hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn June 2015 | Page 10

LE D
l i g hting

making the change
Further regulatory change will ‘encourage’ us to
move to low energy lighting. In particular changes
in the pipeline will push halogen lighting users
toward the use of LEDs.
In conjunction with the 50plus spring offer of free
advice and 10% discount for those making the switch we provide this brief Q&A guide to changing
to LED lighting.
Q: Can I switch mains (230-250v) bulbs to LEDs?
A: n general yes, halogen or incandescent bulbs can be replaced with LEDs providing they fit
I
within the available space. Most existing dimmers however cannot be used with LEDS and
will need to be changed or replaced with
switches.
Q:  an I switch low voltage (12v) bulbs to
C
LEDs?
A:  general no. LEDs cannot be used with
In
‘transformers or drivers designed for halogen
lighting unless the transformers really are
transformers and not the usual electronic
power supplies sometimes known as drivers.
If you have a large round item on the end or
middle of a multi-light fitting it is probably a
real transformer. If it’s a separate box hidden
in the ceiling it’s a power supply /driver. The
halogen drivers typically require a minimum
‘load’, which the low energy LEDs will not
consume. What this means is that you should
not plan to simply exchange low voltage
halogen bulbs for LEDs. The straightforward
solution, without some detailed investigation,
is to replace the drivers or better still and
where feasible change to 230v LED fittings.
Illustrations from Philips: www.lighting.philips.co.uk/
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