How to select RIGHT Downlights for your Home
Share
1. Downlights for Indoor Lighting
Downlights have become integral part of modern homes. They are economical lighting option at the same time they improve the aesthetics dramatically. Now most designers prefer LED downlights over traditional ones. LED downlights are easy to install into existing sockets and you can begin to enjoy significant savings immediately.
Downlights are a great option for many rooms in a house. Delight offers a wide selection in terms of styles and technologies. You could be sure to find the perfect downlight on delight.com.sg.
2. LED integrated Downlight
- An integrated downlightis a fitting with an installed LED Chip /lamp as part of the fitting.
- Integrated downlights offer longer life spans than LED lamps.
- Integrated Downlightsare now extremely popular in all rooms of the home or office and we have a range of color temperatures to suit them all.
- Integral LED Downlights provide the light levels you require and an excellent saving when compared to traditional halogen or incandescent equivalent products.
2.1 Integrated downlight Features
- Driverless design or external driver design.
- Excellent energy balance.
- Elegant design.
- Fast ceiling integration thanks to easy installation system.
- Shallow mounting depth.
2.2 Application
- Rooms
- Corridors
- Foyers
- Lobbies
2.3 Sub types
- Fire Rated
- Waterproof(semi)
3. Buying Guide
3.1 Brightness Level.
Lumens (Lm/Lu) is the standard measure of brightness for a light source or Downlight. The more lumens, the brighter the bulb will be. To choose the correct brightness we should investigate the Lumens.
Lux (Lx) is the standard measure of Light received on a given area or surface.
The main factor when deciding lumens is intended use of the area and required Lux level for the intended purpose.
3.1.1 LED Lighting for Home Office: When lighting a home office, make sure that the lights are maximizing our ability to be productive in the given space. Lux Level to be maintained: 300 – 600 Lux
3.1.2 LED Lighting for Living Room: The living room is a popular place for guest gathering, entertain or just sit back and relax. Whether to watch a movie, or chatting with friends, it is important to have a mix of light sources in order to adapt with the occasion. Adjustable spotlight lamps can be used to focus the artwork, family photos. Lux Levels to be maintained: 150 – 300 Lux
3.1.3 LED Lighting for Dining Room: While having the food with the family or guests, we don’t want the lighting to be overly bright or don’t want it to be so dim that dozing off. Whether it’s an afternoon brunch or a late dinner, a dimmable overhead fixture allows for that perfect brightness at any time of day. Lux Level to be maintained: 300 – 600 Lux
3.1.4 LED Lighting for Bedroom Use: Most of us want the bedroom atmosphere to be relaxed, calm and peaceful. The dim light or lower lumen light allows the brain to produce the melatonin needed for a comfortable sleep. Lux Level to be maintained: 150 - 400 Lux
3.1.5 LED Lighting for Kitchen Use: Kitchen is the heart of the home. Many of us start and end our day in the kitchen. So, the blue-light emitting bulbs over the counters will help make us alert and awake while prepping the food. A dimmable overhead fixture with a warmer color temperature can create a nice ambiance. Lux Level to be maintained: 400 – 800 Lux.
3.1.6 LED Lighting for Bathroom Use: Most of us get ready by looking in the bathroom mirror. We want the lighting to come from around the mirror rather than on the ceiling. Using bright lights will ensure we don’t miss a spot shaving or mess up our makeup. Use larger globe style bulbs to illuminate common fixtures places above and or around the mirror. Lux Level to be: 400 – 800 Lux.
3.2 Build Quality
The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not “burn out” or fail. Instead, they experience ‘lumen depreciation’, wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED “lifetime” is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent.
LEDs use heat sinks to absorb the heat produced by the LED and dissipate it into the surrounding environment. This keeps LEDs from overheating and burning out. Thermal management is generally the single most important factor in the successful performance of an LED over its lifetime. The higher the temperature at which the LEDs are operated, the more quickly the light will degrade, and the shorter the useful life will be.
LED downlights use a variety of unique heat sink designs and configurations to manage heat. Mainly body is built using below materials
- Aluminum Alloy
- Iron Alloy
- Thermal Polycarbonate (Plastic)
- Normal(non-thermal) Polycarbonate (Plastic)
Above order of listing provides heat dissipation performance of different materials. However the shape and design of the overall product guides circulation of air. Which is main reason for keeping lower temperature inside the downlight fixtures.
Other components like, wires used, Bezel, mounting clips should be comparatively examined to access build quality.
3.3 Color Temperature:
LED light sources are based on the Kelvin system of measure. A warm color temperature is typically 3,000K or less. A "cool" white bulb commonly has a color temperature of 4,000K and higher on the Kelvin scale. Most of our fixtures range from 3000K-2500K, which provides a good source of warm light for home or office use. Below is a basic scale that gives a good indication of the range offered by LED sources.
- Fixed or Gimble Frame:
Fixed frames- as the name suggests- are not capable of moving to satisfy specific lighting needs. Using gimble frames, we can adjust the direction of the light as it is movable. It is useful for task lighting in areas like kitchen and bathroom etc. For other areas where you do not need specific tasks to be performed with lighting, fixed fixtures are the best as they do not cost much.
- Beam Angle:
The beam angle of a lamp is the angle at which the light is distributed or emitted. Lamps such as Halogens (and some LEDs) come in a variety of angles from, 4 degree to 60 degree with some of the larger halogen lamps up to 120 degree.
The standard height of a ceiling is around 7.87 to 8.86 feet so a wider beam angle, 60 degrees or more, should be enough. If your ceiling height is more than 8.86 feet than you are going to need a narrow beam angle which is less than 45 degrees.
Beam spread is identified by putting them into one of the three groups: narrow, medium, and wide.
Different Angles
- Very Narrow Spot
- Narrow
- Spot
- Narrow Flood
- Flood
- Wide Flood
- Very Wide Flood
Note: The above beam angle is only for MR16 bulb type. Be cautious that the bulb type and beam angle can vary depending on the application
3.5 Dimmable or Non-Dimmable:
Dimming LED lamps can save energy and changes the visual appearance and mood of your space. You can use a dimmable LED lamp in a non-dimmable circuit. You should NOT use a non-dimmable lamp in a dimmable circuit as it may cause damage to the lamp and or circuit.
- IC Rating: Insulation Contact:
“IC” stands for Insulation Contact. The IC rating is a measure used to determine whether a recessed downlight is suitable to meet building insulation. IC rating is created specifically to solve the issue of installing downlights under a layer of insulation.
Summary:
- The many varieties of LED Downlights are available. Integrated LED downlights provide the option to choose light levels, color temperature, adjustability and product finish.
- Integrated downlights offer longer life spans than LED lamps.
- Integral LED Downlights also provide an excellent energy saving when compared to equivalent halogen or incandescent products.
There are many benefits of LED downlight. Make sure you pick out the best type for your home.
If you need any help choosing or installing your downlights, contact us via +65 8339 1420(WhatsApp) +65 6592 7657and talk to one of our lighting consultants.
Delight OptoElectronics is a Online marketplace exclusively for Lighting products and materials. There are wide variety of products to pick from. Most importantly Customer satisfaction is guaranteed here!!