a flicker starting.

Thanks druidh, I'll give those a go.

The housing are for GU10 halogens which are 240v, not sure what make the LED's are but they were from B&Q and are round 7-9watts and I use them in the kitchen and hallway. However the kitchen in fairly small (3m x 2m)with polished floor tiles and other shiny stuff so wthe light will bounce a fair amount. Here is still mixture of halogen and LED's in the hallway at the moment.
When buying the LED's look at the angle of light provided, some give a narrow beam and others a more diffuse light also don't pick up the blue light ones. The benefit of buying them from B&Q is that you could fit them and if they look bad return them without too much hassle.

Halogens are going to be a round for a while as they are relativly efficent. Incadesent bulbs are being phased out over the next couple of years altogether.

I can't remember the last time I saw 100W incandescent bulbs on sale. I'm switching to the low output jobbies as I run out of incandescent bulbs. I think I still have some SES 40W candle bulbs… and no lights to put em in.

Leccy bill is coming down slowly as a side effect 🙂