Can I replace a G9 halogen bulb with an LED equivalent?

Yes you can.  G9 led and G9 halogen bulbs have the same type of base and they both function on 240v mains electricity meaning there should not be a problem in swapping over your previous G9 halogen bulb to a LED one. You will however need to check that the brightness matches as well as the length of the bulb when you are looking for a suitable replacement.  You may also want to consider if you wish to dim the light or what colour temperature you would like the light to be.

Wattage conversion

The first thing to consider is which wattage you need as LED bulbs will use a lot less wattage to produce the same amount of light as a halogen bulb.  Instead you should compare lumens which are a measurement of the level of brightness. Below are some examples of wattage equivalents between halogen and LED G9 bulbs.

• 25W halogen ≈ 2–3W LED
• 40W halogen ≈ 4–5W LED
• 60W halogen ≈ 6–7W LED

If you choose a replacement LED bulb which has the same amount of lumens as your previous halogen bulb this will ensure you have a bulb which has the same amount of brightness.

Size differences

Another consideration is the physical size of the bulb.  The base will always be the same as the term G9 refers to the space between the pins which is 9mm.  However you may find that there are some variances in the length and the width of the body of the bulb.  If the bulb needs to fit in a small space it is always worth checking the dimensions of the replacement bulb you are looking to purchase. 

Dimming

You will also need to consider whether or not you need to dim the bulb when purchasing a LED replacement G9 bulb.  If you need the bulb to be dimmable you will need to make sure it states this on the replacement bulb and that your dimmer switch is LED compatible.  If you use a non-dimmable bulb with a dimming system this can cause it to flicker or buzz.

Light colour

You should also consider which light colour you would like the replacement LED bulb to be. Halogen bulbs naturally produce a warm white colour which will be between 2700k-3000k.  If you are looking to have a LED bulb that is the same colour this is the colour temperature that you should look for. 

Do LED G9 bulbs flicker?

One common concern with LED bulbs is flickering.  This normally happens due to the transformer or dimmer switch being incompatible rather than there being a fault with the bulb itself.