What bulbs with dimmer switches?

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Matt32AMG

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OK, Philips Domestic Energy saving light bulbs, you know the ones, the replacement of the old filament bulb, well they don’t work with dimmer switches? They end up blinking at you. (Low Voltage I suppose). What alternative bulb can you use with dimmer switches else I’m going to have to replace the wall fittings with some kind of 12V halogen solution :confused:

Or have I asked and answered my own question here? :dk:
 
In reference to Howards link, Megaman is a good bulb manufacturer.
 
The Philips Eco Classic range is good for any difficult applications where a true energy saving bulb is not suitable or doesn't cut it.
 
Thr Megaman smooth dimmables do work, sort of....

1. they don't dim very far

2. they are picky about the dimmer switch (see the Megaman website for "approved" dimmers and how to calculate how many bulbs per switch - max AND min!) - with the wrong dimmer they fail to light, flash or don't dim.

3. they are "old school" and take a minute (yes a whole minute) to warm up

4. they are not the brightest (for their wattage) when turned up full.

5 they are very expensive relative to the "5 for a £" current non-dimming crop as they seem to have escaped any subsidy.
 
I have replaced all the bulbs in my house with energy saving bulbs.

the only ones that have remained standard bulbs are our bedroom & the kids bedrooms (they are all on dimmers), and the hallway, landing and living room. these rooms have G4 halagen bulbs in them. the living room also has dimmer switch. I wanted to fit LED G4 bulbs on the hallway and landing as the light takes 6 bulbs but the style of them means the LED is too wide to fit in the glass cover. In the end i got some 5w halagen bulbs to use in these as a compromise. the living room has about 6 10w bulbs in there. the bedrooms have 40w bulbs in them apart from master which has a 60w bulb. I cant find a cheapish way to get a dimmable bulb that dims properly.
 
Given the numerous "3 for 50p" deals floating around, the cost to change is essential zero (if you don't want strange fitting or dimming).
 
Have you noticed any difference in your power bills, against the cost of changing them all ?

not really checked yet. but its good to know they are there. Its the kitchen and ensuite ones that were really bad. used to have 9 60w spots on the ceiling in each. now 9 8w energy savers.

they were only 50p each or something.
 
Given the numerous "3 for 50p" deals floating around, the cost to change is essential zero (if you don't want strange fitting or dimming).

unfortunatly these 3 for 50p deals seem to be just on the standard screw or bayonet bulbs..... not for spots etc etc.
 
G4 halogens - avoid!!

Having recently 'updated' our living room lighting, I can speak from some experience.

We had two twin-lamp ceiling fittings, both with a pair of 40W candle-shaped GLS lamps (the traditional tungsten filament type). Both fittings were on a double-dimmer wall switch.

We have replaced the ceiling fittings with some 'stylish' ones instead. I.e. a pair of fittings with 24 x 5W G4 halogen lamps. These, because they are 12V DC cannot be dimmed.

So we have 'improved' our lighting by replacing 2 x 80W dimming fittings with 2 x 120W non-dimming fittings. What a result. Energy saving? Pah! And the sad irony of it all is - the light level has gone DOWN.

Government regulation is about to outlaw the GLS lamp (in 2012) and the G4 is deemed to be an acceptable substitute. Doh! :doh:

Oh, and to top it all off, I accidentally brushed my arm against one of the G4 lamps when reaching to do something with the fitting. Even though I only lightly (and briefly) brushed against it, it was so hot it actually burned a hole in the skin on my arm which is still there now. Horrible things!
 
Have you noticed any difference in your power bills, against the cost of changing them all ?

For ease of maths, if energy is ~£0.10 kWh and 60W bulbs are replaced with 10W bulbs, then there is a 50W saving per bulb or £0.005 saving per bulb hour.

Say 10 bulbs on for 5 hours a day equals £0.25 saving per day, or ~£80 per year.

It’s quite easy to imagine energy prices being higher and also using more bulbs in a family home.

ps. hope my maths is correct.
 
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Having recently 'updated' our living room lighting, I can speak from some experience.

We had two twin-lamp ceiling fittings, both with a pair of 40W candle-shaped GLS lamps (the traditional tungsten filament type). Both fittings were on a double-dimmer wall switch.

We have replaced the ceiling fittings with some 'stylish' ones instead. I.e. a pair of fittings with 24 x 5W G4 halogen lamps. These, because they are 12V DC cannot be dimmed.

So we have 'improved' our lighting by replacing 2 x 80W dimming fittings with 2 x 120W non-dimming fittings. What a result. Energy saving? Pah! And the sad irony of it all is - the light level has gone DOWN.

Government regulation is about to outlaw the GLS lamp (in 2012) and the G4 is deemed to be an acceptable substitute. Doh! :doh:

Oh, and to top it all off, I accidentally brushed my arm against one of the G4 lamps when reaching to do something with the fitting. Even though I only lightly (and briefly) brushed against it, it was so hot it actually burned a hole in the skin on my arm which is still there now. Horrible things!


The Philips Eco Classic range is good for any difficult applications where a true energy saving bulb is not suitable or doesn't cut it.

Which is whu I use the Philips Eco Classics .....

Candle example...

Philips - EcoClassic30 Candle 28 W (40 W) Small cap Clear - 872790025271220 - Candle - Energy-saving lamps - Lighting
 

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