We will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday, re-opening on Tuesday 2nd April.

Our online store will be open as usual to take orders, but will will not be processing them or available to answer queries until Tuesday 2nd April.

It’s the big DIY weekend, so we hope you enjoy your home improvements, if we can help before or after please call, tweet or Facebook us for assistance!

Happy Easter to you all from everyone at Socket Store!

The post Easter Opening appeared first on Socket Store Blog.

We you like our infographic. Feel free to share or embed it if you want:

Click below to copy the image html to embed into your website
<br/><br /> <img src="http://www.socketstore.co.uk/infographics/Energy-Then-and-Now-Infographic.jpg" width="300" height="600" /><br /> <br><br /> View full image<br /> <a href="http://www.socketstore.co.uk/infographics/Energy-Then-and-Now-Infographic.jpg" title="Socket Store: Energy, Then and Now" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left"> Socket Store: Energy, Then and Now </a><br />

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We recently signed a new deal with one of our suppliers, giving us an even better price for many of our lamps and downlights. Check them out in our lighting section.

Dimmable LED Downlights

Our dimmable LED downlights are less than half price! They include a GU10 and MR11 fittings, the downlight fitting, an Osram LED lamp and a variety of bezels.

A few fact and figures:

• Diameter: 85mm
• Length: 115mm (including driver)
• 12W 230 x 240 AC Mains LED Downlight
• Includes Osram bulb (4x3W bulb)
• Angle: 40 degrees
• Colour: 4000k (420 lm)
• IP65 Fire Rated
• Suits 30, 60, 90 minute fire rated ceiling
• Complies with building regs B, C, L, P & E
• BS476 Part 20, 21 and 23, BSEN1365-2
• LED Driver: Complete with dimmable and non-dimmable LED driver and suitable for leading and trailing edge dimmers
• Changeable bezels also available (Polished Chrome, Satin Nickel, White, Black Nickel and Antique)

LED Candle Bulbs

All our candle bulbs have been reduced, from £7.33 to £6.25 in most cases.

These are the non-dimmable LED candle lamps (we do have dimmable available too).

They are 3W and are equivalent to either 40W (opal lamps) or 35W (clear lamps).

We know the investment of LED bulbs is a large upfront cost, but we believe it’s worth it, and we hope this makes it that little bit more affordable.

The post Improved Pricing on Many Lamps appeared first on Socket Store Blog.

We are always looking for ways to improve our service to you, the customer. One of the ways we do this is for asking for feedback. We have been listening to what our customers say, and one thing that really matters to people is the amount they pay for postage and packaging.

£2.99 for all orders (still free over £95)

We’ve been working with our shipping providers over the last few months and we’re please to announce a reduction in our postage & packaging (p&p). We are dropping the p&p from £5.99 to £2.99 with immediate effect.

How?

We’re not going to lie, it’s been a tough one to work out! We’ve never made a profit on p&p and we have no intention of doing so in the future. The shipping is the big cost to us, as most of our items are heavy to send and most postage providers charge by weight.

We have recently re-negotiated our prices with our suppliers. With the growth of our lighting section (light bulbs are very light – excuse the pun!) our average weight per package has also reduced. These things combined with some reduced packaging bills has lead to a substantial saving. A saving we’re keen to pass on to you, the customer.

So there we have it, a new standard p&p price for the same service. We hope you agree that can only be a good thing!

We’d love to hear what you think, and if you have any other suggestions on how we can improve our service we’d love to hear from you!
The Socket Store Team

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It’s one of our most popular/ frequently asked questions, so we thought we’d do an infographic (graphical representation) of our answer. We hope it helps!

If you like it feel free to share it – the sharing code is at the bottom of the page…(it is quite a big infographic, so keep scrolling!)

We hope this guide helps. Feel free to share or embed it if you want:
Click below to copy the image html to embed into your website
<br /> <img src="http://www.socketstore.co.uk/infographics/intermediate-switch.png" width="300" height="600" /><br /> <br><br /> View full image<br /> <a href="http://www.socketstore.co.uk/infographics/intermediate-switch.png" title="Socket Store Switches" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left"> Socket Store Switches </a><br />

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We will be shut from Friday 21^st December, reopening on Wednesday 2^nd January.

During this period it will still be possible to order online, but the orders will not be processed until we re-open on the 2^nd January.

Pre-Christmas Ordering

We do not carry much stock, we order most of our plates to order (when you order them, we will order them). This helps keep the cost down, those savings are passed on to you.

All Items: 1^st December

As a result we cannot guarantee any orders that are ordered after 1^st December will be with you before Christmas. Out of stock items can take 10-15 working days (up to 3 weeks) to manufacture.

Most items we have on our site will be available immediately, but please call us on 02920 004887 if you are ordering after 1^st December for pre-Christmas delivery

Windsor and LED Bulbs: Cut Off 14^th December

Our supplier does have all LED lamps and bulbs and the Windsor range in stock. For those items we will be able to deliver via Royal Mail, until 14^th December

For all other items, please call us if you need them before Christmas. We will check stock with our supplier before ordering.

Finally, the team at Socket Store wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Happy DIYing/building/renovating over the Christmas Break!

The post Christmas Opening Hours appeared first on Socket Store Blog.

In order for their output to be compared with other types of lighting, LED lamps are marked with their lumen output – a measure of the total visible light energy they emit. As the efficiency of LED devices continues to grow, 100 lumen per watt is becoming common. And their use is changing too. Until recently they were considered suitable only for decorative lighting, but LEDs have come a long way since then and are now often bought, for example, as a low-energy alternative to halogen lamps.

With LEDs using only about a quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs and lasting up to 25 times as long, it’s easy to see why they are a fabulous investment. LEDs are changing the future of lighting, so make sure you’re in on the bright idea!

For a wide range of LED lamps, visit www.socketstore.co.uk.

The post Why Choose an LED Lamp? appeared first on Socket Store Blog.

While it might not be apparent from the site, it only has uk and ireland shipping on the checkout currently, we can ship to most countries. In fact the only country we can’t ship to is America (apologies to our friends across the water, it’s an insurance thing).

We’ve shipped across the world before now, from New Zealand to Vietnam and closer to home we’ve shipped to Greece.

There are a few things to bear in mind when asking us to ship abroad:

- We can only ship to the credit card holder’s address.

- We can’t quote on the shipping until we have the order list. We can then weigh the order and with the address in-hand we can get a quote from our courier.

- If you have your own courier you can always arrange to have them pick up from our offices, if that is preferred.

Compatible Sockets and Switches

We currently only have UK sockets and switches. That means they are manufactured to work at 230V. The sockets fit a traditional UK 3 pin plug. The switches are less of an issue, but we can give no guarantees, so please speak to a professional electrician to confirm if our plates will work on your electrical standard.

If you do have any questions or would like a quote please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d be happy to help!

Our contact details are:

Tel: 02920 004887
Email: sales@socketstore.co.uk
Twitter: @socketstore
Facebook: Facebook.com/socketstore

The post Do We Sell Internationally? appeared first on Socket Store Blog.

Polished Chrome Tilting Downlight

Downlights, also known as spotlights, are very fashionable especially in kitchens and dining rooms, but there are a few things to consider before you install them.

1. Space between down lights
   Downlighting will only cast light on a certain area. This will depend on the height of the downlight and the angle at which the lamp (or bulb) casts the light among other things. You will need to make sure the down lights overlap or you will have dark spots in the room. Most good lamp manufacturers will provide the angle at which light will be cast. As an example many LED lamps Have narrower angles as they often have heat sinks surrounding the lamp.
2. Finish of the surround
   If you are having metal finished sockets and switches in the room you might want to match them with metal surrounds on the downlight. As well as the usual White plastic you can also get White metal, chrome and brass down lights.
3. Do you want them to dim?
   Dimming down lights give great effect, especially in a kitchen or dining room but make sure you plan ahead. You can get various wattage dimmers and you need to do the right calculation to ensure your dimmer module can take the load. Also the greater the load and hence the larger the wattage then often the dimmer module will need a bigger back box, or for certain wattage such as 1,000 watt dimmers they will need a single dimmer plate to itself (or a double plate for two dimmers). Note on lamps: make sure the lamps you buy are dimmable. Most reputable manufacturers will tell you whether their lamps are dimmable or not.
4. Do you want to use energy saving lighting?
   Compact fluorescent lamps (cfls) or led lamps can offer a great variety of colours and more importantly, with ever increasing energy prices, can save you a small fortune. Dimmable LEDs lamps: be aware that with a reduced wattage on the dimmer you may have issues (such as buzzing or flickering) if the total load on the dimmer module is not high enough. The solution is to buy a trailing edge dimmer. This will normally work on even the lowest wattage load but be aware they do cost more.
5. Are you looking to highlight/ spotlight a feature?
   If you want to direct the light in a certain direction (i.e. not just straight down) you will need a tilting downlight. Again you’ll need to consider the angle of the lamp, the strength of the lamp and the distance from the object to get the most out of your spotlight.
6. Will it be your only light source (other than sunlight)?
   While downlights are a fantastic way of lighting a room, don’t forget many people call them spotlights, and for a good reason! They do distribute the light in a specific location, so you’ll need plenty of them if you want a large room lit up. The other option is to add another light source as the ‘ambient light’ and use the down lights as ‘spotlights’ within the room. Also be aware that it is possible to get gu10 lamps with different spread/coverage. In our range of led lamps some have a narrow beam, perfect for a spotlight, while others have a wider beam, spreading the light over a wider area and giving a more even distribution of light in the room.
7. What colour/ambience do you want in the room?
   
   

   RGB LED Lamp
   (remote sold separately)

   Modern LED lamps are not only more economical lighting solutions they also offer the opportunity to have warm, cool or daylight lighting. This essentially means the brightness and ‘whiteness’ of the light. For the more extravagant amongst you it’s even possible to get rgb led lamps, where you can change the lighting to red green and blue at will!

8. A note of caution
   There are two types of Downlights on the Market. Fire rated and non-fire rated down lights. Be aware that non fire rated down lights are not contained in their own casing. DO NOT install these inside ceilings, especially surrounded by things like insulation, without encasing them first. Fire rated down lights are contained in their own casing and are safe to install in ceilings even if surrounded by insulation.

Final note of warning: make sure you know the law when it comes to electricity. There is very little you can do without at least getting a qualified electrician to sign-off on the work, especially in kitchens, bathrooms and outside, so check out the law and if you’re in any doubt choose a qualified electrician to help you out.

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