GU10 Bulbs and Lamps, Halogen, Low Energy and LED – A Buyers Guide

With new technologies emerging and advancing at a rapid rate and energy costs forever rising, now is the time to review the type of lighting bulbs and lamps you are using, below is a buyer’s guide to the different types of GU10 lamps and bulbs that are available today.

Halogen GU10 Bulbs

The light produced by a halogen bulb is without doubt the best in terms of colour temperature and brightness, however they produce a fairly narrow beam of light, the most common types are the 50 watt and 35 watt versions and these are relatively cheap compared to the energy saving versions.

The major downside of halogen bulbs is that because of the narrow beam of light even a small room would need several down lights to produce an adequate amount of lighting, for example take a room measuring 5 metres x 3 metres you would need a minimum of 10 x 50w GU10 halogen lamps, that is 500w or half a Kilowatt in total which will prove very costly especially with ever increasing energy prices.

It is possible to reduce energy costs by using lower power bulbs in areas that do not require bright lighting such as parts of the room that are not used often, in these areas you could use 35W bulbs, roughly a 30% saving compared to the 50w bulbs.

Further disadvantages of the halogen lamps are the heat that they produce which can be dangerous especially when installed in a ceiling where there is fibreglass insulation installed such as a loft. Although cheap to purchase halogen lamps have quite a limited life, often quoted at 4000 to 6000 hours, however only well known brands such as Osram tend to achieve this, many cheap unbranded bulbs often have a very short working life making them more expensive in the long term.

Low Energy GU10 Bulbs

Low energy 7w, 9w, 11w and 14w GU10 bulbs are available and they will go a long way to reducing energy costs, low energy bulbs produce a similar light to halogen bulbs and can be a good alternative, they are more expensive than halogen bulbs however they have a long life often around 15,000 hours which is about 2 years of constant use, so if used for even 6 hours a day you could expect a life of around 8 years.

Unfortunately low energy  bulbs are not suited to areas where bright light is needed the instant the light is switched on, this is because they take around 30 to 60 seconds after switch on to reach maximum brightness, so would not be suitable in a hallway for example.

Low energy bulbs are larger than the halogen type and will not be suitable for some light fittings so before purchasing a large quantity, check the dimensions and maybe try a sample bulb to ensure it is suitable for your light fitting. Also ensure that you are happy with the light produced which can be a little cold when compared to halogen bulbs.

GU10 LED Light Bulbs

LED bulbs are fast becoming the most popular choice for people looking to reduce their energy costs. The LED bulb is available in a range of light power equivalents from 35w to 50w. The majority use a 12 volt power supply, a special constant current transformer is required for these types of bulb.

The latest higher power type use three high power LED’s whereas older types use several smaller LED’s sometimes up to 60.

The reason these bulbs are becoming so popular is because of their low energy consumption, for example a 6w LED bulb will produce the same amount of light as a 50w halogen bulb, now if you have 10 lights in a room you are reducing power consumption from 500w to 60w, this is going to reduce your energy bills dramatically.

LED bulbs cost more than the low power and halogen types but the energy savings along with an extremely long working life make them more cost efficient and the higher initial cost will be recouped very quickly.

LED bulbs are not to every ones liking, mainly because they can produce quite a cold blue light which is fine for bathrooms and kitchens but not ideal for a living room, however it is now possible to purchase bulbs with a warmer light so it is important that you look at the colour temperature in the bulbs specification before purchasing, and again try a sample before purchasing a large quantity.

One of the disadvantages of these types of bulbs was that they are not dimmable, however these are now readily available although they cost a lot more than the normal bulbs.

The advantages of  LED bulbs are numerous, cool running, extremely long life of up to 50,000 hours, miniscule power consumption, a range of colours such as blue, green and red and a range of beam widths they are therefore sure to soon become the GU10 bulb of choice.