E14 LED Candle Shape Bulb – only 3W

Today I have been trying to chose a ceiling light for the centre of the new living room. It needs to be large, hang down a little (vaulted ceiling is about 2.5m high), and allow me to use a dimmer switch.

I spoke to the builder and he said that traditional bulbs with dimmers are on the way out – EU regulations mean that old 100W tungstan bulbs are very hard to come by.

I asked over on an www.electriciansforums.co.uk and LED bulbs were suggested. They are now brighter than ever, energy efficient and you can dim them. Plus, none of the noxious gases that come with the CFL bulbs.

A quicker look at Amazon brings up many varieties of LED bulb. This hugely increases our options for a nice dimmable ceiling light. E27 (the larger screw cap) look like the best option for a ceiling lamp, although there are some lamps with the candle bulbs too (the E14 / SES bulbs).

This one looks nice to me:

Derwent 5 Light – Satin Chrome Effect

This is only £50 from Homebase and takes 5 SES bulbs, which are between £5-10 each. So maybe £100 to light the living room for many years.

The sort of bulbs it will take are:

4 Watt E14 SES Led Dimmable Candle Lamp in Clear Warm White,Perfect replacement for a 35Watt incandecent bulb for chandeliers but with just 4 Watts of energy used. £7.29 each on Amazon.

LED bulbs seem to be the future of energy efficient lighting. And unlike CFL, you can dim the lights to create a more relaxed atmosphere that is ideal for drinking beer and listening to Pink Floyd.