This was posted 9 years 1 month 5 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Philips MR16 Downlights $5 (Dimmable - $10) with FREE Electrician Install [VIC]

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Hello OzBargainers!

I work for a firm that replaces MR16 halogen downlights with LEDs under the Victorian government's VEET scheme. There is ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE for the electrician if you have more than 20 downlights in the house (most houses have much more).

The offer is:

  • Philips 5.5W Non-dimmable - $5 (Review at LED Benchmark)
  • Philips 7W Dimmable - $10 (Review at LED Benchmark)

These globes are quite good and efficient (as you can see in LED Benchmark), and they come with a 2 year warranty. This means if anything goes wrong, an electrician will be sent out to check what the issue is.

The price for these lights at Bunnings are $14.95 and $15.95 respectively. So obviously, you're getting a great bargain here.

Additional information/FAQ:

  • I have between 10 and 19 globes in the house: Call out fee of $30
  • What happens to my old halogen globes?
    They're taken to be decommissioned, as that is part of the scheme.
  • How long does it take for the lights to be installed?
    Approximately 30 to 90 minutes, depending on number of globes/difficulty of removing fittings.
  • When do I pay for everything?
    You pay only AFTER the install has been done. Both cash and card are accepted.
  • I want to go ahead. What do I do?
    Send these details to 0432 890 989: (1) Full name, (2) Address, (3) No. of dimmable/non-dimmable downlights, (4) email address, (5) preferred time for office to call to arrange date for electrician

For more info, please call/text/voicemail me at 0432 890 989. Large quantity discounts are possible.

Related Stores

greenguys.com.au
greenguys.com.au

closed Comments

  • I would love to, however I want DR700. There was a deal for them advertised on OzBargain for $20/each - non-subsidised/DIY. Surely a VEET company can get those globes and make them even slightly cheaper or the same as that?

    What really worries me about doing the switch to LED is that the brightness would not be enough. DR700 seems to be the LED MR16 with best brightness but still not even that is as bright as a Halogen. I don't want to be stuck with all these Philips LEDs if the end result is that they simply aren't good enough for the job.

    • Unfortunately the VEET scheme is only for MR16 downlights for now. Perhaps in the future they'll start the scheme for other types of lights as well.

      I agree with you on the brightness part, but from my experience (in practice), the LEDs have almost the same brightness as the old halogens. Almost. Usually people don't even notice the difference between the two.

      • DR700 are MR16

        • Oh, you mean the Brightgreen DR700! My bad, I thought you were referring to a different type of light globe.

  • How do you know if these will work with your existing transformers ? I have heard that on some transformers that LEDs will flicker.

    • They're usually compatible with most transformers. What you can do is book the install anyway, and if your existing transformers aren't compatible, the electrician will let you know. Then you can choose to get the transformers replaced for $12.95 each, OR you can choose to cancel the install completely. If you choose to cancel, there will be no cost to you whatsoever, so there's no harm done.

    • If these are Phillips retrofit ones, you should not have issues. Speaking from experience, having had flickering issues with certain bulbs in a particular transformer. Phillips bulbs solved it.

      • I notice a delay on with ATCO Possum transformers, but no flicker with the dimmable 7W Philips

  • I need something with higher watts. 10w minimum. How much do they cost if available? None of my switches are dimmable. Does that imply I cant get that feature? How do these ones compare with 10w Eva from LEDfied? Ofcourse they are expensive but product wise are they good? Thanks

    • Unfortunately the highest we have is the Primsals for free which are 6W. If your current ones aren't dimmable, that means you don't have a dimmable switch right? That means you can't get the dimmable globes. If you DO want to get new dimming switches, however, the electrician can install that. But the cost is quite high for that. It costs $65 to install each dimming switch, and you'll have to pay $30 for an electrical certificate of safety too.

  • I got the non dimmable for free. Dimmable were $6.60 and were the same Phillips ones. The non dimmable were primsal. I installed 15 of each. They are fine. Narrower beam angle than 50W halogens so some more shadowing in the rooms but nothing particularly noticeable. They seem brighter to look at directly. Just look on Gumtree for a host of suppliers. Also there are some old posts on here that got negged to oblivion. If you can't find someone who does it for this price I can PM you the electrician who did it.

    • We also offer the free Primsal ones, but they're not as highly rated as the Philips ones. If anyone wants, the free Primsals ARE available. It's entirely up to you to decide between quality and price.

      As for the dimmables, this is the lowest price we can offer, and it is 45% off the usual Bunnings price. It also comes with a 2 year warranty. You might as well deal with a more reputed company rather than some random electrician on Gumtree.

      • As opposed to some random guy on Ozbargain!

        • I lol'd too. Don't trust a random on Gumtree, trust me, Adil Aslam, instead.

        • @pmupsinep: This is being offered by the Green Guys, a company registered under the VEET scheme and which has been running since 2010. I doubt the people on Gumtree can afford to say the same about their reputation…

        • @adilaslam: Everyone who claims the credits must be registered under the VEET scheme.

          I think it is disingenuous to suggest you are more reputable than others with no evidence. As I said I had LEDs installed with no issues and I can PM those interested the electrician's name. The VEET credits were through a different company who are registered with VEET.

    • Where do you get the free lights from? Is this a Victoria thing?

  • This might be a stupid question, but If the transformer is the same, how does changing the light globes actually save power? I would have thought the power going to the transformer is the same and there for not really saving any energy

    • Transformer converts volts and does use some power but not a heap. Halogen lights use less current. Your power bill is a combination of volts and current, i.e watts (energy usage).

      • Valid point though. A transformer designed for halogens should be most efficient when outputting 50W. If you are only drawing 5W, then the efficiency should be much worse. Personally I have MR16 track lights. Swapped out the halogen MR16's for LED's and wasn't happy, so found some 12W DC drivers that were small enough to fit and just swapped out the old 12VAC transformers. No buzzing, flickering, etc. and in theory should be more efficient.

        • -1

          Efficiency may drop as the load increases (due to saturation) but should be largely unaffected with lower power loads.

  • Hello Adil,

    We only have down-lights in kitchen and bathrooms so total seven.

    Any chance of some kind of deal for people who only have a few down-lights or is that not enough for it to be profitable for you?

    Thought it was worth asking.

    • Unfortunately no, the minimum number of globes for an install is 10. I apologise for this, and I really wish there was something I could do about it.

      • No need to apologise, thought I'd ask. Good luck with things.

      • Do all 10 have to be installed, could you have 3 extra spares to make up the 10 and 3 of them dont need installing?

  • Can we opt to change the transformer as well? How many transformers will be required for 20 down lights?
    Am I right to say you will save more if you change your transformers?

    • Well the rep said the transformers are 12.95ea and you will be one for one.

      • I heard more than one light can be connected to a driver.

    • 80% of your saving will be from changing the lamp to LED.

  • This guy on Gumtree doing the Phillips dimmable for $4.40 and the Primsal for free:
    http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bentleigh/ceiling-lights/led-…

    You make your mind up…..

    • +1

      If you go the linked website from gumtree there are terrible spelling and grammar mistakes

    • I like the Bentleigh part, with me living in East Bentleigh and all…

  • +2
  • can you use theese with electronic transformers

    • Yes, these are exactly the same dimmable ones we do.

  • Shame it is not available in NSW

  • +2

    I went with the 5.5Watt Philips from the Greenguys …

    I got over 30 LEDs installed and it was pretty fast. I got an exceptiional fast and professional install and the lights are great. The money was charged directly after the install on my credit card (not upfront).

    I had tried a few chinese LEDs two years back but they just caused TV reception issues and were flickering … LED was not ready for prime time yet. These on the other side are fine (I would say the 5.5 Watt ones equal a 35Watt halogen). The Philips ones have no issues at all.

    I would say its a good deal when you are in Victoria. Quality LEDs for little money … maybe not the best … the Brightgreen DR700 for 20$ some time back were a great deal (On the other side that is 16$ more per bulb. Making my investment $600 instead of $120 … so I can't fault this deal. Value for money.

    You can get the Philips LED for $12.5 at Bunnings and I think I saw deals for $10 (when you buy 10 packs) on eBay … still does not beat $4. As per the other comments looks like you could get the dimmable version cheaper …

    (The only thing what I think is a waste is the destruction of the old Halogen bulbs … blame the government.)

    • I know it seems like a waste to throw destroy or throw out old bulbs, but that's only because their "badness" (higher electricity bills, environmental concerns) is indirectly perceived.

      If the bulbs "badness" was something you could directly perceive, like they made a bad smell or an annoying noise or they flickered, then you'd have no qualms with their destruction.

      • I agree that Halogens waste energy and are not "good" … but why not keep them as an emergency spare or use them in an area like the kitchen where you would need a lot of light to "use them up" - they still produce great light. Don't forget that it's not only the cost of the energy but also the cost (and environmental impact) of the production of these lights and replacements. As long as they are still sold in the shops new (still get produced) it's a waste to throw them out … give them away for free.

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