Background

Things have been moving really fast in the LED GU10 and LED MR16 world! Every few months the technology is advancing and the manufacturers are improving their production processes and as a result the products are getting better and the costs have reduced significantly. It was just a year ago when the 3W LED GU1o or MR16 was about the limit of the technology for producing LED bulbs at a realistic price. For sore your could get 5 and 6 watt products but the price was typically £20 or £30.  The 3W LED is good and typically can generate around 200 lumens certainly for the multiple LED bulbs which if you are replacing 25w or 35w halogen lamps is just fine but if you needed to replace 50 watt halogens  then your options were limited. The other issue with the LED MR16 and GU10 bulbs is that they generally were not dimmable which actually is often fine for a low lumens unit but as the brightens increases then it can be beneficial to have dimmable GU10 and MR16 LED bulbs.

The applications for LED GU10 and LED MR16 spot lamps.

People invest in LED bulbs primarily to save money on electricity, enjoy much longer life for the lamps and play their part in helping to preserve the environment. However, the investment can be for different reasons, specifically:-

1. A requirement to exchange existing MR16 or GU10’s for commercial and environmental reasons.

2. A new build, or refurbishment where new light fittings and light bulbs are being purchased to achieve the right illumination for a space and minimise running costs and make an eco statement.

If you are involved in a new build or major refurbishment  then this gives more options when it comes to bulb specification. In this case a state of the art dimming system like a Lutron would typically be installed to bring on the lights gently and to provide total flexibility for getting the right mood lighting. To complement these 50W equivalent GU10’s are often fitted certainly to kitchens and work areas which clearly would need to utilise the dimmable capability. Here the options are greater for LED’s because longer depth light fittings can be purchased which means that you can use a longer GU10 lamp say of 80mm length as opposed to the standard which is around 50-60mm. There are a number of these longer lamps on the market which are typically 6 watt or 7 watt which have the dimmable technology so your options are not restricted.

Conversely if you are involved in a straight exchange for your existing 5o watt halogen bulbs then the constraints are tighter. In this case you need to get a MR16 LED dimmable or a GU10 LED dimmable bulb that has the right proportions for your light fittings. This means that you generally need a lamps which is a maximum of 60mm long. This is where this MR16 LED dimmable bulb or alternatively if you need a GU10 this GU10 LED dimmable bulb is an ideal choice. This spot lamp has 3 x 3watt LED’s but there power loading is reduced on the lamp so that the light output is maximised but the heat output is kept to an acceptable level for this size of unit. Also the light bulb uses advanced dimming technology for that the lamp can be reduced in brightness for the the desired mood effect for the space. So all in all this spot light has the advantage that it is a perfect choice for a light bulb exchange to save on electricity bills but in addition is also a good choice for a new build or major refurbishment. This has got to be a winner!