Energy Saving Bulbs - Not LEDs

Chris_Robb

Chris_Robb

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Having fitted a couple of warm white LEDs for the last couple of years, I am impressed with their frugal power consumption but NOT their light output, which I find both depressing and uncomfortable to read by.

I notice that there is a new line of 12V energy saving bulbs of 3 (0.25amps) and 7 watts (0.58 amps) consumption. These use CCFL Compact Cold cathode Fluorescent lamp technology.

http://www.onsolar.co.uk/12V-3W-CCFL.shtml

http://www.onsolar.co.uk/12V-7W-CCFL.shtml

They produce respectively 150 and 350 lumens which is a little less I think than the LED equivalent - but hopefully a better balanced light.

The main drawback is that they use mains size fittings - both screw and bayonet and are more bulky.

So is it worth a try? perhaps I will do a cockpit light under the Bimini first if I can find a suitable fitting. I will not have another LED on the boat except for signal lamps - where they are great.
 
LEDs

I think you are being a bit too dismissive of LEds. Certainly the colour can vary and many people don't like the harsh blue/white light of some LEDs. By all means try the CCFL but I think they are less efficient for light production than LEDs.
An LED with a warmer colour will have some red LEDs or perhaps a different coloured white. More LEDs will give more light obviously so I would suggest just keep searching for LED that pleases you.
It is not that hard to create your own LED light fitting from individual bulbs with red thrown in for warmth.
good luck olewill
 
William_H said:
I think you are being a bit too dismissive of LEds. Certainly the colour can vary and many people don't like the harsh blue/white light of some LEDs. By all means try the CCFL but I think they are less efficient for light production than LEDs.
An LED with a warmer colour will have some red LEDs or perhaps a different coloured white. More LEDs will give more light obviously so I would suggest just keep searching for LED that pleases you.
It is not that hard to create your own LED light fitting from individual bulbs with red thrown in for warmth.
good luck olewill
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William, the problem as I understand it is that LEDs give a single wavelength light. It looks incredibly bright to look at but illuminates very little. I have seen loads of new ones, I cannot agree that they are any good. Hence thinking of something else.
 
I was disappointed with the first few leds I purchased on ebay, both light quality and quantity were poor. Then I got some SMD leds which have proved to be excellent. These have little yellow squares to emit light rather than the little glass balls of the older style.
 
ytd said:
I was disappointed with the first few leds I purchased on ebay, both light quality and quantity were poor. Then I got some SMD leds which have proved to be excellent. These have little yellow squares to emit light rather than the little glass balls of the older style.
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Those are the ones I already have, and yes, they are far far better than the blue/white light of the older ones - but they do not illuminate things well, despite appearing quite bright.
 
If anyone thinks LEDs are inferior in any way to filament bulbs, then you haven't seen a good one.

I fitted a couple of LED MR16s from Maplin last year. They were pathetically dim, and bluish.

Replaced them with Livarno MR16s from Lidl late last year - no comparison. Light colour is indistinguishable from filament bulb. They use one tenth the power, they're brighter, and I expect they'll last a hundred times longer.
 
The problem with compact flourescents is that they need a high voltage so when running off 12V there will be a small inverter involved and you won't get the efficiencies (lumens/W) of a 240V cfl. If your boat already has 240V then maybe this is not a problem. I would be trying another type of led rather than going to cfl.
 
ytd said:
The problem with compact flourescents is that they need a high voltage so when running off 12V there will be a small inverter involved and you won't get the efficiencies (lumens/W) of a 240V cfl. If your boat already has 240V then maybe this is not a problem. I would be trying another type of led rather than going to cfl.
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The ones I showed were CCFL which apparently have a very efficient cold start - and consequently take some time to warm up, so I am not sure that is the case.

I have looked at Conachair's link, but the only way to find out is to buy another one possibly to add to the ones I don't like ! (all yellow bulbs)...... I will talk to them and see .....
 
Some information that maybe useful when purchasing

Colour temperature is measured on the Kelvin scale which uses the same units as the celseius or centigrade scale, but starts at absolute zero (minus 273 degrees celseius). A warm white light bulb similar to an incandescent light bulb has a colour temperature of around 2700 k and gives off light with a yellowish quality, whilst 6000 k represents a bluish white colour. This is called colour temperature because theoretically if you were to heat something up to 2700 k it would glow yellowish/white and if you heated it to 6000 k it would glow bluish/white, this is how an incandescent light bulb works with an element heated to around 2700 k which explains the warm colour that you get from the light bulb. The most common colour temperature of light bulbs available are as follows:
2700K - Warm white is recommended for most household use as it is the closest to a standard traditional light bulb that most people are used to
3000K - This is classed as warm white but is slightly colder than 2700 k and mimics the colour of a halogen light bulb, therefore 3000 k energy saving light bulbs are often used in kitchens which are decorated in white or silver metallic to give a cleaner feel to the room
4000K - This is cool white colour and is often used in commercial buildings like offices and shops to give a more professional feel, you might consider using this 4000 k light bulb in your home dependant on your decoration style
5400K - These light bulbs are often described as "daylight" coloured, giving off a similar quality of light to a hot summers day with a blue sky, this colour temperature is generally found in liner fluorescent tubes. This colour temperature is sometimes helpful for people that suffer from seasonal affective disorder otherwise known as ‘SAD’
6500K - This colour gives off a slightly harsh bluish/white light and is generally used by architects and designers to make drawings on white paper appear very clear.
 
Chris_Robb said:
The ones I showed were CCFL which apparently have a very efficient cold start - and consequently take some time to warm up, so I am not sure that is the case.

I have looked at Conachair's link, but the only way to find out is to buy another one possibly to add to the ones I don't like ! (all yellow bulbs)...... I will talk to them and see .....
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I have used Bedazzled - over a year ago - the guy is very helpful if you ring him. - You need the high wattage (for LED) bulbs I think mine are 2.6W, but the light output is good, and the colour is good also - I have had a lot of visitors to the boat this year, and all have said how good they were - and some have used the same bulbs on their boats now too.
 
I have fitted a 7w (6400K) Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp, which i use instead of 5 so called high output LEDs. The one bulb lights the whole cabin with a brightness that is easy to read by and a much kinder light to my eyes. They are of course much much cheaper. The only drawback is their size. I would strongly recommend to try them

Regards

Jim King
 
jimking said:
I have fitted a 7w (6400K) Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp, which i use instead of 5 so called high output LEDs. The one bulb lights the whole cabin with a brightness that is easy to read by and a much kinder light to my eyes. They are of course much much cheaper. The only drawback is their size. I would strongly recommend to try them

Regards

Jim King
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Ah - at last - someone who has tried them! It sounds good - you can also get the slightly warmer light 2000K I believe.

Have you noticed the power consumption? I am not expecting a match, but it sounds like it would be difficult to compare. I just want lights that are kind and don't use as much as filament bulbs.

What fitting did you use. I have some bulk head lights and others are roof mounted festoon types. I want to rig a permanent light under the Bimini.

Thanks Jim.
 
A built some cold cathode tube lights for a boat a few years ago. The worked well, very different to LED as they emit 360 degree light, so they are good for general illumination, not so good for a reading light.
When I used them their theoretical efficiency was a bit better than LED, but in practice because of the 360 degree emission, they were not quite as good as LEDs in output for the power. Since then LEDs have improved in efficiency and I cannot see much application for them these days, particularly as LEDs with close to 180 degree output are available.
 
samwise said:
I can recommend Aten Lighting, who specialise in LED lighting for a range of applications including boats and motorhomes.Extremely helpful folk.

atenlighting.co.uk
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These are the people I use, I have replaced almost all of my normal bulbs with SMD and the light is excellent, the 30watt equivalents in my spreader lights, have to be seen to be believed. I can easily read without eye strain with mine.
 
These are quite common in South Africa because there are a lot of land based Solar setups.
I have these in the cockpit and main cabin and they really make a difference. I use them in bathroom type flush fittings and intend fitting them on my UK boat.
 
Hi Chris

I just used a screw type mains light fitting (its not very elegant) I have just checked the power consumption, for the 5 leds its 0.6 amps and 0.5 amps for the Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp. I need a good light for reading, I recently purchased 2 x 12V2W SC SMT LEDs but was very disappointed with the light output, however I am in the Caribbean and do not have the same range of lights to chose from as in the UK.

Hope this helps

Jim King
 
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