Light fittings - 4-pin bulbs in new build house - how to change to standard bayonet?

[Hayden Yale]

Hi guys,

I recently moved into an 8 year old house and found that all of the light fittings upstairs have different fittings than the standard bayonet fittings that I'm used to (and that are used downstairs).

I read up on this and it looks like 25% of fittings in new homes need to be forced to be energy efficient thanks to changes in building regulations.

Yay!

The problem is that all of the lamp shades that have been moved from my old house don't fit the new fittings and the new light bulbs are very expensive when compared to the cost of standard energy savers.

Therefore I'd really like to change the upstairs fittings to standard bayonets if possible.

The current fittings are 4-pin and you simply click the light bulb in and out. The light bulbs say on them "Osram Dulux T/E 13W / 827".

The actual fitting is a strange box that looks like it is screwed onto the hanging light cord.

Is it possible to make an easy switch? I'm not great at DIY so would appreciate advice.

If i hire an electrician to do the job, would it be really easy for them (and therefore cheap)?

Thanks,

Hayden

 

[Doc Hudson]

Hello welcome to the forum, It sounds like you currently have something like this Crabtree Low Energy Pendant Set | Screwfix.com and you would rather have something like this Crabtree 6" Pendant Set | Screwfix.com you can swap the pendant bit easy enough just be unscrewing the round ceiling rose and disconnect the old blue and brown flex and replace the new flex in the same connections. An electrician would probably charge you a minimum of 1 hours labour depending upon how far he has to travel. I would think a competent person could comfortably do half dozen with and hour, somewhere in the range

 

[Hayden Yale]

Hello welcome to the forum, It sounds like you currently have something like this Crabtree Low Energy Pendant Set | Screwfix.com and you would rather have something like this Crabtree 6" Pendant Set | Screwfix.com you can swap the pendant bit easy enough just be unscrewing the round ceiling rose and disconnect the old blue and brown flex and replace the new flex in the same connections. An electrician would probably charge you a minimum of 1 hours labour depending upon how far he has to travel. I would think a competent person could comfortably do half dozen with and hour, somewhere in the range

 

[revjames]

Blimey! 10 times the price of a standard pendant!

 

[batty]

I stopped using the energy efficient pendants on new builds these days. I used to use the TP24 ones they were around

 

[sparkytim]

And now part L 1 Building regs do not require SPECIAL Low energy lamp holders, just Low energy lamps in normal BC or ES lamp holders are acceptable but 75% are required now instead of the 25%

 

[kerching]

.....and make sure you switch off at the mains. It may be 'looped in' at the light; ie there is a live cable present even when the light is switched off. Touching this has a potential to seriously ruin your day!.......... :coat

 

[sparkytim]

Reg changed 2010