Soffit Lighting
Whether you want to brighten your garden or your entrance the home designers suggest versatile LED soffit lights to add the extra elegance to your outdoor space.
We have an elegant range of outdoor soffit downlights that can help you illuminate your outdoors. Exterior soffit lighting not only helps you illuminate your outdoor space, but also adds value to your property.
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3 Watt Mini Recessed LED Soffit Downlight
£27.72 (Excl. VAT £23.10)Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageRated 0 out of 5 -
6 Watt Black LED Soffit Downlight Fitting
£34.27 (Excl. VAT £28.56)Add to basketRated 5.00 out of 5 -
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Onyx 6 Watt Black LED Adjustable Soffit Downlight Fitting
£39.00Original price was: £39.00.£35.72Current price is: £35.72. (Excl. VAT £29.77)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5 -
5 Watt Round Black Surface Mounted Soffit LED Downlight
£47.88 (Excl. VAT £39.90)Add to basketRated 5.00 out of 5 -
Onyx 9 Watt Black Tilting Soffit LED Downlight Fitting
£55.57 (Excl. VAT £46.31)Add to basketRated 5.00 out of 5 -
5 Watt Square Black Surface Mounted Soffit LED Downlight
£55.75 (Excl. VAT £46.46)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5 -
12 Watt Black Recessed LED Soffit Downlight Fitting
£71.20 (Excl. VAT £59.33)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5 -
12 Watt Round Black Surface Mounted Soffit LED Downlight
£72.46 (Excl. VAT £60.38)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5 -
12 Watt Round Black Surface Mounted Soffit LED Downlight
£77.11 (Excl. VAT £64.26)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5 -
20 Watt Round Black Surface Mounted Soffit LED Downlight
£95.40Original price was: £95.40.£88.01Current price is: £88.01. (Excl. VAT £73.34)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5 -
12 Watt Square Black Surface Mounted Soffit LED Downlight
£111.53 (Excl. VAT £92.94)Add to basketRated 0 out of 5
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What Are Soffits and Why Does a Home Need Them?
Soffits are the area at the bottom of the fascia located where the roof meets the side of the house and are usually the part of the board that you can see best from street level. The soffit can be ventilated to let air flow through and into the roof area and can also be added over the top of the fascia board.
Soffits are important as they act as a type of passive ventilation, especially for the attic. They stop warm moisture in the air from getting into the attic, where it would otherwise condense and then cause mould to form. Before the inclusion of soffits, homes once used a hood or gable vent to move air through the space, but they were not as effective. Soffit panels installed along the roofline offer constant ventilation and airflow, making them one of the most effective methods of attic ventilation. The panels actually help to draw moisture away from the house entirely, making it a huge player in the fight against mould. They can also help keep pests from getting into the house through the gutters or roofline.
Understanding IP Ratings: Choosing Weather-Resistant LED Soffit Lights
As mentioned, IP ratings are an incredibly important thing to consider when choosing your new outside soffit downlights. IP ratings, or Ingress Protection ratings, tell you how well a light resists moisture and debris damage. The first digit indicates resistance to solids, while the second digit shows resistance to moisture damage.
First Digit – Solids
- 0 – Offers no protection against solid materials
- 1 – Offers protection against penetration by solid objects that are 50 millimeters or larger
- 2 – Offers protection against penetration by solid objects that are 12 millimeters or larger
- 3 – Offers protection against penetration by solid objects that are 2.5 millimeters or larger
- 4 – Offers protection against penetration by solid objects that are one millimeter or larger
- 5 – Offers dust protection
- 6 – Completely dust tight
Second Digit – Moisture
- 0 – Offers no protection against moisture
- 1 – Offers protection against vertically falling water drops
- 2 – Offers protection against falling water drops at a maximum angle 15 degrees
- 3 – Offers protection against falling water drops at a maximum angle 60 degrees
- 4 – Offers protection against splashing or projection
- 5 – Offers protection against low pressure jets
- 6 – Offers protection against high pressure jets
- 7 – Offers protection against temporary immersion
- 8 – Offers protection against long periods of immersion
By choosing an IP rating of IP65 or above, you can be sure that your outdoor soffit lighting can withstand the effects of wind, rain and sun. This is critical for soffit downlights since they will be constantly exposed to the elements.
How To Plan Your Soffit Lighting Layout?
Plan the layout of your external soffit downlights by following the steps below:
- SELECTING THE LIGHTS. The first thing you will want to do is decide which kind of outside downlight fixtures you want to install. Choose the style of their housing as well as the lumen count and the colour temperature you will want to use.
- CONSIDER SPACING. It is best to have at least four feet of space between each outdoor down light, no matter what size house you may have. This will create an even spread of illumination and help you avoid the spaceship effect.
- INSTALLING THE LIGHTS. It is possible that waterproof outdoor downlights may run off of a single circuit, meaning that the chances are high that you can attach the soffit lights to a porch light switch that is already in use.
To install, simply:
- Take an outside down light and walk to each of the locations you want to hang them. Mark the wall where you want to fit it.
- Cut the holes in every location.
- Bring the wires through each hole, being sure to leave an extra 10 inches or so for future repairs and easy installation.
- Connect the wires to the soffit spotlight.
- Place the fixture into the hole that you have created.
We do advise that any wiring is carried out by a qualified electrican
Key Features to Look for in High-Quality LED Soffit Lighting
Outdoor soffit spotlights can be as distinct and varied as any other type of lighting. While the style ultimately comes down to personal preference, there are a few key elements of an external LED soffit downlight that you should be paying attention to as you shop.
- IP RATINGS. Since exterior LED soffit downlights are exposed to the elements, their IP rating is very important. Make sure you are choosing exterior downlights that have the appropriate waterproof rating in order to ensure they do not suffer weather damage.
- Similarly, be sure your outdoor downlight fixtures are fashioned out of high quality materials. Preferably, you should look for soffit downlights made from aluminium, brass or stainless steel. These are best suited to withstand the effects of the weather.
- BEAM ANGLES. Every house is different, and the width of the fascias can also vary. In order to ensure your light is shining where and how you like it, be sure to choose LED soffit lighting that is adjustable. This way, you can ensure the illumination is pointed precisely where you like it.
- LED BULBS. With their energy efficiency, long lifespan and total versatility, LED bulbs are the superior choice for soffit spotlights. Look for outdoor recessed downlights that use LEDs as opposed to halogen or incandescent bulbs.
- COLOUR TEMPERATURE. LED soffit lighting comes in a range of colour temperatures, much like all LED lights do. Choose the colour temperature that best suits your preferred style and aesthetic. For example, warm white lights tend to evoke a cosier, more inviting feeling. Cool lights, on the other hand, are brighter and crisper, making them ideal for security lighting.
Do LED Soffit Lights Require Any Maintenance?
One of the many perks of exterior LED downlights is that they need very little upkeep and maintenance compared to conventional lights. Part of this is owed to the minimum rated life of an LED, which tends to be 20,000 hours. Compared to the 1,000 hours afforded by a regular bulb, you won’t have to replace them nearly as frequently.
Instead, you may find that all you have to do is some cosmetic cleanup, like dusting here and there to remove cobwebs and debris. Occasionally, you will want to check the outdoor downlight fittings and be sure they are still well-sealed. By ensuring that moisture isn’t able to get behind the lights every so often, you can properly protect them from damage and limit the number of times you need to repair or replace them.
How Many External Downlights Do You Need?
It is generally thought that having a spacing of two metres between exterior LED downlights on a single-storey home will give you plenty of light. Even so, the amount of external downlights that you will need is a matter of personal taste and individual needs of your home. Deciding this will depend on a few factors, including:
- HEIGHT OF THE SOFFIT. Consider how high up the soffits are. If you want to install them on a low building, you might not need many lights at all; the illumination has less of a distance to shine down, meaning fewer soffit downlights can cover more area at once.
- STYLISH EFFECT. What aesthetic appeal are you hoping to create? Would you prefer light beams overlapping one another to give complete coverage of the area? Does having single-focused beams of light shining separately sound more appealing to you? One will require more outdoor soffit downlights than the other, so this is a major decision to be made at the very beginning stages of planning the project.
- CONSIDER THE ANGLES. Typically, external downlights will shine a wide beam angle of at least 30 degrees. Knowing this, you can whip up some rough drawings using calculations to estimate just how many you may need to have.
- The number of outdoor downlights you need to have may be directly proportionate to the wattage of each of them. Pay attention to the wattage amount of each bulb and the subsequent number of lumens emitted when choosing your outdoor soffit lighting.
When To Use Recessed or Surface Mounted Outdoor Downlights?
Some soffit areas are designed with plenty of room to install outside downlights, while others simply are not wide enough to accommodate them. Before deciding on your waterproof outdoor downlights, you’ll need to check the eaves and soffits around the property. Be sure that there is a void behind them before you try installing exterior soffit lighting in facias.
If there is not enough room, you won’t be able to sink them into the eaves. Instead, you’ll need to use surface mounted lighting. Fortunately, you can still achieve the spaced effect of recessed outdoor downlights using the right kind of soffit light.
Some homeowners even prefer surface mounted outdoor downlighting to outdoor recessed downlights for aesthetic reasons; certain kinds of light installations benefit from surface lighting as opposed to recessed lighting.
At the end of the day, even if you have enough room for recessed outdoor soffit spotlights, you aren’t obligated to use them. The best soffit lights for you could simply come down to personal design choices.
How Bright Are LED Exterior Downlights?
Much like any other kind of lights, external downlights come in a number of different wattages. As a general rule, you can expect that one watt of LED light will output between 80 and 100 lumens. To apply this to real world wattage amounts, consider the following:
- A 3-watt LED bulb is the equivalent of a halogen bulb with 25 to 30 watts.
- A 5-watt LED bulb is the equivalent of a halogen bulb with 45 to 50 watts.
- A 9-watt LED bulb is the equivalent of a halogen bulb with 60 watts.
Simply put, you don’t have to sacrifice the brightness of a halogen bulb to reap the benefits of an LED light. The only thing that truly changes is the reduced energy output, which is a perk. LEDs can shine as brightly as halogen bulbs but with 80 percent less energy needed.
How To Install Outside LED Downlights?
Some projects around the house can be tackled by a DIY enthusiast, but lighting of any kind is not one of them. Because of the intricate aspects of outdoor soffit light installation and the dangerous element of electricity, it isn’t a good idea to take it into your own hands. You should always get the assistance of a qualified electrician to install outdoor soffit downlights for you.
Creative Ways to Use Recessed Outdoor Downlights
When it comes to waterproof outdoor downlights, many people equate them with simple overhead ambient lights. The truth is, outdoor soffit lights are versatile and have several unconventional ways in which they can be used.
Illuminating Steps and Paths
IP65 soffit lighting can be used along the edges of pathways, driveways and stairs to highlight the pathway. This improves visibility while also offering an air of sophistication.
Accentuating Garden Features
Exterior LED soffit downlights can be used to draw attention to different areas of the garden. Shine them near ornamental trees, shrubs or flower beds to highlight them. You can also position lights at ground level and shine them upwards onto such features to provide more dramatic lighting.
Moonlighting
Moonlighting is a technique where you shine a light downward through a tree canopy. It gets its name from the effect it creates, which is like moonlight filtering through the leaves.
Highlighting Architecture
If your home has recesses, columns or other areas of visual interest, external soffit lights can be used to draw attention to them. By working them into your architectural lighting scheme, you can enhance the kerb appeal of your home.
How External Downlights and Soffit Lights Can Increase the Value of Your Property
Many homebuyers say that one of the things they look for when looking for a new home is exterior lighting. For aesthetic and safety purposes, it is a preferred feature for buyers and may attract more people to consider your home.
With energy efficient external soffit lights and other exterior lighting around the home, potential buyers will be impressed not only by the lighting design but their eco-friendly nature as well. Knowing they can save money while having a beautiful outdoor area is a huge draw.
Similarly, buyers like the idea of having a usable outdoor living space ready for them. With your well-lit exterior, they can picture themselves on the patio or in the outdoor dining space at night, making the property more appealing.
Kerb appeal matters when trying to sell a home, and exterior downlights can provide that. Installing waterproof outdoor downlights can make the best parts of your home stand out easily from the street. This could attract buyers that might have otherwise driven right by your property.
How to Select the Right Colour Temperature for Your Soffit Lights
Colour temperature refers to the perceived warmth or coolness of a given light. It is measured on a scale of Kelvin units, that of which ranges from 1,000K to 10,000K. The higher you climb on the scale, the cooler the lights will be.
For commercial properties or areas that you wish to monitor for security above all, choosing colour temperatures between 4000K and 5000K is recommended. This provides clear and ample illumination so your CCTV can clearly record movement.
For warmer, more inviting domestic areas, opt for warmer white light between 2700K and 3300K. This creates a gentle and welcoming atmosphere that makes the home feel cosier and more comfortable.
Outdoor soffit spotlights are a great way to add curb appeal to the exterior of your home. Not only does it instantly give the exterior a more modern look — it also enhances nighttime safety and security.
Perks extend far beyond the appearance of LED bulbs. They are far more energy efficient than their standard halogen bulb counterparts. Because of this, they can save you plenty of money on your energy bills while also limiting your carbon footprint.
LED lights retain their brightness even though they need less energy to accomplish this. You can expect them to shine between 15,000 and 150,000 hours, with most enjoying a minimum rating of 20,000 hours. In this way, you won’t have to constantly be replacing these bulbs. Once you have them in, you can expect them to bring with them all of their many benefits for years to come.