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Which GU10?

With so many different types of energy saving GU10 bulbs on the market, it can be confusing deciphering which bulbs will meet your requirements and which are the most appropriate to use. We have created the following guide to help make the decision a little easier, and to hopefully answer any questions you may have about the range of energy saving GU10 bulbs currently available.
The choices when it comes to energy saving GU10 bulbs needs to take into account a number of factors including:

  • Life of the bulb
  • Energy saving achieved
  • Size of the bulb
  • Dimmable or not dimmable
  • Colour of the light output*


*Light output is usually defined in one of three colours, Warm White, Cool White and Daylight. Warm white is usually used in domestic capacities and is the normal colour associated with a standard halogen bulb. Cool White is a cooler white colour often associated with fluorescent tubes in offices or retail environments. Daylight colour is a very white light, almost with a tinge of blue to it, and provides the very best colour rendering.

 

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The options when looking at GU10 energy saving bulbs are eco-Halogen bulbs, GU10 CFL bulbs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and GU10 LED bulbs. Each of these will be evaluated against the above five options.

 

GU10 LED Bulbs


By far the best energy saving GU10 bulb available and the choice for the future of GU10s is the GU10 LED bulb. The GU10 LEDs are up to 90% more efficient than standard halogen GU10 bulbs, so a 5W bulb can provide up to 50W of light output. The lifespan is up to an amazing 50,000 hours and put into perspective, at 4 hours use per day, this equates to well over 30 years of use! Although there are few dimmable versions of these (the Philips versions are available here) the high powered GU10 LED bulb is recommended by Energy Bulbs as the GU10 bulb of choice. They are available in warm white or cool white colours and are available here.


Finally, the GU10 LED bulbs are also available in many different colours and are ideal for accent or display lighting, by clicking here.

 

Eco Halogen GU10 bulbs


This bulb is approximately a 30% energy saving bulb, e.g. it offers 50W of light output and draws 35W of power to achieve this light output. The life of the bulb is only around 1500 hours which is comparable to the 1500-2000 hours of a standard halogen bulb. The eco halogen bulbs are fully dimmable and behave in the same way as standard halogen bulbs, and are the same size as standard GU10 bulbs so will fit all standard fittings without any issues.


The light output from these bulbs is a warm white and no variations of this are available.


Click here for the Eco Halogen GU10 bulbs.

 

Energy Saving GU10 CFL Lamps


These lamps are currently the most popular energy saving GU10 lamps on the market, (although LED bulbs are catching up fast!). The life of the GU10 CFL bulbs ranges from 8000 – 15000 hours and the bulbs offer approximately 80% energy saving.


The single biggest issue with GU10 CFL bulbs is the size of the bulb. The standard 50W halogen replacement is a GU10 11W CFL bulb which can be 20mm longer than a standard halogen bulb. Most GU10 light fittings are open backed which allow the bulb to be pushed further back in the fitting and therefore the bulbs will be fine for use. However in some fittings the bulb cannot be pushed far enough back into the fitting and as such the bulb protrudes from the fitting. The only GU10 CFL which is an exception to this is also one of our most popular products, the Economy Low Energy GU10 7W bulb which is like for like in terms of the length of the bulb and fits the vast majority of fittings without any issues. It is, however, only equivalent to a 30W halogen GU10.


The CFL bulbs are available in Warm White, Cool White or Daylight colours, and they can be found by clicking here.


There is one dimmable version of the GU10 CFL bulb available on the market (available here), but standard CFL bulbs are not dimmable and it is not recommended to use the non-dimmable bulbs with a dimmer switch.

 

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