These days, lighting is as much about form as it is function. When it comes to modern lighting, we’ve come a long way from the standard ‘fluro’ or halogen downlight. In choosing the best LED downlight, we’ll help break your decision down into non-technical elements like mood, aesthetic, energy efficiency, longevity and purpose.
The LED Lowdown
Walk into any modern home down under and you are bound to see downlights in abundance. LED downlights are brilliant energy-saving alternatives to traditional halogen downlights. Choose from a variety of sizes, brightness and efficacy levels to suit your project and budget.
Globe technology is evolving in leaps and bounds. Replace your old globes with these long-lasting LED alternatives and start saving energy, pronto.
LED Background
LEDs are very long-lasting compared to other lighting technologies, with an average 20,000 hours life expectancy. We use quality components which make our lamps even more durable, being laboratory tested and assessed at up to 35,000 hours life expectancy. That translates to approximately 20 years based on 3 to 4 hours usage per day.
Picking a lamp fixture based solely on wattage or physical size could result in the wrong choice. Wattage (measured in W) represents the power consumed by the luminaire while the actual output of a lamp is measured in lumens (lm). The more lumens, the more light emitted by the luminaire. A smart criteria for determining the efficiency of a light fixture is its lumens/watt ratio, which represents how much light the fixture delivers versus what it consumes in order to perform. This value is called luminous efficacy and proves LED lights are more efficient than other light technologies.
What Light And Where
The colour temperature is the key to determining the mood of a room and measures the colour of light in units known as the Kelvin (K). Warm light is measured in lower numbers (approximately 3,000 K) and cool white in higher numbers (approximately 4,000 K). Whether you choose warm white or cool white is a personal preference.
Cool white will help to make rooms feel cooler. This is ideal for task-orientated areas like kitchens and laundries and spaces that have a warmer climate.
Warm white creates a more intimate and relaxing atmosphere suited to bedrooms and living rooms. We recommend sticking to just one colour throughout an open plan living area, as the mixing of colours can be distracting to the eye.
Colour Rendering Index (CRI)
CRI measures how well a lamp makes colours appear, scoring light sources from 1 – 100. A high CRI means that the eye can pick up slight variations in colour, making details in an interior appear sharper and more vibrant. For outstanding colour rendering, opt for our Dalia series which boasts a very high 92 index. Our downlights range from 80 to 92, to enhance skin tones, hues and textures in rooms.
IC-F Insulation
‘IC’ stands for insulation contact. If a downlight has an IC or IC-F rating it means it can be directly covered with insulation.
Building regulations mandate that insulation is laid unbroken over the whole ceiling area to avoid heat loss through gaps in the insulation. These gaps are known as thermal bridging. This means that insulation cannot be cleared away from downlights in loft spaces, as was common practice.
Of course, to comply with fire regulations, non-IC rated downlights cannot be covered with insulation due to the fact that all light sources generate heat as a by-product.
If this heat is trapped by a covering of insulation, it could result in a significant reduction in lamp life, lampholder failure and discolouration of the ceiling among other issues.
According to Paul Barron, our R&D Manager “It’s not mandatory to have IC rating approval, so it’s not guaranteed that all lights on the market will have the right approval. Always stick with a reputable brand.”
Beam Angle
The light effect from a luminaire is determined by its beam angle, that is, the shape and direction of light generated by the lamp. Most conventional fixtures deliver a focused light distribution at 35-60º beam angle but LED technology can go well above these values, while still maintaining a fair pool of light. Our lights deliver beam angles ranging from 80 to 120º to ensure a beautiful light is spread throughout a room.
To shed some light on picking the right LED for your space, make sure you factor in the warranty and efficiency as well as its compatibility with insulation material.
Source: Rethink Electrical