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If you’re considering retrofitting your current recessed lighting system with LED downlights, you’ve probably done a little bit of your homework, but now have even more questions than before you started.
For starters…
- What kind of LED downlights should you buy?
- How many downlights do I need?
- What kind of beam spread should I consider?
This guide should provide some information to help point you in the right direction.
What are Downlights?
LED downlights are lighting solutions that, as the name suggests, emit their light in a downwards direction. This makes them ideal for general-purpose lighting where, when installed in appropriate numbers, they can generate soft and even lighting.
4 Steps for Choosing Downlights
Although buying an LED downlight isn’t exactly a difficult process, there are a number of factors and steps to consider.
1. Pick a Color Temperature And Stick With It
When buying a set of LED downlights for your Scottsdale home, you want to create even lighting within one living space. For example, if you’re going to use warm white downlights for your living room, all LEDs must have the same exact color temperature. The last thing you want is to have patches of lighting in varying colors—some in cool white, the rest a warm yellow. For best results, buy one brand of LEDs and check their Kelvin (K) rating to ensure uniformity.
2. Choose LED Downlights with a CRI of at Least 95
The color rendering index, or CRI, is the measure of a light source’s ‘quality.’ Specifically, the CRI tells you how the colors of objects will appear under a light source. The higher the CRI of an LED downlight, for example, the more accurate an object’s color will look under it. So, if you have a sofa with a rich brown finish, a high-CRI LED will make it look its best, instead of dull or flat.
3. Be Careful When Choosing Downlights with a ‘Long Lifespan’
As long-lived as LEDs are, many lighting manufacturers tend to embellish the life spans of their products. Although a high-quality LED chip can last well over 30,000 hours, the downlight itself won’t last that long if its other components fail.
This is especially relevant when you consider the lifespan of a power supply—you’d be lucky if it lasts over 15,000 hours. Your best bet is to pick a reliable manufacturer that offers a warranty program.
4. Decide How Many Downlights You Need
There are not hard and fast rules on the perfect number of bulbs to get. Rather, it all depends on your room and your desired lighting effect. For ambient lighting in a rectangular space, for example, recessed lights should generally be spaced at least 1.5 meters apart. You also need to consider where your ceiling joists are positioned. This factor will be important in deciding where to place each light. Downlights should also be spaced 1 meter away from the wall to ensure clean, even lighting.
Conclusion
While downlights are great for lighting a variety of household spaces, there are certain instances when they’re no longer ideal, such as when rooms are too small, or when ceilings are too high. If you’re not sure if LEDs are suitable for your needs, talk to a lighting expert for a consultation.
