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GU10 LED Bulbs - Some Frequently-Asked Questions

Posted by Richard Clarke on 15th Oct 2013

GU10 Some Frequently-Asked Questions

The GU10 LED Light Bulb is one of our very best selling products, here at Wholesale LED Lights. They’re perfectly designed to retrofit into your existing light fittings, serving as fantastic energy-saving replacements for your existing bulbs.

Here are just a few of the questions we’re often asked about them:

What Is GU10?

GU10 refers to a common type of spotlight fitting or ‘cap’. The fitting consists of two prongs, spaced 10mm apart, hence the '10' in their title. It’s designed to fit snugly into place with just a push and a clockwise twist.

For more details check out this video that aims to explain more about GU10 fittings:

What Types of GU10 Light Bulb Are There?

GU10 bulbs come in three main types. There are halogens, often known as ‘incandescents’, CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and LEDs ( Light Emitting Diodes).

LED is the newest of the three types of bulb, offering two major advantages. It uses far less electricity and lasts many times longer.

What Voltage Are Your GU10 LED Bulbs?

Like all GU10s, our GU10 LED Bulbs operate at 240V AC. This means they’ll work perfectly well in your existing fitments, without the need for a separate LED driver.

What’s The Difference Between A GU10 And A GU5.3 Bulb?

GU5.3 bulbs are more commonly known as MR16s, and they’re the low voltage equivalent of the GU10.

They operate at 12-volts DC, which means they require a separate LED driver to ‘step down’ mains voltage from 240-volts to the 12-volts at which they can operate.

How Long Will GU10 LED Bulbs Last?

The average life-expectancy for a GU10 LED Bulb is about 50,000 hours, whereas the average life-expectancy of a halogen GU10 is around 1,000 hours.

Thus, working for 8 hours a day, a GU10 LED will continue to work for 17.12 years, but a halogen GU10 will need to be replaced three times every year.

Also, unlike halogens which fail suddenly, GU10 LEDs become gradually dimmer over time, which means they may continue to work beyond their life-expectancy, but at a brightness that diminishes progressively.

Are Your GU10 LED Bulbs Energy-Efficient?

The simple answer to this question is YES! In comparison with a halogen GU10, the LED will provide an equivalent number of Lumens, yet will require less than 10% of the power to do so.

What this means is that, when you switch over to LED illumination for your home or business, you’ll begin making savings on your electricity bill pretty much immediately.

An example of this is the GU10 LED Bulb 80 SMD which, at just 3.3 watts, will generate the same 400 lumens as a 50 watt halogen GU10. This will save you approximately 90% on your home’s power consumption, and the savings only rise when you increase when you replace a greater number of halogens.

Are Your GU10 LED Bulbs Dimmable?

GU10 LED Bulbs are available in both dimmable and non-dimmable options.

Before using dimmable GU10 LED bulbs, it’s important to ensure you have a compatible, trailing edge LED dimmer switch. Using them with any other type of dimmer switch could result in damage to the bulbs.

If your switch is incompatible, your GU10 LED bulbs will flicker intermittently. Should this be the case, you’d be advised to change your dimmer switch to an LED-compatible one right away.

Which GU10 LED Bulbs Do You Have Available?

We offer a wide range of GU10 LED Bulbs in a choice of power requirements and brightness.

These can be split into two broad categories: our high-power range and our SMD (Surface Mount Diode) range.

The GU10 LED Bulbs in our high-power range have a fairly narrow beam angle that’s great for accent and task lighting, while bulbs in our SMD range emit light with a wide beam that’s ideally suited for more general illumination purposes.

Where Can I Find Out More About GU10 LED Bulbs?

You can give a member of our customer service team a call between 9am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am till 2pm on Saturdays and the number to dial is 0116 321 4120.

You can also send us an e-mail enquiry to cs@wled.co.uk and contact us, with any questions.

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