ᐅ Halogen Spotlights: 16V or 230V?

Hello everyone,

Our electrician and drywall installer have now finished the ceiling in the living room (4.20 - 2.30 meters (14 - 7.5 feet) height). It includes 68mm (2.7 inches) diameter holes for halogen downlights, with each row powered in groups of 2, 2, 3, 4, and 4 respectively, as far as I could tell beforehand.

Question: What type of halogen downlights should I use here (LED is ruled out)? Behind each hole, there is a recessed box where a power supply (12V) could also be installed.

I have found many arguments online both for 12V (higher light output, longer lifespan, no explosive failure risk) and for 230V (easier to dim, less installation effort, easier to replace with LED).

I’m somewhat at a loss. By the way, 8 spots in the living area and 3 spots in the dining area should be dimmable.

At the moment, I am leaning towards 230V - 35W from Osram - what do you think?

A really good reason not to use 12V is simply the risk of short circuits! With 230V, the fuse trips immediately, but with 12V, in 99% of power supplies on the market, the cable melts because they don’t have short-circuit protection. I don’t need to explain what happens then... Also, you don’t have this kind of loss. Power supplies convert 230V AC into 12V DC, and in the process, they consume energy in the form of heat. The hotter a power supply gets, the higher the load, so more current is needed, which in turn generates even more heat.

Above all, wiring for 230V is just as easy or even simpler.

Oh, and there are just as many 230V LED lamps as there are 12V ones...

... except that usually the power supplies also need to be replaced when switching to LED. Although I would be genuinely interested in a valid reason against LED.

Good luck

K1300S

Any reason against LED? I don’t know of any—except for the higher initial purchase costs.