Enter any sleek, stylish and ultra-modern home … and look up. What do you see? Downlights! We don’t always know why or how, but downlights are the shining star of illuminating your favourite spaces these days. The only real question you need to ask yourself as you renovate is: halogen or LED downlights?
Halogen VS LED downlights – What’s the difference?
LED is obviously the ultra-modern choice, but halogen is also modern, too – using halogen gas to extend the bulb life compared to the original incandescent lights that we’re all so used to. LED, however, really started to take off just over a decade ago – and some believe they’re steadily phasing out incandescent, fluorescent and even halogen bulbs the world over.
But today, we’re zooming in on the key differences between LED vs halogen downlights – because they’re the two options that probably have you scratching your heads as you seek to get the ultimate downlight setup up and illuminating:
1. Energy efficiency
There’s no doubt about it – between those two types of downlight bulbs, LED wins every day and twice on Sundays. You can tell by touching an LED bulb that it’s losing almost no energy at all in the form of heat, which means smaller power bills and less impact on the environment.
2. Lifespan
LED wins again – with halogen bulbs lasting about 2000-5000 hours per bulb. That may seem like a lot of hours, and it is, but LED downlights typically last 25,000 hours. That’s fewer replacements and more money in your pocket.
3. Heat
We said in #1 that LED bulbs are not hot. Now touch (and be careful!) a halogen bulb. Ouch! Sure, they’re not as hot as those old incandescent bulbs, but you still need to worry about them heating up flammable materials around them. Burns of fires, however, is not a worry with LED downlights.
4. Light/colour quality
It’s a closer contest with LED downlights vs halogen downlights when it comes to overall light quality. Where LED really does win the day, however, is the colour temperature – as the semiconductors easily adjust to the warm white, cool white or daylight hues that you fancy for your luxury space. In contrast, halogen downlights typically emit a nice, warm white light – albeit less versatile.
5. Environmental impact
Again, when it comes to the impact on our environment, halogen downlights vs LED downlights is a close contest. Sure, halogen draws less energy from your electricity mains, but – like LED – there are no hazardous materials in there like the mercury in other lighting technologies.
6. Cost
It gets a little trickier to compare halogen downlights vs LED in terms of cost – because a highly competitive market means that the ticket prices are quite similar. LED downlights might cost a few dollars more, but you’ll make up for that with the lower ongoing running costs. LED also tends to last a lot longer, saving you money with replacements.
LED VS halogen downlights – Which will you choose?
So, what do you think – do LED downlights win your vote, or are you still a passionate halogen advocate? If you think halogen downlights have been destroyed by LED in this blog, think again, because they:
- Cost a little less
- They’re probably more compatible with existing light fittings
- They may be more dimmable
- And some people just love that distinctively warm halogen glow.
If you don’t know which way to go, or you’re ready to book with a downlight installation specialist right now, Tradie Near Me can help. Simply by entering your details and hitting ‘submit’, we’ll connect you with eager, local, licensed, insured, friendly local electricians and lighting installation experts who can help advise and complete your ultimate modern downlight setup. Give Tradie Near Me a try today.
