Lighting


LED Dimmer Circuit
In this article we will look at how a simple circuit can be built to act as a dimmer for individual LED bulbs. If you arrived at this page wanting to know how to dim LED spotlights (sealed bulbs containing multiple LEDs), you will be …

Transformers for 12V LED Lighting
12 Volt LED light bulbs can either be powered directly from a 12V DC source (such as a battery bank) or via a transformer which turns mains electricity (240VAC in the UK) into 12 Volts DC. Existing transformers typically used with halogen spotlights can usually be …

Motion Sensor Light Switch
Motion Sensor Light Switches such as the unit pictured below are relatively new products which will only turn lights on in a room when it is occupied. By automatically turning off the lights when no-one is in the room and when the room is bright …

Using The LM317T With LED Lighting
The lifetime of LED bulbs (now available in the REUK Shop) is strongly influenced by the amount of current passing through them. Though typically rated for 100,000 hours of use, if the current used is double that recommended the LED bulb lifetime can fall to …

Shed and Garage Solar Lighting
Currently one of the commonest uses of Solar power is to provide lighting for domestic sheds and garages which are not connected to the mains electricity. It is usually not economically viable to extend a ring main from a house to an out-building, particularly when …

LED Spotlights
It is recommended that all old style incandescent light bulbs are replaced with Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs or LED bulbs to reduce electricity consumption. A typical CFL has a lifetime many times that of an incandescent bulb, and consumes only 20% of the energy. This …

MR11 and MR16 12v Spotlight Connectors
Some of the best value, longest lasting, most efficient lighting available for 12 volt applications is LED Spotlights. Standard UK home wiring is prepared for 240V AC mains electricity. If you want to have 12V lighting in your home, shed, workshop, cabin, boat, or caravan etc, then …

Power 12V LED Spotlight with 4 AA Batteries
12V LED spotlight bulbs are fantastic for off-grid lighting needs. They are cheap, use just 1 Watt of power, cast a bright white light, and 12V LED lighting circuits are very easy to implement. The only problem is the need for a 12 volt power …

Light Tubes for Interior Lighting
A light tube (aka Sun tube, Sun pipe, or tubular skylight) is a tube or pipe used to transport daylight from the exterior of a building to a room with no windows. This passive lighting device uses zero electricity and therefore is not responsible for any carbon …

240V LED Bulbs and Dimmer Switches
In the REUK Shop we sell a range of energy efficient lighting products. One of the top sellers is the 240 Volt AC GU10 LED Spotlight Bulb. Providing the same amount of light as a 25 Watt halogen spotlight, but with a consumption of just 1 …

Solar Shed Lighting Circuit Testing
In the article Shed and Garage Solar Lighting we looked at how 12V LED Spotlights were perfect for such applications. With each bulb drawing just 1 Watt of power, a small solar panel used in conjunction with an old car battery is all that is …

Dimmable Energy Saving Lightbulbs
There are now many energy efficient lighting options available to replace old fashioned energy hungry incandescent light bulbs and halogen spotlights - primarily LED lighting, CFL (compact fluorescent lighting), and the latest CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lighting). One major disadvantage of energy efficient lighting products has …

How To Make MR16 LED Spotlights
With lighting accounting for 20% of most household electricity bills, saving electricity (and money) in this area is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to make a real difference. For many years now it has been economical to replace standard incandescent lightbulbs with CFL …

Review Of Megaman Energy Saving Lightbulbs
In our article Dimmable Energy Saving Lightbulbs we discussed the recent introduction of CFL energy saving lightbulbs which can be used with standard dimmer switches. In order to look in more detail at these bulbs we have conducted in depth reviews of a couple of …

Convert Maglite to LED
Maglite torches are excellent. They are well manufactured and durable, stylish and functional. However, they are limited by the batteries your use, and the lifetime of the bulbs. If only it was possible to change the standard Maglite incandescent tungsten bulb for an LED the …

240V LED Light Bulbs
At present replacing existing inefficient incandescent light bulbs with CFL bulbs is the best way to reducing wastage of electricity, and to save money. However, recent developments in LED technology have brought the day closer when LED light bulbs will be cheap and efficient enough …

Dual Powered Lighting Circuit
In our article Switch from Inverter to Mains Automatically we looked at how a lighting circuit can be powered by renewable energy, but with an automatic mains power back up. The system described was basic, but still too complicated for the average enthusiast. Since publication, we …

Cree LED Spotlights
In our article LED Spotlights we introduced the advantages and disadvantages of LED spotlights compared with halogen bulbs. The main advantages of LED spotlights are that they use as little as 1/50th of the power of halogen bulbs, and they last for years rather than …

Moonlight Night Light Product Review
We often receive emails from people asking for our recommendations of energy efficient night lights - primarily for their child's bedroom, or to light up a dark corridor or hallway. Unfortunately most night lights are very inefficient (considering the minimal amount of light they produce) …

Colour Change Remote Control LED Spotlights
While LED bulb manufacturers are still struggling to make low energy bulbs which produce as much light as their incandescent and halogen equivalents, they have at least managed to make something completely original and fun - mains powered 16 colour change infrared remote controlled GU10 …

Osram Ostar Lighting LED
Following on from the recent news about the Pharox 240V LED Lightbulb going on sale in Holland, another manufacturer has released news about a powerful new LED lighting product. Bulb manufacturers Osram (Osram Opto Semiconductors) have updated the Ostar Lighting LED - creating an LED …

Lamina Sol MR16 LED Spotlight Review
In our article LED spotlights we introduced some of the energy efficient options available to replace standard halogen spotlights. LED bulbs make for excellent spotlights, but unfortunately many homes have tens of halogen spotlights installed for general room lighting - something which current LED technology …

Benefits of CFL Lighting
25% of a typical home's electricity budget is spent on lighting inefficient incandescent light bulbs. A typical light bulb will cost 5 to 10 times its own cost in electricity during its relatively short lifetime. However there are alternatives. Compact Fluorescent Lights are miniature versions …

Pharox 240V LED Lightbulbs
Until now the only practical alternative to inefficient incandescent lightbulbs has been CFL Bulbs which are four times more efficient and last about ten times as long as standard bulbs. However rapid development of 240V LED Spotlight technology has finally led to a 240V LED …

Toxic Mercury in CFL Bulbs
Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL) offers many advantages over the standard incandescent type of light bulb. They provide the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs but use far less power, and last many times longer. Over the lifetime of a CFL bulb the electricity cost …

SolarMate Solar Shed Light Review
The SolarMate 0.5 is a solar powered remote controlled utility light. It is a complete system including a solar panel, lamp, battery storage, remote control, and all necessary wall fixings. On first impressions everything is well made, weighty, solid and sturdy. A one A4 sized printed …

Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light Bulbs
In previous articles we have looked at both the Benefits of CFL Lighting - long lifetimes and energy efficiency - and also the nasty problem of Toxic Mercury in CFL Bulbs. Now a new technology has gone into commercial fluorescent light bulbs which promises to increase …