On 08/02/2020 09:49, John wrote:

Is that perhaps due to LED R7 replacements for 500W halogens giving
less than half the light that the halogens gave (2000 - 2400 against
6100 lumens)?


Possibly. But I really cannot remember the last time I saw a real
blaster - the lights I do see seem to be better aimed, and (often) not
left on so much.


The arrival of LED versions of outdoor floodlights seems to have spurred
people to add more and leave them on longer. Some huge ones on the front of
some houses - aimed almost horizontally.

People don't realise that the 'reflector' is just 'decorative' and that
LED floods are omnidirectional within the limits of the frame. I fitted
one last week and with Paul up the ladder with a spanner I went to the
effective horizon (top of the yard) and gestured down a bit up a bit.
The light has ended up tilted downwards so much it looks odd but it
still throws light to the horizon. In the past I've had to restrict the
top of the beam with strips of black tape on the glass. I wish someone
would invent a LED flood with a bit of beam control. I realise the
problem is that the light isn't a single point source.

Bill