Gypsum is a versatile material that plays a vital role in modern home finishing, primarily used in the form of gypsum boards, commonly known as drywall. These large sheets are installed on walls and ceilings, creating a smooth, even surface that is ready for paint or wallpaper. Gypsum offers numerous advantages, including fire resistance, which enhances home safety, and the ability to regulate humidity, contributing to a more comfortable indoor environment. Additionally, gypsum boards are valued for their sound insulation, reducing noise transfer between rooms. Their lightweight nature makes installation efficient, while their flexibility allows for creative interior designs, such as curved walls or recessed lighting features.
Moreover, gypsum boards aid in energy efficiency by providing thermal insulation, helping to maintain consistent indoor temperatures, which can lead to potential energy savings. The material’s durability and resistance to mold and mildew make it a low-maintenance option for homeowners. Overall, the combination of these benefits makes gypsum a popular and practical choice for achieving a polished finish in residential spaces.
Why Use Gypsum LED Downlights?
Light is an essential aspect of internal design. It has an outsize impact in moderating the atmosphere of a space. In gypsum ceilings, a bewildering variety of lighting options are available. The choice of LED downlights will set the tone for the look and feel of the entire home. Minimalists will tend to go for recessed trimless led downlights while others may opt for surface installations where the body of the downlight contributes to the aesthetic of the space. Additionally, you have to factor in the maintainability and space usage with he downlights choice – example: IP ratings may not matter for lounges, but they will matter for kitchen and bathroom downlights. However, whichever lighting option you choose you’ll first need to decide on the installation type you want:
Recessed downlights: have the body of the downlight recessing inside the ceiling – with the light emitter flush with the surface of the ceiling. The main distinction between various recessed downlights is the trim – whether they have a surface visible component. For the variants with a trim, a variety of trim colours (silver, white, black…) and trim body makeup exist (aluminium, plastic…).
Surface mounted downlights: have the entire body of the downlighting sitting on the surface of the ceiling extending downwards into the room. The shape and colour of the surface downlight contributes to the aesthetics of the light since it’s visible.
Suspended downlights: have the entire body of the downlighting suspended from the surface of the ceiling on cables. The shape and colour of the downlight contributes to the aesthetics of the light since it’s visible.
Attributes To Look For in LED Downlights
LED Chip: The entire downlight exists to support the LED chip transforming electricity into light. As with any electronic component, efficiency and consequently thermal efficiency is key. A cheap LED chip may produce light with an efficiency of 70lm/W vs a more efficient one at 140lm/W. In this case, the more efficient LED chip will consume half the power to produce the same amount of light or double the light of the less efficient one. The LED chip will also determine the lifetime of the downlight. Most LED chips are designed for a lifetime of about 20,000 to 50,000 hours at a specific working temperature. Exceeding this temperature will considerably reduce the expected lifespan of the downlight. A downlight spec’ed for 20,000 hours will provide a usable lifetime of about 13 years if used for 4 hours everyday – typical home use. However the same light will work for about 2 years in a 24 hour use zone such as a hospital. The lifetime of the LED chip is typically, when the LED chip luminosity drops to a certain amount that is considered end of life – typically a 30% drop in luminosity as compared to new.
Lumens & Wattage: Lumens measures the amount of visible light that a lightbulb emits. A 60-watt incandescent lightbulb, for instance, normally emits about 800 lumens. Wattage indicates the amount of electrical energy that a light source uses. LED light fixtures are phenomenally efficient, a 6W LED bulb can produce the same level of brightness as a 60 watt filament lightbulb. The typical efficiency of LED bulbs is about 80-140lm/W. Several light calculators exist online to help you plan the total lumens required for a specific area.
Heatsink: LED lightbulbs though very energy efficient, still generate heat. This is even more evident as the wattage increases. In essence, the higher the electrical power an LED light source consumes, the more the heat it produces. In order to increase the life span of an LED light source, we need to dissipate the heat that it produces. An LED heat sink is a type of heat exchanger that moves this heat into the surrounding air from the LED chip. A light’s operating temperature has a direct impact on its lifetime, lumen output, and spectral performance. Typically, if the LED chip runs hotter than manufacturer’s recommendation, it will have a significantly lower lifespan. Generally, for every 10°C increase in temperature, the LED lifespan can decrease by 30-50%. High temperatures can accelerate material degradation and lead to early failure. In extreme cases, overheating can also cause a safety hazard, overheated light sources especially in enclosed fixtures can cause a fire. A bewildering array of heat sinks exists but generally, the rule of thumb is a larger heat sink will keep the lighter cooler and give your fixture a longer life. So a larger and heavier heatsink translates to a longer lasting light.
LED Driver: LED drivers are a major component of downlights. They convert mains voltage (240v) to lower DC voltage (Typically 24-72V) compatible with the downlight. In order to keep the LED chips working at the optimum temperature, drivers may adjust the voltage or current being fed to the light. LED chips are complicated devices that may change the light and electricity used depending on the LED chip temperature. A good LED driver has to factor this too. Additionally, LEd drivers may have surge protection to keep the power supplied to the LED chip constant during variable changes in the Mains voltage.
LED drivers will also provide extra functionality such as Dimming, CCT *(color temperature) control and Smart Home automation interaction. In summary, LED drivers are a critical factor in the performance, longevity and efficiency of the downlight. Don’t cheap out on this component. Lookout for a reliable manufacturer name on the driver such as Lifud and Eaglerise.
UGR: Unified Glare Rating (UGR) is a lighting design parameter that measures glare. It is routinely applied in visual light assessment of offices, classrooms, and other indoor spaces. Discomfort glare can result in annoyance, headaches or eyestrain. Choose downlights with low UGR <22 in living spaces. UGR is intrinsically related to the downlight beam angle. A light with a small beam angle has a lower glare and vice versa. Check out the beam angle paragraph below for more information. Find out more about UGR here.
CRI: Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a measurement of how natural colors render under an artificial white light source when compared with sunlight or daylight. The index is measured from 0-100, with a perfect 100 indicating that colors of objects under the light source appear the same as they would under natural sunlight. CRIs under 80 are generally considered ‘poor’ while ranges over 90 are considered ‘great’. For many applications, such as design work, retail displays, photography, and medical settings, a high CRI is crucial. Additionally, it also affects productivity and safety in settings like the workplace, where precise color perception is essential. Modern LEDs can achieve a high CRI rating, usually exceeding 80 and sometimes can achieve a value greater than 90. You can read more about CRI here.
IP Rating: The Ingress Protection (IP) rating of an LED shows how well it is shielded from liquids and solid objects. Dust protection is indicated by the first digit of this two-digit code, while liquid protection is indicated by the second. For instance, IP65 indicates that the LED is completely shielded from low-pressure water jets and dust. Here is a simplified explanation of IP ratings:
IP20: This is meant for dry indoor spaces, such as offices and bedrooms, however, it offers no protection against moisture or dust.
IP44: This provides some protection against dust and water splashes, it is suitable for bathrooms or other areas that experience frequent water splashes.
IP65: Provides complete dust protection and is resistance to low-pressure water jets. It is suitable for both outdoor and damp indoor settings.
CCT: When it comes to lighting, choosing the correct kind of light involves more considerations than just brightness; it also involves the light’s quality and color. The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) is an important component of light quality. CCT indicates how warm or cool a light source is and is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Cool, bluish light (higher Kelvin values) contrasts with warm, yellowish light (lower Kelvin values). In essence, it is essentially a gauge of how yellow or blue the color of light emitted from a light bulb or fixture appears. You can read more about CCT here and here.
Beam Angle: LED lights emit light as a beam. The beam angle is simply how wide or narrow that light’s beam is, in other words, how far it spreads on the lighted surface. It is usually expressed in degrees. A more focused or narrower beam of light results from a smaller beam angle, whereas a wider beam is produced by a larger angle. A beam angle is created by a reflector inside the light fixture, and not the LED light bulb itself. When making the choice for the right beam angle that you need, consider what you need to use the light for. If you need to focus on a specific object or area, go for a downlight with a narrower beam (smaller beam angle). On the other hand if you need to light up a large area, for example, a living room, go for a wide beam angle downlight. We recommend selecting downlights with a wider beam (of 60°) if you want soft diffuse lighting e.g. in the living room. If you are looking at downlights for the kitchen, however, a narrower beam (of 25°) angle is preferable because it will give you a concentrated light, perfect for when you need to illuminate kitchen surfaces.
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Dimmability: Dimming means reducing the output of a lamp or lighting fixture. A lamp’s or lighting fixture’s output is measured in lumens (lm). The lumen output of a light or fixture drops when it is dimmed. Although all LEDs are naturally dimmable, the LED driver—not the LED itself—determines the precise dimming capabilities. Not all LED drivers have dimming capabilities, and even those that do may have different dimming experiences (smoothness, range, etc.). A dimming driver serves two functions: As a driver, it converts the 230V AC mains input to a low voltage DC output and as a dimmer, it reduces the amount of electrical energy flowing to the LEDs, thereby causing them to dim. A dimmable LED lamp is one which is designed to be dimmed by an external (separate) dimmer. However, even a dimmable LED lamp might not be suitable for use with all types of dimmers, so it is important to check what sort of dimmer is recommended for the LED lamp or fixture you wish to dim.
CCT + Dimmability = Smart: A standard dimmer cannot control the colour temperature (CCT) of an LED light. However, we can still achieve this by using two things:
- You will need Tunable White LED fixtures or CCT adjustable LEDs. These usually have have two or more LED chips inside (e.g., warm and cool white). You can mix these to get a range of colour temperatures.
- You will need a compatible controller/driver. A driver or controller and its associated interface is made to specifically work with tunable white (CCT adjustable) LED lighting and enables us to modify LED color temperature and frequently brightness as well.
Smart lighting systems allow both brightness and color temperature to be controlled via an app or voice assistant.
Downlight Purchase Considerations:
- LED Chip Quality – Downlights come in various sizes and prices. A quick way to know a quality downlighter is to check on the LED chip in use. Go for known brands such as BridgeLux, Philips and Osram. LED chips from these manufacturers have attested CRI values, and known performance values which you can look up in data sheets. Here’s an example of a chip data sheet for a downlighter that we sell. Look out for Lumen/Watt (efficiency of the downlight) of ~ 100lm/W and CRI > 90.
- LED Driver Quality Another trick is to check on the driver in use. The driver is the power unit that transforms main line voltage (AC 240V) to LED compatible voltage (typically DC 5V-80V). Drivers come in different sizes, voltages, wattage and quality. Drivers do get hot from the AC-DC conversion and without a good heat sink, the electronics heat up and die. The rule of thumb is the cheaper the driver the lighter it is. If in doubt, look out for branding from large well known manufacturers such as LiFud/Eagleries/Philips/Osram/TRIDONIC. Big brands typically provide warranties of 3-5 years.
- LED Housing Quality: Downlighter LED chips can get very hot during operation. To dissipate this heat, a large heat sink is needed to help air-cool the LED chip. A quick quality check on LED Downlights is the size of the heat sink. Larger heat sinks are correlated with better quality LED downlights.
- LED Wattage and Housing: Different areas required different amount of lighting. Kitchen countertops required direct and bright lights while lounges required diffuse and low intensity lighting. Factors such as the LED wattage and housing will affect this. Use low wattage and large beam angle downlighters for diffuse lighting in lounges. Kitchens can use higher wattage low beam angle down lighters (and preferably recessed to reduce glare)
Downlight Installation Considerations:
- Spacing – To achieve optimal lighting, spacing is crucial. Generally, a spacing of 1.2 to 1.5 meters between downlights is recommended for general room illumination. However, for task-oriented areas like kitchens or home offices, closer spacing might be necessary.
- Size – Larger downlights are typically higher in wattage and run hotter. You may elect to go for more lower wattage LED lights over fewer higher wattage LED lights depending on your headroom
- Headroom: Downlighters can get very hot during operation. To dissipate this heat, a large heat sink is needed to help air-cool the LED chip. The space between the downlighter heat sink and ceiling is an important attribute in this heat dissipation. Prefer to have a large headroom or lower wattage downlight to have effective cooling.
- Glare: LED chips are very bright. Bright lights with excessive glare can cause headaches, fatigue, and other physical discomfort due to the strain on our eyes. The UGR scale measures the level of discomfort caused by glare, ranging from 10 (imperceptible) to 30 (high discomfort). A UGR of 19 is generally considered the maximum acceptable level of glare. To minimise glare:
- Use lights with lower light output (lumens).
- Increase the number of fixtures while decreasing the brightness of each.
- Opt for larger light fixtures instead of point light fixtures.
- Choose luminaires that direct light primarily horizontally.
- Use well-shielded optics for recessed lights.
- Increase the reflectivity of room surfaces.
- Position luminaires higher by using higher ceilings.
- Lookout for UGR ratings and choose the lowest available ones.
- Choose dimmable lights to manage the total light delivered to a space.
- Styling: Downlights come in various styles, including fixed, adjustable, and swivel options, offering flexibility in directing the light beam. The reflectors also come in matt colours such as black, white as well as metallic glossy finishes.
- Features: Downlights also come with different feature sets such as colour temperature changing (CCT), dimmable and smart (ZigBee, DALI, 0-10V). Some downlights can have a switch to change the colour temperature too. Some may include a battery for emergency lighting during power outages.
Conclusion
LED downlights are particularly energy-efficient and long-lasting, making them a popular choice. The typical lifetime of a good downlight is ~ 30,000 – 50,000 hours which translates to over 10 years in commercial spaces and 15 years in residential.
Investing in good LED downlights brings luxury, efficiency, and sustainability into your home. If you’re considering an installation, talk to us to get the latest and best deals in LED downlights. Feel free to visit our store for a demonstration of the lighting options we have in stock. Call us on +254 756 44 55 66 for more information
