What are Downlights?
Downlights are one of the most common lighting fixtures you will see in any modern home. They're extremely popular because they provide warm general lighting that's unobtrusive compared to a traditional light fixture. However, there are lots of considerations when shopping for the perfect one. Should you choose LED or halogen bulbs? What's the ideal wattage and spacing?
Below we've compiled an easy guide to help answer your questions. Whether you're thinking about installing LED downlights or already have them, here's how to pick the right one for you.
Led Downlights vs Halogen - Wattage
For wattage, you want your downlights to be energy saving yet still produce a high beam. For this reason, we encourage you to use LED downlights. The average 10W LED downlight can produce a beam twice as bright as halogen that use up to 55W. The best option in terms of energy saving can range from as low as 4.5 watts to 14 watts in LED.
Colour Temperature
As a general guide, when choosing LED downlights for a room that tends to get hot e.g. a kitchen or laundry, cool white is ideal. However, if you want warmth and intimacy in your space e.g. a living room or bedroom, warmer downlights are a better option than their cool white counterpart.
We recommend a natural white 4000K as a good all-rounder. It's cool, clean and feels warm but doesn't overpower your eyes - it's like you have natural skylight coming through the ceiling. Below is a photo so you can see the difference in colour temperature.
