Recessed Downlights

twohooter_2

I am having inset down lights installed in my new kitchen/ diner, family room. There will be 18 in total (large area) and I would like the small round white ones. I am particularly keen on having ones that spread the light well rather than focus a beam straight down and ones that give a more natural light. If possible I would like them to be dimmable but this is not essential. Any advice would be appreciated - I am happy to spend a little more to get the right effect but even though the electrician appointed by my builder is very nice, he doesn't seem to have much idea on what is available apart from the 'bog standard' products. This is my one chance to get it right and any advice on what I should look for, brands I should consider or avoid etc., would be appreciated.

Smiley_Dan

My advice is not to bother. Air tightness nightmare, unless you have a way of solving that. Fit ceiling mounted downlighters.

twohooter_2

Thanks for the reply but not sure why air tightness is a problem? These are lights in kitchen area downstairs so not going to be liable to draughts from loft space if that is what you mean. Most new homes these days have them and I haven't come across anyone who has not recommended them for that reason. Does anyone else on here think this is an issue? I have a modern, well insulated, central heated home.

eastonian

Good bulbs should specify the angle of beam spread - look for wider spread to ensure good even light, although it shouldn't be a problem if you spec enough units. We went for one every metre in our kitchen and it's bright without being dazzling.

You can also check whether bulbs are dimmable, most good LEDs should be - confirm that the dimmer unit will work with LEDs too.

With big areas, consider whether you want lighting zones i.e. the ability to switch on/off or dim the lights in different parts of the room. We have 3 zones in our kitchen which means we can have different light levels if we are cooking / socialising or whatever...

eastonian

Also, if you have knocked through and have beams boxed in which protrude from the ceiling (we do in our kitchen diner) remember not to put lights too close to these beams!

We didn't when we were designing the lighting plan on paper, so some of the units are tight up to a beam - it leaves list patterns on the beams and one small area of shadow. Not a problem luckily but we would have done it slightly differently had we realised in advance.

System

18 down lighters?
I'd be looking at different lighting strategy all together in a kitchen/dining/family room you need a variety of lighting rather than just one type of light

twohooter_2

Eastonian - thank you so much, that is all excellent advice. We have specified dimmable and separately switched/zoned to give versatility. Fortunately we don't have beams to worry about but we do have one boxed in RSJ between our current kitchen/diner and the new extension so your advice on not siting too close is very useful.


the -r -sole - I am confident the area is large enough for 18 small downlighters , zoned so they don't all need to be on at the same time. Table and floor lamps will also provide more ambient lighting so we are not just relying on ceiling lights which would make it like sitting in an airport lounge!

phil24_7

I have been looking at 2 different ones for my gym/extension. The choices for me are bewteen Haler H2 Pros (60 degree) or the Ansel Orbio 360.

Both are recommended by my sparks amongst others.

Regards
Phil

twohooter_2

Thanks Phil - I will take a look at those. I have been recommended the Aurora Enlite E8 by the electrician and it looks OK. It is 8 watt 60 degrees. Not sure whether to go for warm white or cool white though. Does the cool white appear harsh? I would like a natural type light ideally and wonder if the warm white may be a bit too yellow.

eastonian

It's worth checking them yourself in a lighting shop. IIRC we went for 6W 3000k from Philips in both our kitchen and bathroom, and they are a good balance between warm and bright. Any 'warmer' than that and I find the light gets rather yellow.

Smiley_Dan

twohooter wrote: »

Thanks for the reply but not sure why air tightness is a problem? These are lights in kitchen area downstairs so not going to be liable to draughts from loft space if that is what you mean. Most new homes these days have them and I haven't come across anyone who has not recommended them for that reason. Does anyone else on here think this is an issue? I have a modern, well insulated, central heated home.

Because the ground/first floor void is unlikely to be air tight, unless you have put effort into doing it.

This is mostly a problem with cavity walled properties. There are two main sources of air ingress: through the blocks and mortar joints, and through holes where the joists have sat in the wall and shrunk.

It's true most people don't know/talk about this. But that doesn't mean it's not a problem. It's not just energy efficiency - humid air from the kitchen may escape through the holes and condense on brickwork. It's referenced if you look in the right places, e.g.

http://www.greensuffolk.org/assets/Greenest-County/SGBN/Sustainable-Construction/refurbfinalpdf.pdf

Please don't take modern houses as some exemplar of energy efficient housing. Most of them are terrible.