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How to choose the right downlights? Insider Tips
Factors & Choices
Here we only list some of the most important factors we have to consider before we can make a correct decision:
| Factors | Your choices | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AS/NZS Certificate | Never use any downlight which has not been approved to meet AS/NZS standards 60598.2.2. You must check carefully if the SDoC provided by your supplier shows that the light meets AS/NZS standards. CE certificates are not for AS/NZS standards and Chinese CCC certified lights are not allowed to be sold in NZ without further tests. |
| 2 | Cut-out size | For an LED light replacement project, you have to measure the size of the old holes on the ceiling. Most old holes are around 90-100mm in diameter. But you still need to double check it before purchasing. |
| 3 | Light colour | Three common options: 3000k warm white, 4000k cool white and 6000k daylight. Here is the government recommendation but it totally depends on your favor: A ’warm white’ colour will be suitable for lounges, hallways and bedrooms and a ‘cool white’ colour will be suitable for laundries, bathrooms and offices. |
| 4 | Lumens | For a residential use, we often choose a downlight which can produce 700 - 1000 lumens. |
| 5 | IP rating | For bathroom use, the minimum requirement is IP44 rated, same as the lights used in soffits. IP55 or IP65 are recommended for any area where water will be directly sprayed. Our 10w dimmable LED downlights and 13w dimmable LED downlights are all IP44 rated. |
| 6 | Insulation contact rating | One of the most important advantages of LED downlights is that LED lights don't product as much heat as other lighting sources. But not all LED downlights are safe to be covered by insulation materials. Try to choose LED downlights which are IC or IC-F rated. They are safe to be covered by insulation that can safely be exposed continuously to temperatures up to 90°C. Click here for more details about the downlight ratings. |
| 7 | Beam angle | It depends on your application. 35 degree beam angle lights can provide you a perfect spot light effect. If you want your living room evenly covered, choose lights with 90 degree or more beam angles. Recessed downlights are much more popularly used in NZ than non-recessed ones. |
| 8 | Dimmable | If you have and want to use a dimmer, you need to buy dimmable LED downlights. The price of dimmable LED downlights are normally 20% higher than non-dimmables. Most dimmable downlights which meet nz standards are compatible to our existing dimmers. Our 10w dimmable LED downlights and 13w dimmable LED downlights are all dimmable. |
| 9 | Quality | A high quality downlight must have a good quality driver, good quality LED chips and a well designed heat transfer system. HEAT is the still the key issue which causes light failures. Accumulated heat can burn electronic elements in the driver, which is one of the main failures we have investigated. 99% LED downlights use embeded aluminum cups for heat transfer. To save the cost, some factories start reducing the size and the thickness of the cup. So the weight become one key index of the light quality. Without any professional test tool, buyers may only judge from appearance. |