Halogen Light Sources
Filament bulbs containing halogen gas.
Halogen bulbs produce a very attractive light, closely resembling sunlight. They are more efficient than incandescent bulbs using only half the energy to produce the same light output and last twice as long.
Generally they are small lamps which generate a lot of heat so they can only be used in light fittings designed to cope with the higher temperatures.
There are two main types of halogen lamp available in the domestic market:
Low voltage
These lamps operate on 12V which means a transformer has to be fitted either in the light fitting itself or remotely. The advantages of the lower power are that the safer voltage enables manufacturers to produce interesting and slim designs without the need to protect against danger from higher voltages. Transformers can be either electronic or ‘wire wound’. The newer electronic transformers are more energy efficient and smaller but more expensive than the conventional wire wound type. Electronic transformers can be damaged by voltage ‘spikes’ in the mains supply (sometimes referred to as ‘dirty mains’). These spikes can be caused by fluorescent lights, older motors, fridges, lift shaft motors etc. If persistent problems occur the use of mains voltage lighting is recommended.
Mains voltage
This relatively new breed of lamps offers the light colour advantage of halogen, without the need to house a transformer. The reflector type bulbs are known as GU10 or GZ10 and the latest small envelope non-reflector halogens are known as G9.
© Pagazzi 2007