LED technology, because of its energy efficiency and other advantages, is rapidly replacing older halogen lamp technologies. However, swapping new for old may not be straightforward and the physical and electrical compatibility between the technologies is far from guaranteed.

The implications can vary from annoying such as flicker or an improper fit, though to the very serious such as fire.

Lighting Council Australia, the peak body for Australia’s lighting industry, has published information in its Light Technical series to guide users wishing to replace the common 50W or 35W MR16 dichroic lamps with LED MR16 lamps.

Lighting Council Australia chief executive Bryan Douglas says there are an estimated 300 million MR16 halogen lamps installed in Australia.

He says that hundreds of vendors are lining up to replace these energy hungry light sources with LEDs, many with products of dubious quality and performance claims.

“Against this background, impartial information contained in this technical bulletin constitutes important advice for those wanting to switch to the more efficient LED technology,” he says.

Replacing MR16 halogen lamps with LEDs points out that the MR16 halogen lamp is one of the most difficult for LED technology to successfully replicate. The small form makes it problematic for LED MR16 manufacturers to design a product with comparable light output to their halogen equivalent. The task of delivering sufficient light becomes even more difficult in producing the warm colour temperatures characteristic of halogen lamps.

Low-voltage operation introduces an additional level of complexity. LED MR16 lamps can present challenging electrical loads to the transformer, resulting in electrical and/or thermal stresses which can cause early LED and transformer failure if not properly managed. This is especially relevant for multi-lamp or track lighting systems, where multiple lamps on a single circuit must interact with other electronic components.

The technical bulletin addresses compatibility issues between LED MR16 lamps and the wide range of transformers and dimmers in the Australian marketplace. It provides a set of principles to follow when replacing MR16 halogen lamps with LED MR16 lamps, as well as basic installation instructions.

The bulletin also provides a comprehensive table comparing the characteristics of LED MR16s with MR 16 halogen lamps.

Replacing MR16 halogen lamps with LEDs (Light Technical No 19) is available in the News section of Lighting Council Australia’s website under Technical Publications (http://www.lightingcouncil.com.au/site/news-technical.php)