Many people believe that 12 volt lights use less electricity than 220 volt or 240 volt bulbs. However this is not true as the power consumption of light bulbs is measured in the amount of wattage it uses. a standard halogen down light will use 50 watts of electricity whereas a LED replacement will use only 6 watts regardless if they are 220v or 12v lamps. To help making the decision of whether to go for 12v or 230v bulbs there are certain factors we need to take into consideration, Such as. Are you replacing existing light bulbs or installing new ones all together?. If you where to replace existing 12v light bulbs with LED light bulbs you are able to do a direct swop IF your transformer is compatible. Most transformers have a minimum load requirement that is more than an led which will cause the LED light to flicker. It is advised to rather use 230v GU10 LED light bulbs in most applications as there is less chance of a faulty transformer damaging the LED light bulb. However in some cases where only a 12v LED can be used its best to use a wire wound transformer.