DOWNLIGHTS ARE A COMPLETE ELECTRIC LIGHT UNIT (LUMINAIRE) THAT LIGHT IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION TO HIGHLIGHT THE OBJECT OR AREA BELOW.

1. 01F A Q S A B O U T L E D D O W N L I G H T S
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. 02Q: 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. 03Q: 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. 04Q: 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. 05Q: 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. 06How 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. 07Q: 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?
GU10 LED DOWNLIGHTS CAN BE DIMMABLE. CHECK THE
MANUFACTURER’S PRODUCT INFORMATION TO ENSURE
THE DIMMING FEATURE.
08

9. 09Q: 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. 10Q: 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. 11Q: 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. 12Q: 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/