GU10 High power LED, GU10 Low power LED, Halogen and CFL GU10 and Candle energy saving bulb buying guide.

This energy saving light bulb buying guide is under construction and constantly changes as energy saving bulb technology moves forward. 

Material from this energy saving lamp buying/advice guide is our intellectual property and must not be copied without our permission..

Please email powersavebulbs@virginmedia.com  with any queries.

All GU10 and Candle energy saving light bulbs are suitable for multiple or single light fittings. We only sell energy saving bulbs.

Energy saving bulb types.

Normal Low power LED GU10 energy saving bulbs (example picture below) have a very long life (Often between 12 and 25 years or 25,000 to 50,000 hours) and they use a very small amount of electricity. These lamps are normally used for mood lighting, accent lighting or low level lighting. The lower wattage power saving LED bulbs of this type are standard size and shape and have from 15 to 30 LEDs per bulb (once you get above 21 LED's per bulb the GU10 low power LED bulbs get longer than a standard GU10 bulb), we have from 1.3w to 3w in stock in warm and cool white, they are very popular, we also sell a multi colour 1.8w version which constantly changes colours with red green and blue LED's. If you need bright light to see by rather than mood or accent lighting look for the other types of power saving light bulbs (see below).




Super or high power LED GU10 energy saving light bulbs are the best way to go long term if you can get your head around the initial outlay and the fact that it will take a few months for them to pay for themselves, it's hard to see bulbs as a permanent fixture when they have always been classed as disposable items but the super long life speaks for itself, cutting down on bulb and maintenance costs you can use these lamps in areas where the lights are on constantly or for long periods and thus you save the most money, they use only 2 to 7 watts per bulbs, the best selling being the 3w and 4w models (they also have a long life from 12,000 to 50000 hours depending on the brand and model) the LED emitters are very bright and use very little electricity, the only downside of these bulbs is the high initial cost price but they pay for themselves many times over time. These are the latest technology and the future of  low energy lighting, prices are coming down, a couple of years ago these bulbs cost £25 to £30 each for genuine branded bulbs, we have these in standard size from 2w up to 6w, from 2w to 4w  being totally standard size, a 4w GU10 with 3 high power LED 's per bulb can be used to replace 50w standard Halogen GU10 bulbs and long term it is the way to go, you can always take the bulbs with you if you move house or you can use them as a great selling point if you sell your property.

Whether you buy your power saving bulbs from us or from elsewhere here is a bit of free advice on buying bulbs:  There are hundreds of small Chinese factories producing shoddy GU10 High power LED or CFL bulbs that only last about a year if you are lucky and yet they state a 10 to 25 year life, please remember there are lots of internet sellers importing these cheap GU10 bulbs a few hundred at a time direct from China and totally missing out the CE safety approval and quality checks, as a rule of thumb, if they come in a plain white box and there is no branding or importers details on the box then they are most likely illegally imported, the lifespan will be dubious to say the least and there is also a potential fire risk if the bulbs and circuits havent been manufactured to proper European safety standards. As we are searchable on google and they see we are a bulb seller we get from 5 to 10 emails a day from Chinese factories offering to post us cheap bulbs at much lower prices than we normally pay for our properly imported genuine branded bulbs. For our peace of mind and for yours: at powersavebulbs all our bulbs are genuine branded energy saving bulbs imported through the proper channels and are traceable back to source.    As the margin seemed so high we tried once and bought some of what we now call "white box" bulbs and out of about 500 sold we had about 300 faulties so we recalled them and stopped selling them, we found out that the main reason they came with no branding is so that they cannot be traced in the case of a problem such as a fire, all our genuine brands have no problem putting their name to their GU10 bulbs. CFL and LED energy saving bulbs are actually quite complex and have circuit boards, chips, resistors and ballasts etc in them, they arent like the old type of bulb where the only thing that can go wrong is that the bulb filament blows, badly made LED and CFL bulbs can overheat and even catch fire so please take this bit of free advice on board and dont encourage illegal imports by buying white box goods. Stick to genuine brands.   Preferably from us....:)







CFL GU10 (Compact fluorescent) energy saving GU10 and Candle bulbs  (Picture of short body and long body types below, the long body GU10 CFL comes in 7w,9w, 11w and 13w short body CFL bulbs come in 7w or 9w) .  CFL compact fluorescent GU10 and Candle bulbs offer great value for money, they are our best selling low energy light bulb type and are a great way to save 70-80% power, they are good value for the lumens or light output given out and normally have a long life (6-12.000 hours is normal).   CFL GU10 light bulbs have a mini compact fluorescent tube inside. these are our most commonly sold bulb for room or "ambient" lighting rather than mood or accent LED lighting. Sizes in these CFL bulbs range from 58mm to76nn length including pins so they are longer than a normal GU10 Halogen bulb. We stock from 7w 9w, 11w up to 13w in CFL GU10's The best CFL bulb replacement for a 50w Halogen GU10 is an 11w or a 13w and these wattages need the longer body bulb. We also stock CFL energy saving bulbs in Candle, GLS (globe) and spotlight/floodlight fittings amongst others. The downside of all this great saving is that CFL bulbs can take a few seconds to warm up if they haven't been on for a while, all of the other main types shown here come on instantly at full brightness. Also some CFL energy saving light bulbs will only fit in open fronted or adjustable bulb GU10 holders due to the longer length
.

Our Halogen Eveready GU10 and Candle dimmable energy saving bulbs have the advantage of being dimmable and very bright (our GU10 Halogen 50w equivalent power saving bulbs are a direct equivalent to a 50w normal halogen GU10 bulb and we have Candle Halogen energy saving light bulbs from 40w to 60w equivalent in these fittings: B15 SBC E14 SES BC B22 AND ES E27 caps). These bulbs give you 25% to 35% more light per watt used, Halogen energy saving bulbs give off more light than a normal incandescent light bulb and last a lot longer. The downside of Halogen GU10 energy saving bulbs is that you don't save as much electricity as with a CFL or LED power saving bulb but on the upside they have the advantage of being exactly the same shape and size as a standard GU10 bulb, they are fully dimmable, they come on instantly at full brightness and they will fit into any GU10 light bulb or lamp fitting, also these bulbs last twice as long as a normal Halogen GU10 or Candle light bulb. They come on instantly at full brightness so there isn't any compromise with these in comparison to a normal Halogen GU10 or Candle bulb as far as light and fitting goes. The great feature point of these is that only cost the same as a normal GU10  or Candle Halogen bulb plus you save 20% to 30% power and they last twice as long. No compromises whatsoever. A very popular GU10 or Candle light bulb choice for those with dimmer switches.




Different light bulb fittings, caps and bases.

Pictured below are the most common types of energy saving lamp fitting or base for the UK and European market.

GU10
MR16 (GU5,3)
BC B22 Bayonet cap
SBC E14 Small Bayonet cap
SES E14 Small Edison screw
ES E14 Edison screw



Installing GU10 Light Fittings:

If you are installing new GU10 fittings and wondering what type to fit, if you can try and opt for an open fronted GU10 bulb holder where possible because then you can use any light bulb you choose from the whole GU10 bulb range, if you already have enclosed GU10 down lights or spotlights with glass covers already and there is no room in the holder for a longer bulb then the choices are limited, you will have to go for a standard size light bulb, our High power GU10 LED or the Halogen power savers are the best for this purpose, we have a few types and we also have short (58mm) CFL bulbs but even those wont fit into some enclosed ceiling light fittings, if you have odd GU10 light fittings please email your requirements to powersavebulbs@virginmedia.com and we will let you know what we have in stock.

Light bulb colour temperature. White light.

Colour temperature of LED and CFL energy saving light bulbs is measured in Kelvin expressed as "k" and bulbs tend to range from 2700k white to 6400k white and k refers to the shade of white emitted from LED and CFL energy saving lamps.

2700k-3000k is a "warm white"  light colour, similar to the colour of sunlight, very slightly yellow in hue, (most normal incandescent bulbs are 2700k to 3100k so this is the colour of light most people are used to), it is a soft white and many people used to normal (non energy saving) bulb light will prefer this shade of light for living areas as it has a more "relaxing" feel to it.

3500k is a shade of light most used by the Eveready brand of energy saving CFL bulbs it is in between warm white and cool white but is whiter than a standard incandescent light bulb.

5000-6400k is a cooler white and known as "cool white" or "daylight white" This is a bright white and you do tend to get a little more light (about 10% more lumens) from the bulbs per watt of power used, to help describe the colour, they are a similar colour to the 4 foot fluorescent strip lights you see in workplaces and factories, it is a "cool white" and is very popular in bathrooms, kitchens, public areas, shops, bars, work areas, hair salons etc it gives great colour rendering and is a bright white light, some people think its too harsh a light for relaxing areas,.

Frequently asked questions on low energy bulbs.

Here are some real life asked questions and if anyone wants to add to this we can make it part of the buying guide, we all know what a nightmare choosing these bulbs can be so I am hoping to help everyone out there by eventually making "The definitive buying guide to GU10 energy saving bulbs".

"I was looking to replace the current GU10 50w halogen lamps, what would you recommend is the nearest like for like light output? "

If you have open fronted GU10 spotlights then you are in luck, for open fronted spots or down lights you can use all the types  on our website depending how bright you want but in CFL, to replace 50w you want the 11w or 13w in either cool white or warm white depending which colour of white light you prefer. If you can afford high power LED bulbs then they are the way to go for long term savings.

Flush ceiling mounted ones are harder to get energy savers for,  you are stuck with the Halogen energy savers (very cheap and you save 20% power) or with High power LED bulbs which are expensive to buy originally but are by far the biggest money saver long term, the bulbs are about £10-£20 each (depending how many you buy at one time and the wattage) each but they only use 24-4w power so you save about 90% power and they last many years,  by replacing a few 50w bulbs you save hundreds of pounds over the bulbs lifetime and although high power GU10 LED bulbs cost a lot to buy in the first instance they save you the most. 
We have these in at home as they save the most money long term and I will take them with me if I move, you really cant beat them. 

The much cheaper GU10 Halogen energy savers are also standard size and shape and also dimmable but you only save 20% power with those, the bulbs are very cheap though, about the same as a standard 50w Halogen GU10 price wise.

Best regards.

"What does SES E14 mean please?"

Hi, As you probably know, Thomas Edison (arguably) invented the light bulb and his first bulbs were ES fitting which stands for “Edison Screw”, they call them (E27) and the thread is 27mm wide, SES stands for Small Edison Screw and is (E14) the E being the screw fitting and the 14 being the millimetres of thread so an SES (Small Edison Screw) or E14 has a 14mm thread, a BC (bayonet cap) bulb is B22 (22mm diameter cap) and a SBC is B15 (15mm cap) so that's the four most common fitting types.

ES, SES, BC and SBC.

Hope that helps.

Stuart.

"I'm starting to get an idea of the "Warmth" of a white light bulb but I would just like to know the difference in the different Kelvin (k) values please".

To help you with colour temperature here is my own opinion as a seller of these bulbs for several years in all shades...

2700k warm white is like a sunlight colour, (some are starting to call it "soft tone" nowadays) and those are distinctly yellowy in colour like the colour of sun with a clear sky through a window in a morning, (like a normal old traditional pearl 60w house bulb). 3000k is also a warm white but a slightly purer (less yellow) white and is very popular... 3500k is in an "in between the two" white but still a distinctly whiter shade than a normal house bulb, 6400k is almost blue-white in hue like a daylight white on an overcast day... its so far up the spectrum the light is very white like the colour of a 4 foot fluorescent tube as you see in factories and schools etc...we used to sell more of the warm white range bulbs but now we seem to be selling more of the cool white ranges.

 

Also,.as you go up the spectrum in light shades you also get slightly more brightness (EG a 6400k bulb will give out 10% more lumen's than a 2700k lamp using the same wattage and fitting).

 

Many of our customers buying for their homes go for the 2700k for living areas and whiter shades like 6400k for work areas, bathrooms, kitchens and public spaces etc...we have all those in several wattages including the short 58mm 9w=45w model

 

"Will these bulbs fit standard GU10 inset ceiling holders"

They will fit most holders but if you are not sure perhaps it would be better to buy a single bulb and try one before buying a large quantity... please keep packaging as new if you need to return a sample for refund.

"We have had a truly bad and very expensive experience with GU-10 LED bulbs, can you help.

 

Poor light levels despite claims. Poor beam patterns and the final straw was

7 out of 10 failing catastrophically in under 2,000 hours i.e. not much

better than a good quality incandescent.

 

We seek GU-10 LED's again, white, genuinely close to 50w of halogen and

genuinely long life. What would you recommend ?

 

Any advice sincerely appreciated.

 

Thanks, Mike (Last name removed). (Electronic Reliability Engineer)"

Hi, Sorry to hear you had problems with bulbs from another seller, I bet they were "white box" goods, illegally imported from China, I get emails every day from Chinese "factories" offering me cheap bulbs with fake safety stamps, we have never had a fault with one of our High power LED's to date. We only sell genuine safety approved bulbs from brands we have dealt with for years who follow all the laws and rules but most of the bulbs for sale on the Internet are fakes or unbranded Chinese copies with fake CE approval marks on them, I must get between five and ten emails a day from these Chinese "factories" offering me dodgy bulbs at ridiculous cheap prices with CE stamped on them, it's amazing how many dodgy bulbs there are out there, I would say 80% of what's on a lot of other websites is either fake or unbranded tat, you cant even make genuine European approved bulbs for the prices these Chinese firms sell them at and anything sold in a plain white box has been illegally imported and might not be safe.

 

Just a thought though... You didn't dim them with a dimmer switch at any time as that would blow them most likely? Most LED bulbs need a constant power supply, dimmable ones are coming out but still very large and very expensive (about £30 each for our 7w dimmable High power GU10 LED and most are unreliable or wont work with certain dimmers at time of writing. (Mid 2011). Even our Eveready Dimmable 7w High power GU10 LED bulb with three LED's per bulb will work on MOST types of dimmer and possibly not all.

 

All our bulbs have a year's warranty and even outside warranty we may exchange as goodwill.

   

Why are some CFL low energy saving bulbs larger than normal light bulbs ? (CFL stands for compact fluorescent).

 

This is purely down to the electronics in the compact fluorescent Candle bulb, they don't just have a glowing filament in them like a normal Candle bulb, when you take them apart there is a round circuit board with a little transformer coil, a ballast, a couple of capacitors and resistors and some wiring plus you have the fluorescent tube itself, this means they cant get higher brightness without bigger components which then means a larger bulb. We do stock several standard size bulbs but the smaller and brighter you go the more expensive they get, technology is improving all the time though and they will get smaller in time. We always try and stock the latest technology as well as the older type bulbs (at lower prices) to give people a wide choice, if your fittings can take a longer bulb then our CFL's are a great light provider at a low price.

 

"Looking for GU10 energy savers, I presume the extra length does not matter as long as they can fit inside the ceiling void, is there a warranty ?".

I can see no reason why they couldn't be fitted in enclosed holders or recessed holders as long as they are fitted in such a way as to avoid electrical or fire risk as you would with normal GU10 halogen bulbs (which run 5 times as hot)... for peace of mind we have a years warranty on all bulbs... this covers any bulb bought from www.powersavebulbs.com www.presenceuk.com or www.powersavebulbs.co.uk  

"Is the 2700k temperature equivalent to warm white?"

Yes 2700k is warm white the colour of sunlight through a window as opposed to cool or day white which is closer to the blue spectrum, many people prefer 2700k as ts a softer light and ideal for living areas whereas your 6400k is a brighter and whiter light such as you used to get from fluorescent strip lights etc... 6400k is a cooler white and you get more lumen's output for the power used but it is a very bright pure white and some people prefer 2700k, try one if you are unsure but keep it as new and if its not what you want we can exchange for you.

"Hi.  I would be very interested to know which, of the GU10 CFL lamps you stock, would you recommend for direct replacement of halogen units. I do have some 9w CFL GU10`s that do not fit the majority of standard down lighters with a wire retaining ring. That is even tho` the lamps measure only 55mm - it appears there greater girth is the problem. As most of my customers require replacement units for standard down lighters, a replacement CFL that did fit would be of great interest to me, so i will keenly await your response. Regards, Alan"

Hi At time of writing (2011) the shortest CFL GU10 we do (we have 30+ types in stock, the largest range in the UK) is 58mm including pins in Ring brand or Finelite or 60mm in Eveready (2mm or 4mm longer than a normal halogen respectively) but this includes the pins so it will fit MANY down lighters but not all, its always a big problem with those ones with the wire rings and glass covers and also the ones that are like round balls set flush in the ceiling (some swivel). For those awkward fittings the very best we have we stock are the high power GU10 LED bulbs, they are very bright . You can buy them from us much cheaper than big firms as we don't have the overheads and we specialise in this fitting but they are still expensive, (we can get them down a fair bit price wise on quantity obviously).

Also we have halogen GU10 energy savers, totally standard size fully dimmable, same brightness as a 50w GU10 bulb and they last longer we sell them at about £17 for ten, the only downside with halogen GU10 energy savers is you only save 20%-30% power rather than 70%+ with CFL and 90%+ with LED so the CFL and LED GU10 bulbs pay for themselves more times in the long run. Regards.

 

 "Do you find that these bulbs last as my experience with older low energy CFL's is that they do not last as long as the claims mainly due to the ballasts failing due to heat probably"

Yes I agree with you there... although (with the best of the suppliers we use) the technology has come a long way since then and they run cooler and the CFL ballasts (and chips with the LED bulbs) are getting more reliable all the time..each new batch we receive seems to have an improvement in some way, if they are going to fail they normally fail within two hours of first use and if not used with dimmers they should reach the manufacturers average lifespan which ranges from about 10000 hours for our CFL bulbs and up to 50,000 hours for LED GU10 lamps in general. This means that if you buy from us you are guaranteed against faults.

Do you have GU10 LED globes to replace 50w Halogens?
Hi Yes to replace a 50w halogen have a look at the GU10 high power LED section from the homepage, www.powersavebulbs.com  you will be better off with a 4w with 3 LED per globe (globes is another word for bulbs) but you could go for single LED high power GU10 in areas you don't need as much light as they are cheaper. The bulbs look expensive but GU10 LED high power bulbs will pay for themselves many times over.

Disposal of Compact fluorescent GU10 and candle shape low energy light bulbs.

Why do I need to be careful how I dispose of my Energy Saving Light bulbs and Fluorescent tubes?

CFL Energy Saving Light bulbs function in much the same way as a fluorescent tube. They contain electronic components and a tiny amount of mercury (each just enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen). This mercury allows them to deliver their substantial energy saving benefits. It is therefore much better not to put these lamps in the normal household waste. A more environmentally friendly and responsible way of  disposal is to ensure that the lamps are recycled at the end of their life. You should therefore separate them from your normal household waste.  They can be disposed of at your local authority Household Waste Recycling Centre in the separate containers that they have available for these lamps. These containers are then returned to specialist companies for recycling.

How should I deal with a broken CFL Energy Saving Light bulb or Fluorescent tube?

• Although the accidental breakage of a single light bulb is very unlikely to cause any health problems, it is good practise to minimise any unnecessary exposure to mercury, as well as risk of cuts from glass fragments.
• Fetch clean up materials as soon as possible, ventilating the room for about 15 minutes.
• Do not use a vacuum cleaner, but clean up using rubber gloves and aim to avoid creating and inhaling airborne dust.
• The most effective method is to gently sweep up all particles and glass fragments and place them in a seal able container or plastic bag. Wipe the area with a damp cloth, then add that to the bag and seal it.
• Mercury is hazardous and the bag should not be disposed of in the bin. All local councils have an obligation to make arrangements for the disposal of Energy Saving Light bulbs and Fluorescent tubes and similar lamps at a Civic Amenity site or Household Waste Recycling Centre.

However the use of CFL's saves on mercury emissions when compared to the use of incandescent bulbs. This is due to the reduced electrical power demand, reducing in turn the amount of mercury released by coal as it is burned.

Any queries please feel free to contact us on email: powersavebulbs@virginmedia.com

Postal address for returns: And normal mail: Powersavebulbs. PO Box 7553, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 9BP

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VAT Reg: 895 5438 68

Telephone: 07508 198270

Thanks for reading our energy saving bulb buying guide.