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LED Downlights

At Ultra Beam Lighting, we provide a wide range of LED downlights for any room in the house. From circular to square shaped recessed LED downlights, you have a huge selection of lights to choose from, helping you find the best LED downlights to fit the unique decor of your home.

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Great Ideas For LED Ceiling Downlights

Recessed downlights are a type of light fixture that shines lights straight down from the ceiling. They are commonly used for ambient lighting in both domestic and commercial applications alike.

Home downlight recessed lights are especially popular due to the benefits that come with using an LED bulb. Read on to learn about some of these benefits and get some answers to common questions about LED downlight fixtures.

How to Create Mood and Ambiance with Recessed Ceiling Downlights

Recessed ceiling spotlights and other such downlighters are a versatile choice for all lighting schemes. By providing both foundational lighting and mood lighting depending on how they are employed, these downlight recessed lights have their uses in any room of the house.

Warm colour temperatures are recommended for creating atmospheric moods. Recessed LED ceiling lights between 3000K and 3300K are recommended. These provide a soft, warm glow while still being clear enough to easily see by.

Balanced recessed LED ceiling lighting is key, even when you are trying to create a mood. This is where layered lighting comes in. Alongside your ambient light layer, you should add in some accent lighting as well.

Accent lighting serves as mood lighting when used on its own. The soft, indirect light generates a nice atmosphere that you can relax by at night. When you need brighter illumination, you can turn on the other light layers like the task and ambient lights. The lighting layers can also be used to create visual drama, which is another way to bring in some moodiness.

Stay in control of the brightness levels of your recessed lighting in the ceiling at all points by installing dimmer switches. Dimmable LED downlights can instantly create a more relaxing, intimate mood. Another way to soften the light is to point the fixtures at a downward angle. This will provide indirect lighting that is easy on the eyes to make relaxing more comfortable.

What to Look for When Buying Recessed Ceiling Downlighters

As you prepare to shop for LED downlights for home lighting, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind.

  • BULB TYPE. If eco-friendly lighting is important to you, then you’ll want to opt for energy efficient LED downlights over halogen bulbs. LED lights use 80 percent less energy than their traditional counterparts and can save you big on your electricity bills. They also have other perks, such as versatility and a long lifespan.
  • Ensure you are choosing ceiling recessed light fixtures that work well with the existing decor in the room. Opt for recessed LED ceiling lights that have a similar design style and finish to work in your new lights cohesively.
  • COLOUR TEMPERATURES. The colour temperature plays a huge role in the finished result of your recessed spotlights scheme. For energizing, modern spaces, cool white light at 4000K and above may be preferred. In areas that require a warmer mood and atmosphere, try warmer colour temperatures instead, around 3000K to 3300K.
  • IP RATING. Depending on where you install your LED recessed downlights, you may need to pay special attention to the IP rating. In wet areas like bathroom downlightss, water resistant lights of IP65 and above are recommended. For other areas in the home, ratings between IP20 and IP44 will suffice.
  • INSTALLATION TYPE. Decide if you will want adjustable downlights or fixed lighting before you proceed. Adjustable recessed downlights are lights that you can tilt in different directions to shine illumination in certain spots. Fixed recessed spotlights do not move and will only generate lights in whatever direction they are oriented in.

How Bright Are LED Ceiling Downlights?

When buying recessed ceiling spotlights, having a good understanding of wattage and lumens is key. LED bulbs are different from traditional lightbulbs in that they use lumens to indicate brightness. Wattages in halogen bulbs indicate how much energy is used as opposed to brightness levels.

The wattages that are best for your downlight recessed lights will depend on the size of your room, the ceiling height and the colour temperature that you choose.

A general rule for understanding wattages vs. lumens is to remember 1W LED lighting is the equivalent of a 10W halogen bulb. Keeping that in mind, recommended wattage for different areas in the house include:

  • Bedrooms – 4W to 6W, or 350 to 500 lumens
  • Living Rooms – 5W to 7W, or 400 to 600 lumens
  • Kitchens – 7W to 10W, or 600 to 900 lumens
  • Bathrooms – 6W to 9W, or 500 to 800 lumens
  • Home Offices – 8W to 12W, or 800 to 1200 lumens

What LED Light Colour Is Best for Downlights?

Colour temperature refers to the kind of light that comes from a bulb. It is measured in Kelvin, often represented simply by a “K.” Generally, the warmer the light looks, the lower the Kelvin rating is. The cooler the light, the higher the Kelvin rating will be. Some of the most common colour temperatures include:

  • Extra warm white light at 2700K
  • Warm white light at 3000K
  • White light at 3500K
  • Cool white light at 4000K
  • Daylight at 6000K

If you are using ceiling recessed light fixtures in a home or hotel especially, 3000K warm white light is recommended. This type of light is easy on the eyes and is good for relaxing. On the other hand, if you need to illuminate a commercial space or retail shop, cool white light is better. Cool white light helps show off the details of what it shines on, helping customers see what they’re buying.

In the end, it all comes down to preference. Whatever recessed ceiling spotlights you choose, you should stick to one or the other; having cool and warm lights overlapping each other can create an odd appearance.

Modern ceiling downlights can do more than just provide illumination. They can also help set a mood and atmosphere in the space. Adjustable LED ceiling downlights are perfect for your home in that regard.

With dimmable LED downlights, you can create the perfect atmosphere at a moment’s notice. Dimming the lights as the night wears on can create a moodier space, as well as help you unwind for bed. In this way, dimmable LED downlights may help you achieve better sleep.

When you need brighter illumination for completing tasks, you can simply turn the recessed downlight brightness back up. Such control depending on your needs makes for a versatile living space.

By not running your dimmable downlights at full brightness, you may also save energy usage. LEDs are already remarkably energy efficient. When you have them at half brightness, they use even less. This is not only gentler on the environment but on your wallet as well. It may even extend the life of your bulbs.

LED downlighters or downlights are, in essence, spotlights that are recessed into the ceiling. Such recessed LED ceiling down lights offer directional, bright lighting across the room. Homeowners like to use this kind of light to illuminate entire rooms. This is accomplished by placing LED recessed downlights spaced along the ceiling. They are also used to draw attention to a focal point in the space.

Since the ceiling downlight fitting is flush against the ceiling, it offers a minimalistic appearance that is preferred by those who love modern lighting and decor. After installing a recessed LED spotlight, the only part that is visible is the bulb and the bezel of the light. The finishes often are available in various options to give you choices on how they appear.

The benefits of using LED recessed spotlights as opposed to traditional halogen lights are numerous. Some of the most attractive benefits of LED downlights include:

  • LONG LIFE. LED downlight recessed lights are rated to last for as long as 20,000 hours, whereas halogen bulbs only promise one hour. This can save you money on constantly replacing the bulbs, even if you run them for as long as eight hours a day.
  • ENERGY EFFICIENT. Even though the recessed LED ceiling lights are long lasting, they don’t consume a lot of power. In fact, they use 85 percent less energy when compared to traditional bulbs. Where halogen bulbs output up to 70 percent of their energy in heat, LED bulbs convert 90 percent of their energy into light.
  • ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. By putting out less energy, recessed lighting in the ceiling also reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the environment. Since you don’t have to replace them often, this will also reduce the amount of waste you are contributing to landfills.
  • COOL TO THE TOUCH. Because of the lack of heat being output, downlight recessed lights don’t get hot. Their lower temperature facilitates a cooler environment.
  • ENHANCED BRIGHTNESS Adjustable downlights are one of the perks of choosing LED over traditional bulbs. Not only do they offer a brighter glow than traditional lights but many are dimmable downlights as well. This allows you to set the mood in any room at any time.
  • GENERAL SAVINGS. Not only can you save money on constantly replacing the light bulbs, but you can also protect your cash in other ways. You can save on maintenance costs of your recessed lights for ceiling since the only thing you need to do is give them an occasional dry wipe to remove dust. It can also save you money on your electricity bill, as you won’t have to use as much energy to light your home.

Deciding where to place your Indoor recessed downlights can seem tricky. There are a few things you can as yourself before going through with installing the downlight recessed lights into your space:

  • How big is the room?
  • How do you plan on using the room?
  • How high is your ceiling?
  • Do you want to give any area of the room special focus?
  • Is it a single room or is it an open plan?

How many recessed spotlights you need will depend on how large your space is. Many people choose to install one ceiling downlight per square meter, which provides more than enough light in many cases.

When using this formula, people also tend to leave half a meter between the recessed ceiling spotlight and the wall. You can determine how many downlight recessed lights you need not only in terms of space but in terms of brightness. The brighter the light, the fewer LED downlights you may need.

After considering these factors, you can begin to plan the arrangement of your LED recessed ceiling spotlights:

Ceiling Height

The illumination shines from ceiling downlights in a cone shape. You want to have these cones of light intersecting with one another above the floor, ideally around 74 centimeters from it. If you have a higher ceiling, you won’t need extra downlights to create the light. To decide the distance between the downlights, many people calculate the space between the lights. They do so by dividing the ceiling height by two and then using that result as the distance of separation.

Focal Points

Decide which areas need more light in a space and focus on them first. For example, if you are installing kitchen downlights, your main areas of concern will be where you complete tasks: the counters, sinks and table.

Ceiling Edges

If you place your ceiling downlights too close to the wall, this will cast a shadow on the ceiling’s edge. This can cause the room to appear smaller than it is. Avoid this by keeping a gap of around 75 centimeters between the edge of the ceiling and the recessed spotlight.

IP ratings, which stands for “Ingress Protection” ratings, is a rating that indicates different levels of protection for your recessed lighting in the ceiling. The first number stands for the protection against dry debris, and the second stands for protection against wetness and moisture. If you don’t have the right IP rated lights in certain areas, they can be damaged.

Generally speaking, most areas in the home are fine with an IP20 rating that protects them against dust and fine particles. In wet locations like a bathroom, steam room or pool, the light needs to be IP65 rated. This protects against moisture.

Liquid Ingress Ratings:

Level 1 – offers protection against dripping water

Level 2 – offers protection against dripping water when it is tilted at 15 degrees

Level 3 – offers protection against water that is sprayed

Level 4 – offers protection against water that is splashed

Level 5 – offers protection against jet water

Level 6 – offers protection against forceful jet water

Level 7 – offers protection against immersed lights as deep as one meter

Level 8 – offers protection against immersed lights deeper than one meter

When lighting the bathroom with bathroom downlights, you must consider the bathroom zones:

  • ZONE 0. This zone refers to the area of the shower or inside the bath where water is directly found. Lights must have an IP67 rating, which offers protection against water immersion.
  • ZONE 1. This area is above the shower or bath and requires a minimum of IP45 rated lights. It is recommended that, when you can, you install lights with an IP65 rating just to be safe.
  • ZONE 2. This area spans around 0.6 meters outside the perimeter of the shower or bath. A minimum IP rating of IP44 is required here.

Lighting zones for a bathroom

The outside zones refer to any zone outside of the aforementioned where no jet water can reach. There isn’t a special light requirement for this area, though a minimum rating of IP20 is recommended.

 

Below are a few tips for using recessed lights for the ceiling in various rooms in the house:

In the Living Room

  • You can use LED downlights for task lighting such as reading on the sofa or writing at a desk.
  • Positioning the recessed ceiling spotlights along the walls can shine a light on certain photographs and artwork. They can also illuminate books on a shelf.
  • Positioning recessed spotlights to reflect off mirrors and bounce off of walls can make the room feel brighter.

In the Bathroom

  • Use mirrors to their full potential by installing recessed downlights directly overhead and slightly off to the side above the vanity area.
  • Prevent shadowy corners by installing adjustable downlights above shelving areas.
  • Install a dimmer light to create a calmer atmosphere for relaxing baths.

In the Kitchen

  • Place LED downlighters over where you prepare food as this activity requires plenty of visibility.
  • Breakfast bars and nooks don’t require as much light, so you can position them off to the side or use a dimmer bulb.
  • Group dimmable LED downlights above a table to enhance visibility and add dramatic flair.

In the UK, fire-rated LED downlighters are a must in many buildings. In the event of a fire,they are designed to stop the spread of the flame through ceilings.

Such recessed lights for the ceiling are designed to fortify the fire resistance of a ceiling after having cut holes in it for installation. Intumescent seals expand when exposed to heat, sealing the holes back off again.

In the UK, ceiling recessed downlights require a fire rating in the following circumstances:

  • flats and apartments
  • houses that have multiple stories
  • major renovations and newer residential builds with retrofit LED downlights
  • any ceiling that is a part of a fire escape route
  • hotels
  • offices
  • schools
  • care homes
  • hospitals

If you do not use fire-rated recessed LED downlights, you may breach building regulations and compliance. This may make insurance void in some cases, while increasing safety hazards in the event of a fire.

In order to make the recessed lighting in the ceiling compliant, you can purchase fire hoods that cover up the downlights, making them fully fire-rated in circumstances when that is required.

LED bulbs have overtaken halogen bulbs in popularity over the years. They offer many benefits over their traditional counterparts that make them the clear choice among homeowners.

  • ENERGY EFFICIENT. LED recessed spotlights use up to 80 percent less energy than halogen and incandescent bulbs. Their efficiency makes them more eco-friendly, while also lowering the costs of your electricity bills.
  • ULTRA LONG LIFE. Where halogen bulbs only last for around 1,000 hours, LED downlight lamps can outlast tens of thousands of hours.
  • COST EFFECTIVE. Not only does their lower energy consumption lower your bills in turn–their long life means you won’t have to replace them nearly as often.
  • DIMMER COMPATIBLE. Dimmable LED downlights allow you to adjust the brightness in a room whenever the mood strikes. By having dimmable LED ceiling spotlights, you can stay in control of the ambiance and atmosphere.
  • LED downlights come in a number of styles, shapes and finishes. With such a diverse assortment to choose from, it’s easy to find a downlight that perfectly suits the style of your home. Adjustable downlights are visually flexible and can more easily be incorporated.

Yes, all ceilign recessed light fixtures will require a driver. Drivers work like transformers that convert the 240 mains voltages down to the three to five volts that LEDs require. The driver can be placed above the downlight in the ceiling void.

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