Achieving brightly lit rooms is the primary focus for most homeowners. However, there are several options that provide bright lighting and, more importantly, comfort, style and aesthetics. This post explains what glare is, how low-glare and architectural downlights reduce it, and how tri-colour and fully smart adjustable downlights let you fine-tune the light in every room.
LED downlights in Perth are the most popular new type of lighting. Placing downlights carefully in a home allows for even, bright lighting with very low running costs. The type of downlight you choose, though, makes a real difference to how comfortable the room feels.
The problem with regular downlights
Regular downlights have a PC (polycarbonate) diffuser that hides the LED chips. This gives a very wide spread of light, which is good for certain applications, but the whole face of the fitting glows and a lot of light shines sideways, directly into your eyes. The result is glare, which causes eye strain and discomfort, especially when you have 4, 6 or even 8 downlights in a room and several of them sit in your line of sight at once.
How low-glare downlights work
Low-glare downlights direct their light with a narrower beam angle, such as 60º, as opposed to the standard 100º to 120º. The LED sits deeper in the fitting behind a lens or reflector, so the light goes down onto the floor, benchtop or table rather than sideways into your eyes. From across the room you see a soft, dim ring rather than a bright disc.
Measuring glare: UGR
Glare on a downlight is measured in UGR, the Unified Glare Rating. The lower the UGR, the less glare. A UGR below 19 is the widely used benchmark for comfortable lighting in offices and living spaces, and a UGR below 16 is considered very low glare. In order to achieve a good balance between comfort and distributed lighting, a UGR of 19 or less is the target for most rooms, with slightly higher values acceptable in corridors and utility areas where nobody sits and looks up for long periods.
Architectural downlights
Architectural downlights in Perth incorporate low-glare lenses or deep reflectors to provide lighting without the discomfort of glare. Because the beam is more controlled, this lighting is also more direct, enabling certain areas and features to be highlighted, such as artwork, a kitchen island or a feature wall, thereby creating more ambience and mood. Many are available in black or white trims to match modern interiors.
Tri-colour downlights
Most downlights now come standard with a 3 colour selectable switch on the back of the fitting. This gives you the option of warm white (3000 Kelvin), natural white (4000K) and bright white or daylight (5000K). Some lights will also offer up to 6000K, although this is not recommended for homes because it looks blue and clinical.
As a guide, 3000K suits bedrooms and living rooms, 4000K suits kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, and 5000K suits garages, workshops and task areas. The switch is set once, usually by the electrician at installation, and the light stays at that colour temperature.
Fully smart adjustable downlights
A tri-colour light, once set, cannot be adjusted without getting back into the ceiling. Instead of that limitation, both standard and low-glare downlights can now be controlled with infinite colour temperature and brightness options, using smart devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, a phone app or remotes.
It is easy to set a smart light to an exact colour temperature and brightness level that best suits the room and your preferences. The wall switch still turns the lights on and off as normal, and the light settings remain unchanged when the switch is used. To change a light, adjust it on a smart device, or with Alexa or Google, by simply saying "Alexa, turn lounge 20% warm white".
Smart downlights also make it possible to group lights, set schedules and create scenes, so a living room can run bright and cool during the day and warm and dim in the evening without touching a switch.
Choosing the right downlight for each room
- Living rooms, bedrooms and dining areas: low-glare or architectural downlights, warm white, ideally dimmable or smart.
- Kitchens and bathrooms: low-glare downlights over benches and vanities, natural white.
- Hallways, garages and laundries: standard wide-beam downlights are acceptable, as glare matters less where people are passing through.
- Feature areas: narrow-beam architectural downlights to highlight artwork or joinery.
Downlights must be installed by a licensed electrician, who can also set the tri-colour switch and confirm the fittings are compatible with any dimmer you choose.
Shop for designer LED downlights in Perth to enhance your home today. Greenhse Technologies stocks low-glare, tri-colour and fully smart adjustable downlights at the showroom at 5/1 Locke Lane, Ellenbrook WA 6069, and you can call (08) 9297 2969 for advice. You can also visit our online store, Greenhse Technologies, to explore our exclusive collection.
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