LED light bulbs are becoming increasingly popular as people seek to replace incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs. There are several good reasons to choose LED light bulbs.
Firstly, LED light bulbs are extremely efficient in converting electricity to light. While incandescent bulbs typically waste 95% of the electricity used in the form of heat, LED bulbs convert most of the electricity into usable light. That is why you can touch an LED light bulb with your hand while it is turned on. You certainly don’t want to do that with an incandescent light bulb. Because of the efficiency of the LEDs, you can get an equivalent 60W light bulb that uses just 7 to 10 Watts of electrical power.
Secondly, LED light bulbs have a much longer lifetime than conventional bulbs. In fact, the rated lifetime can be up to 15 years. That means that you will rarely have to change the light bulbs once they are put in place. This is especially convenient if you have lighting fixtures in hard to reach places in your home or business.
On the flip side, the drawback is in the price factor. LED light bulbs can cost up to 10 times more than conventional ones. This is due to the higher cost of the materials and manufacturing. In time, the prices will likely come down as the LED bulbs become more widespread.
GU10 LED Bulbs
The GU10 LED bulbs have two pins on the bottom. They are also referred to as bi-pin bulbs. They are used in flood lights, recessed and track lighting. Some things you want to take into consideration when you are shopping around are the light output, dimmability, color temperature, beam angle and the exact type of mounting. You would want to check the bulb you are replacing to see how many Watts of output power you’ll need. Not all LED bulbs can be dimmed, so be sure to make note of whether or not the bulb you are purchasing is dimmable.
The color temperature of the light can be chosen so that it is cooler or warmer. At the lower range (2700 – 3200K), you’ll get a yellowish light similar to incandescent bulbs. Then there is natural white (4000 – 4500K) that is similar to early morning sunlight, warmer color temperatures (5500 – 6000K) that are closer to day light, and cool white (7000 – 7500K) that is a bright bluish light.
If you are installing flood lights or recessed lighting, then be sure to check the specification on the beam angle. LED bulbs are typically more directional than conventional ones so that the light beam spreads out less. With newer designs, there are now LED flood lights that have a wider beam. Finally, you’ll want to check on the specific type of mounting you’ll need. The GU10 base mount is a specific type of bi-pin base referred to as the MR16. There are two connectors on the bottom of the bulb. You’ll want to get the type of base that fits your lighting fixture. Check on the description of the product to make sure it mentions GU10.
There are a number of companies that make LED GU10 bulbs such as GE, Philips and Lighting EVER. For example, the Philips EnduraLED is a 4-Watt equivalent of a conventional 20-Watt bulb. The GE 75625 Energy Smart is another example of a 4-Watt LED GU10 bulb. Although the cost is higher than regular light bulbs there are many benefits such as power savings and extended lifetime for these bulbs. We hope that you can now make an informed choice when shopping around for LED light bulbs.
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