Inverters and LEDs

[Alcyone]

I bought some of these:

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20091001.p.Energy-saving_Downlighters.ar5

from lidl.

Says on the box that they are rated at 1.2 watts.

So, I have a little 120watt inverter on the boat. If I run these lights off that inverter, will I use much of my battery? Is this a good idea, or shall I just forget about them and put them up in the kitchen.....?

 

[DaveS]

LEDs

It's not clear from the link whether they're designed to run from 230V or 12V, but assuming the former, I wouldn't think that battery consumption would really be an issue. Your inverter will generate some losses, but probably only a few watts continuous plus a small percentage of the supplied power. With say 4 of these lights in use I would expect 1A or less total battery draw, so even if you left them on overnight they would take less than 10Ah from the battery.

I would have more concerns about (a) leaving your inverter running unattended for lengthy periods - it might be fine, but what, if any, precautions are in place if it misbehaves and starts to overheat?; (b) fan noise at night (see (a) if it stops!) might be an issue; (c) running 230V behind the deckhead, given that that's a common conduit for leaks is IMHO just adding another unnecessary potential problem...

 

[fireball]

I found that using a 150w can inverter and desklamp with energy saver bulb uses less elec than the 2 x 20w 12v bulbs in the roof!

 

[Carioca]

I bought some of these:

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20091001.p.Energy-saving_Downlighters.ar5

from lidl.

Says on the box that they are rated at 1.2 watts.

So, I have a little 120watt inverter on the boat. If I run these lights off that inverter, will I use much of my battery? Is this a good idea, or shall I just forget about them and put them up in the kitchen.....?

GU10 as I recall are 12Volt lamps so you shouldn't need your inverter.

tonyd

 

[Alcyone]

Thanks for the replies. They are 240v - I can see no transformer, just a lead which I connected to a 240v plug. seem to work fine.

I was not thinking of using them full time, possibly just as reading lights on the boat, or whatever, really. It's just that I know inverters are not that efficient. I figured though, with them using 1.2 watts, that it wouldn't be a problem. At £4 each (3 for £12 ish) I thought they were a good deal.

Thanks for your opinions.