FAQ About LED downlights|TimeToSave

1. 01 FAQS ABOUTLEDDOWNLIGHTS Q.What are downlights? DOWNLIGHTS ARE A COMPLETE ELECTRIC LIGHT UNIT (LUMINAIRE) THAT LIGHT IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION TO HIGHLIGHT THE OBJECT OR AREA BELOW.

2. 02 Q:  Why do I need downlights? MOST PLACES LIKE KITCHENS, BEDROOMS AND SHOPPING BAYS ARE IDEAL FOR DOWNLIGHTS WITH LEDS. LED DOWNLIGHTS ILLUMINATE THE SPACE WITH NO HIGH MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS. HALLWAYS ARE ANOTHER AREA THAT IS WELL LIT WITH LED LIGHTS. THEY ALSO WORK WELL IN INDUSTRIAL SITES AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.

3. 03 Q: What are the different types of downlights? MOST DOWNLIGHTS ARE ROUND AND THEY COME IN A VARIETY OF COLOURS. THE COLOUR VARIATION GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO ADJUST THE DOWNLIGHT WITH YOUR HOME DECOR OR WAREHOUSE LIGHTING CONDITIONS. NONETHELESS, THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM. THE DIFFERENCE IS PRIMARILY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPE OF LIGHT BULB YOU USE. EARLIER, THE MOST POPULAR TYPE OF BULB WAS HALOGEN, BUT RECENTLY, THE USE OF LED BULBS HAS BECOME WIDESPREAD BECAUSE THEY ARE THE MOST ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHTING OPTION.

4. HERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DOWNLIGHTS: HALOGEN, CFLS AND LED DOWNLIGHTS RECESSED OR FLUSH DOWNLIGHTS IP RATED OR NON-IP RATED DOWNLIGHTS FIRE-RATED OR NON-FIRE RATED DOWNLIGHTS ROTATING/TILTING OR FIXED DOWNLIGHTS THE NARROW, MEDIUM OR WIDE BEAM WIDTH DOWNLIGHTS USAGE DEPENDS ON THE PURPOSE OF THE LIGHT SOURCE; IT MAY BE TO HIGHLIGHT A PIECE OF ART ON A WALL OR TO LIT UP THE DINING TABLE. THERE ARE MANY USES FOR A DOWNLIGHT AND IT IS JUST ABOUT BUYING THE RIGHT TYPE WITH THE CORRECT SPECIFICATION MATCHING YOUR REQUIREMENTS.

5. 04 Q: What is the difference between a downlight and a spotlight? DOWNLIGHTS ARE USED TO ILLUMINATE A LARGE AREA, AS THE LIGHT IS EVENLY SPREAD OUT OVER A WIDER AREA DUE TO A WIDE BEAM ANGLE. ON THE OTHER HAND, SPOTLIGHTS ARE USED FOR HIGHLIGHTING A SPECIFIC AREA OR DISPLAY DUE TO ITS NARROW BEAM ANGLE.

6. 05 Q: What do I need to consider when buying downlights? WHEN BUYING DOWNLIGHTS, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER THE PURPOSE OF DOWNLIGHTS; PHYSICAL FACTORS LIKE THE SPACE IN THE CEILING RECESS, THE CEILING MATERIALS AND ACCESSORIES YOU NEED TO BUY SO IT FITS CORRECTLY; AND THE CEILING HEIGHT. YOU ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER BULB EFFICIENCY, COLOUR TEMPERATURE, AND LUMEN/WATT OUTPUT.

7. 06 How do I install a downlight? THE BEST PLACE TO INSTALL A DOWNLIGHT VARIES FROM SPACE TO SPACE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE KITCHEN, DOWNLIGHT SHOULD BE PLACED AT A POINT TO HIGHLIGHT THE INSIDE OF THE CABINETS, THE WORKING AREA AND THE TABLE. WHILE IN THE LIVING ROOM, IT WOULD BE ABOVE THE COFFEE TABLE, ARTWORK OR SOFA.

8. 07 Q: Where is the best place to position a downlight? IF YOU’RE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, WE RECOMMEND YOU EMPLOY ONE. Q: Where is the best place to position a downlight? 08 GU10 LED DOWNLIGHTS CAN BE DIMMABLE. CHECK THE MANUFACTURER’S PRODUCT INFORMATION TO ENSURE THE DIMMING FEATURE.

9. 09 Q: Can I use a dimmable LED downlight with a non-dimmable light switch? YES. DIMMED LIGHTS MEAN A REDUCTION IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND THE BEST PART IS THAT YOU CAN USE DIMMABLE LED LAMPS WITHIN A NON-DIMMABLE CIRCUIT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT NON-DIMMABLE LAMPS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO WORK IN A DIMMABLE CIRCUIT AS BOTH LAMP AND CIRCUIT MAY GET DAMAGED. USERS SHOULD HAVE AN EASY TIME SELECTING A LAMP AND MATCHING THE CIRCUIT BECAUSE THE LAMPS ARE CLEARLY MARKED AS DIMMABLE OR NON-DIMMABLE.

10. 10 Q: Does installing dimmable LED downlight with non-dimmable light switch cause any issues? THE ANSWER IS “NO.” WHEN INSTALLED IN A NON- DIMMING SWITCH, DIMMABLE LED DOWNLIGHTS WILL OPERATE AT 100% OUTPUT AND WILL RUN JUST AS WELL AS IF THEY WERE INSTALLED WITH A DIMMING SWITCH. SURE, THERE MAY BE A NON-DIMMING OPTION AVAILABLE FOR A FRACTIONALLY LOWER COST BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, IF YOU PLAN ON KEEPING YOUR LED BULBS FOR A LONG TIME, IT MAKES SENSE TO CHOOSE THE DIMMABLE OPTION.

11. 11 Q: How to check if the existing dimmer is compatible with LED downlights? IN MOST CASES, YOU WOULD FIND IT PRINTED ON THE PRODUCT INFORMATION PAGE. SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT MAY OCCUR WHEN A DIMMER IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH AN LED LAMP ARE: • FLICKERING  • DROP-OUT – NO LIGHT OUTPUT AT MINIMUM NOTCH OF THE DIMMER • STONE DEAD – WHEN THE DIMMER IS ADJUSTED THERE IS NO CORRESPONDING CHANGE IN LIGHT OUTPUT • NOT LINEAR – LIGHT OUTPUT MAY NOT GO FROM DIM TO BRIGHT ASYNCHRONOUSLY  • DAMAGE OR FAILURE – LED DRIVER, CIRCUIT OR LED BULB GET DAMAGED OR FAILS

12. 12 Q: Why install LED downlights? THE LIGHTING SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE INTERIOR OF YOUR HOME OR WORKPLACE. A NUMBER OF FACTORS NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION IN ORDER TO DECIDE ON THE TYPE OF ILLUMINATION, WHERE TO POSITION THE DEVICES AND SPACING BETWEEN THE LIGHTS. HERE ARE MAJOR DETERMINANTS OF THE BEST LED DOWNLIGHT: BETTER ILLUMINATION COLOUR TEMPERATURE AESTHETIC APPEAL COST AFTER WEIGHING IN THE FOLLOWING FACTORS, WE HAVE CONCLUDED THAT CURRENTLY, LED DOWNLIGHTS ARE THE BEST CHOICE FOR BOTH INTERIOR AND LIGHTING.

13. BRIGHTNESSTHE BRIGHTNESS OF AN LED LIGHT BULB IS MEASURED IN LUMENS AS OPPOSED TO THE WATTAGE RATING OF INCANDESCENT OR FLUORESCENT LIGHT. LED LIGHTS PRODUCE THE HIGHEST LUMEN NUMBER FOR A GIVEN WATTAGE. THIS BASICALLY MEANS THAT YOU CAN ILLUMINATE YOUR HOUSE OR OFFICE WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF BRIGHTNESS WHILE CONSUMING THE LEAST NUMBER OF ENERGY UNITS. A DIMMABLE LED DOWNLIGHT GIVES YOU CONTROL OVER THE BRIGHTNESS WHICH IN TURN AUGMENTS ENERGY EFFICIENCY LEVEL. SMART LED DOWNLIGHTS TAKE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY TO ANOTHER LEVEL. YOU DON’T NEED TO CONTROL THE BRIGHTNESS MANUALLY; YOU CAN VOICE CONTROL OR PROGRAM IT TO INCREASE OR DECREASE THE LUMEN LEVEL TO MATCH A SPECIFIC LIGHTING REQUIREMENT.

14. LONGEVITY LED DOWNLIGHTS LAST NEARLY TEN TIMES LONGER THAN A CFL WHICH IS CURRENTLY THE SECOND MOST ECONOMICAL OPTION WE HAVE AND NEARLY FIFTY TIMES LONGER THAN AN INCANDESCENT OR HALOGEN BULB. COSTHIGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND LONGEST LIFESPAN ENSURE THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY LIGHTS FREQUENTLY, LOWEST MAINTENANCE COST, AND THAT LESS MONEY IS SPENT FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF LUMENS. 

15. MATERIAL LED LIGHTS CAN HAVE EITHER ALUMINIUM OR PLASTIC FRAMES AND HEATSINKS. ALUMINIUM IS OBVIOUSLY THE MOST EXPENSIVE OPTION, BUT WORTH THE PRICE. HEATSINKS HELP TO DISSIPATE THE EXCESS HEAT PRODUCED DURING USE. ALUMINIUM MAKES THE OVERALL EQUIPMENT MUCH MORE LONG-LASTING AND EFFICIENT. COSTHIGH  THE FRAME FOR THE LED DOWNLIGHTS CAN BE EITHER FIXED OR ADJUSTABLE, ROUND OR SQUARE. FIXED DOWNLIGHTS ARE CHEAPER AND RADIATE A GENERAL AMBIANCE THAT ISN’T FOCUSED ON ANY PARTICULAR AREA. ADJUSTABLE FRAMES CAN BE USED IF YOU WANT TO DIRECT THE LIGHT IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION.

16. COLOUR LED DOWNLIGHTS COME IN A VERY WIDE RANGE OF COLOURS. YOU SHOULD CHOOSE THE LIGHT OF A CERTAIN COLOUR TEMPERATURE BASED ON THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE ROOM/SPACE. WARM WHITE LIGHT IS CONSIDERED GOOD FOR RELAXING, WHEREAS COOL WHITE IS CONSIDERED GOOD FOR READING/WORKING.  COLOUR TEMPERATURE INDICATES WHETHER YOUR LIGHT SOURCE WILL EMIT RATHER “WARM” OR “COLD” LIGHT. THE LOWER THE NUMBER, THE “WARMER” THE COLOUR. 2700K CAN BE DESCRIBED AS WARM WHITE AND 5000K MAY BE CONSIDERED COOL WHITE.

17. COLOUR LED DOWNLIGHTS COME IN A VERY WIDE RANGE OF COLOURS. YOU SHOULD CHOOSE THE LIGHT OF A CERTAIN COLOUR TEMPERATURE BASED ON THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE ROOM/SPACE. WARM WHITE LIGHT IS CONSIDERED GOOD FOR RELAXING, WHEREAS COOL WHITE IS CONSIDERED GOOD FOR READING/WORKING.  COLOUR TEMPERATURE INDICATES WHETHER YOUR LIGHT SOURCE WILL EMIT RATHER “WARM” OR “COLD” LIGHT. THE LOWER THE NUMBER, THE “WARMER” THE COLOUR. 2700K CAN BE DESCRIBED AS WARM WHITE AND 5000K MAY BE CONSIDERED COOL WHITE. Source:https://www.timetosave.com.au/