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Mains Voltage Lighting - 240v garden and outdoor lighting

Historically all lighting was “mains” voltage – that is, powered from the utility supply voltage, usually 240 volts in the UK. Older garden lighting systems rely on the PAR38 tungsten projector lamp, a large, clumsy and inefficient light source that is probably destined to follow its GLS (General Lighting Service) cousins – the familiar light bulb - into oblivion in the next decade as the EU starts phasing out inefficient tungsten lighting. But over the last 20 years creative garden lighting has owed its development mainly to the advent of the 12 volt MR16 halogen reflector lamp for small, easily installed fittings, and it is often forgotten that these lamps are already twice as efficient as old fashioned light bulbs, so energy efficiency is nothing new to garden lighting. So these types of “high efficiency incandescent lamps” are here to stay for a long time yet. In fact, in the last few years more halogen reflector lamps have appeared - in 240v guise, gaining acceptability for the way they combine compactness of light fitting with golden white light and the convenience of mains wiring, even though they are at least a third less efficient than their 12v precursor. Of the more modern mains voltage light sources, compact fluorescent lamps are gradually taking over from tungsten in exterior wall lights, bollard lights and lanterns.

A more recent innovation has been the advent of the GU10 halogen reflector lamp to combine the advantages of the 12 volt MR16 halogen lamp with the installation convenience of 240v input; these lamps are the same diameter – 50mm - as MR16 lamps, meaning spotlights can be about the same size without the need to incorporate bulky integral transformers. While they are less efficient than 12 volt lamps and the choice of lamp beams and wattages is not so comprehensive as 12v MR16 lamps, 240v GU10 halogen garden lights are often chosen for ease of connection to 240v wiring on house walls, gate pillars and locations where hiding a remote transformer would be difficult. Elipta’s range of compact spike mount and wall spotlights includes a wide choice of 240v versions, including energy saving led and compact fluorescent spotlamp versions as well as halogen models.

More powerful 240v metal halide high-pressure discharge lighting is becoming the main tool for uplighting large trees and architectural features. Metal halide floodlights and narrower beam spike mount spotlights, plus a new generation of low-temperature recessed metal halide uplights provide a range of energy-efficient lighting power beyond that which can be handled by 12 volt equipment. These range in power from 35w and 70w recessed models - equivalent to 5 times that wattage of halogen lighting - to 70w and 150w surface or spike mounted metal halide floodlights and uplights for lighting 30 metre specimens. This is a big subject but there is useful guidance on choosing lighting effects and fittings at garden-lighting-design.co.uk as well a help sheet at garden-lighting-tips.co.uk.

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