With the advancement of technology, LED lights have also progressed a lot in recent years. LED downlights are primarily used for general or task lighting. Switching to LED downlights cuts the power consumption in half. These lights are used primarily in retail stores, movie theaters, etc.
Why LED downlights matter?
Reliability- LED downlights are less expensive and do not overheat. The sink effectively transfers the heat, and better thermal management increases the longevity of the downlights.
Even distribution – LED recessed lighting to provide a wider spread of brightness, and they are cost-effective. The integrated downlights are the best choice as they can be recessed from the ceiling at low heights to deliver optimal shine.
Lumens calculation
The general question that arises is the number of downlights required for optimal brightness. While choosing downlights, preplan and measure the space where you want the downlights to be installed. Use the following steps for measurement.
- Get the square footage of the room by multiplying its width and depth.
- Multiply the square footage by 1.5
Formulae – Multiply the width of the room X Length of the room X 1.5 = The amount of Wattage required.
How far the LED downlights to be kept?
It is always recommended to install the lights 1m from the walls, and the space between the lights must be 1.2m to 1.5m apart.
The positioning of recessed downlights can be altered according to the use of the space.
LED Downlights for Bedroom – Downlights brightens the floor between 30 degrees to 55 degrees. The bedroom requires diffused lighting, which has a uniform spread.
Placement of LED downlights – The recessed downlights are set apart 1.5 to 2 feet away from the walls and space from 3 to 4 feet. Divide the ceiling by two sets the measurement about how much space is required for each downlight.
Wattage and size – For standard interiors, the wattage requirement is 9W to 15W, and the size is 2.4m to 2.7m.
How many downlights required per room?
For the standard bedroom, 4X5 = 20m2
The requirement is 180 (Lux) X 20m2 = 3600 lumens
3600 is the required lumens for your bedroom, which equals four downlights.
Lumen capacity – Multiply the room square footage by the room foot-candle requirement.
100 sq ft room has 10-20 foot-candles, the requirement will be 1000 – 2000 lumens.
Requirement of lumens per square meter – Floors 215 lumens per square meter, and the raised surface is 323 lumens per square meter.
Brightness calculator – Calculate the number of lumens required. Then, multiply the square meter by the lux or the area in square feet by foot candles.
Downlights for a 12X12 room – The thumb rule is 24” from each wall 3-5 feet apart. For a 12” space, you need two rows of light. 64 watts generate 4500 lumens of brightness and natural light of 5000 Kelvin.
Downlights for an average living room – For a 250 square feet living room, the brightness requirement is 5000 lumens (20 lumens X 250 sq ft).
Downlights for the bedroom – The excellent thumb rule is to utilize four light sources inside the bedroom.
Space requirements – The quicker way to determines to take the height of the ceiling and divide it by 2.
Downlights and spotlights – It is essential to understand the difference between spotlights and downlights. Downlights can be used as focussed lights due to their illumination capabilities.
Spotlights are used to highlight objects, whereas downlights generally cast brightness in a given area.
Benefits of downlights
They are compact and functional by design.
Energy savings
Eco-friendly
Longer lifespan