Kitchen Lighting How Many LED's

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I am having new lighting installed in my kitchen. The kitchen is 3370mm X 5675mm. I currently have a 36W fluorescent tube at one end which gives adequate light. My electrician wants to install 12 x 10W LED down lights, 6 at each end. This seems a lot to me. I was hoping to keep to 36W at one end as we tend to leave this light on quite a bit. Do you agree this is too much or is this really what I need? I thought LED's are more efficient than fluorescent lighting?
 
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I thought LED's are more efficient than fluorescent lighting?

They are, but they spread light like a torch, hence you need at least one LED ( or other type ) down lighter located above each and every place you need light.

The 36 watt flluorescent tube spreads light throughout the room.

.
 
1, LEDs aren't necessarily more, or much more, efficient than fluorescents.

2, What you're seeing is one of the drawbacks of downlighters - they aren't very good at lighting up rooms, so have to be used several at a time spread across the ceiling, and even then you end up with uneven lighting of the room.

Do you actually want recessed lights? Was it your idea? You say "My electrician wants to install...", but did you ask him for downlights?

Another drawback is that it's one hell of a job to take them out if you change your mind.


If you want recessed lights then larger ones are a much better bet - 200mm dia and up. Or recessed rectangular LED panels.
 
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Every time I read the suggestion that larger recessed downlight fittings are 'much better' for illuminating rooms, I have to wonder .... given that, say, GU10 LED bulbs/lamps (~50mm diameter) are available with beam angles up at least 110°, I have to wonder how much greater the beam angles of the larger ("≥200mm diameter) fittings can possibly be?
 
I have 3 x 5w downlights then 3 x 5w bulbs in some dangling lampshades and I think they light up the kitchen just right.
 
I have 9no 5watt LED lights that are in a ceiling track on our kitchen ceiling

Area is about 10 square metres.

It gives a lovely strong light, so the kitchen is bright overall but with higher intensity light over worktops and sink.

colour temperature of them is 2800 which is warm white

cool white gives out a brighter light for the same amount of energy, IE a 5 watt 4000 bulb will seem brighter than a 2700 bulb
 
I have one small flourescent in my small kitchen.

I would have one globe light in the bathroom if the shaver light hadn't given adequate light for the whole room.

Illuminating the ceiling is worth several downlights.
 
Thank you all for your replies. Yes I did ask the electrician to install down lights as we like them. Am I correct in thinking that a 36W fluorescent tube produces 2160 lumen’s & 6 X 5W LED's produce 2490 lumen's using only 30W? If so would this work for me?
 
I think you are missing the point. Maybe more lumens but not necessarily in the right place.

Personally I like down lighters as mood lights but not as task light.
 
I think you are missing the point. Maybe more lumens but not necessarily in the right place.

Personally I like down lighters as mood lights but not as task light.
 
Are those downlights the regular ones we all think of? GU10 style? 10w bulb? I’ve just stuck downlighting in my kitchen. Got a screwfix trade pack that came with 2.5w bulbs nice and cheap expecting to upgrade the bulbs to 5-6w ones. They boast 500 lumens per bulb. However cos I went full ****** on the number installed, 2.5w bulbs are fine.
 
Am I correct in thinking that a 36W fluorescent tube produces 2160 lumen’s & 6 X 5W LED's produce 2490 lumen's using only 30W?
Only if the fluorescent tube was an ancient extra warm white model at the end of it's life, and the LEDs were poor quality substandard pieces from several years ago.

More realistic would be 3350 lumens for the 36W fluorescent, and 500 lumens for a 5W LED, or 3000 for 6 of them. Marginal differences just based on lumens/watt.
Tube: https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p86050
5W LED: https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p80549

However LEDs are highly directional, tubes are not, and the actual apparent illumination from two completely unrelated light sources will be entirely different even if the lumen output is identical.
 
Thank you all but as I suspected this has not helped much as there is so much conflicting information out there. Seems I will have to trust the electrician's plan, although I now wonder if down lights our what we need?
 

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