Lee Brodie, Technical Manager at Collingwood Lighting, explores how modern LED fittings allow contractors to offer multiple lighting solutions while carrying less stock on their van.
We all know that LED lighting will save energy, but the technology can offer far more than a reduced electricity bill. Some modern luminaires are adaptable, so you can offer your customer more options from the same fitting to meet their lighting design needs.
A good lighting design will include ambient lighting for general background illumination, accent lighting to highlight areas of interest and add depth and task lighting to provide light for specific tasks.
Combining key elements of ambient, accent and task lighting will create a sophisticated multi-layered lighting scheme to bring your customer’s space to life.
It’s now easier than ever to design and install good lighting solutions and the good news is that you’ll need fewer different fittings to do so. Changing colour temperature For example, colour adjustable LED fittings allow you to change the correlated colour temperature (CCT) of the light output to suit your customer’s preferences. It means that you or your customer can switch between warm and cooler temperatures to create different moods in their spaces.
Taking our own H2 Deco downlight as an example, there is a CCT switch behind the bezel that allows you to select one of four different colour temperatures: a very warm orange yellow light of 2200K, an extra warm white 2700K, a warm white 3000K or a natural white 4000K.
While the choice of colour temperature is largely subjective, your customer may well consider their options for different rooms in the house, depending on its function.
You might suggest a warm white of 3000K for the ambient lighting in the lounge and for a bedroom an even warmer light of 2200K. For rooms that are more functional, such as the kitchen or a home office, a cooler white of 4000K is better.
Yet this is only a guide as the colour temperature can also help enhance different decoration schemes. A warmer light is great for highlighting wood and bringing out its warmer undertones, while you might want something cooler for a white minimalist look.
Your customer may also want to change the colour temperature of accent lighting to highlight different features. Having a luminaire that you can easily switch gives you this adaptability.
And if they want to change the decoration or function of the room in the future, they can also switch the colour temperature of their lighting.
For a really cosy atmosphere, some fittings even allow you to create a progressively warmer light as you dim it. So, while 3000K may be ideal for everyday use, you can dim the light colour all the way down to 1800K at 10% brightness for a more intimate environment.
Brightness setting
Depending on the space and the room that you’re in you might also want more or less light. Instead of carrying more than one option in your van, some modern fittings give you the option of switching the wattage to vary the lumen output.
Altering beam angle
You also need to direct light where it’s needed. Products with a wide beam angle of 45 ̊ or 50 ̊ will cover an area using fewer fittings to save time and money.
For smaller spaces, such as hallways and corridors, you’ll need a narrower beam of 24 ̊. And for accent lighting, to highlight a feature you can narrow this further to 12 ̊ for a beam with a higher light intensity.
If you choose a fitting with an adjustable beam angle then you can adapt it to meet these different needs.
LED strips
Nothing illustrates how flexible LED lighting is than a strip light – a flexible tape that is a circuit board populated by surface mounted LEDs. It allows you to create decorative lighting affects almost anywhere – under cabinets, shelves or along an alcove.
Your customer can choose from different colour temperatures and they’re easy to install since you can cut them to length or connect strips together.
LED lighting technology has opened up a host of different possibilities for residential applications. By making your customer aware of what’s possible you really are providing a value-added service. Better still, because so many fittings are easily adapted, you can offer this choice from fewer products.
Browse the 2024 Collingwood Lighting catalogue online here
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