LED recessed lighting

  • Overview of our Super Bright LED Trim Module for hard to fit Recessed Cans 5" & 6" downlights Video

    Convert Recessed Lighting to LEDOur super bright unique Maximus LED trim module works great with hard to fit recessed housings cans that are 5-inch and 6-inch in diameter. Comes see if this is the LED recessed trim you have been waiting for to convert to energy saving LED ?

     

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, retrofit, LED lighting, Super Bright, High Lumens

  • Overview of our LED 4-inch 2-pack Trim Module for 4" Recessed Lighting Can Downlights Video

    Convert Recessed Lighting to LEDOur Maximus LED recessed lighting 4-inch trim module comes with 2 trims and is packed with features to make your home a beautifully lit place. Comes see if this is the LED recessed trim you have been waiting for to convert to energy saving LED ?

     

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, retrofit, LED lighting, 4 inch Recessed Lighting, Affordable

  • Convert my Recessed Lighting Downlight with LED Trims - Identifying if your housing can will work

    Convert Recessed Lighting to LEDWe have made this video to help make your transition to Recessed Led Retrofit Trim Modules smooth and easy. See how to identify your recessed housing can from a wide and growing list of recessed cans we have collected over the years. Know confidently if your recessed downlight can be converted. Now lets get started ?

    Checkout our specially designed page to help you identify your existing Recessed Lighting housing can so that you get the right LED Trim modules for your downlights. We help take the guess work out of the conversion process ?

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, Convert Recessed Lighting to LED, Identify your Can

  • Overview of our LED Square Trim Module fits Recessed Cans 5" & 6" downlights Easy! Video

    Maximus LED Square Recessed Lighting Trim Fits 5 & 6 inch DownlightsOur unique Maximus LED square trim module works great with hard to fit recessed housing cans that are 5-inch and 6-inch sizes. Comes see if this is the LED recessed trim you have been waiting for to convert to your recessed lighting downlight to energy saving LED ?

    Available  in 2700K and 3000K options.

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, Maximus, Convert Recessed Lighting to LED

  • Overview of our LED Trim Module for hard to fit Recessed Cans 5", 6" & 6-1/2" Downlights

    LED Trim Module for hard to fit Recessed Cans 5

    Our unique Maximus LED trim module works great with hard to fit recessed housings cans that are 5-inch, 6-inch and 6-1/2 inch in diameter. Come see if this is the LED recessed trim you have been waiting for to convert your down light to energy saving LED ?

     

     

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, Maximus, Convert Recessed Lighting to LED

  • Meet our 2" LED Recessed Lighting Family - Plus design tips!

    The 2" LED recessed lighting you see here is the smallest member of our LED recessed lighting family. Don't let its small size fool you. It packs a large amount of LED light for such a small trim. Watch as we unveil the different styles and types while providing design tips along the way!

    See the 2" LED Recessed Lighting family HERE!

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, 2-inch square recessed trims, LED lighting

  • Meet the Family, 2", 3", 4", 5" & 6" LED Recessed Lighting - Plus Energy Star documentation explained

    We now have a complete family of LED recessed lighting in 2-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch, 5-inch and 6-inch with a square trim option, vertical and horizontal adjustable positions and flexible sizing adjustments all with Edison adapters to fit your existing recessed can.
    Watch as we provide lighting design insights and valuable information regarding Energy Star approvals and documentation.

    See the Family of LED Recessed Lighting HERE!

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    Tags: LED recessed lighting, Energy Star, LED retrofit, square trims

  • Lighting Your Kitchen Like a Pro

    (Updated January 2016)

    Whether one is doing a kitchen remodel or starting from scratch, the lighting design is frequently the last thing considered and often the first thing to get cut from the budget. Lighting design and planning should be phase 1 of a kitchen project whether you are starting from scratch or remodeling. If you want your lighting to look like it was done by a pro, choosing the right light and the right placement of the light will make all the difference in the world. To avoid headaches, hassles and driving your project cost up unnecessarily, the lighting decisions need to occur in the initial stage of the project and not as a 'hindsight is 20-20' kind of thing.

    What are the aspects that need to be considered in making these decisions? Lighting designers say that using three types of lighting functions is paramount to good lighting design-whether it is in your kitchen or elsewhere. It is a 'layering' technique:

    1. General or ambient light source: this is the primary and central source of lighting that provides overall illumination. Think of this as the general lighting that allows you to move about in the space safely and allows you to perform general tasks.
      - Best choices for general lighting: ceiling and wall mounted fixtures, recessed lights.
    1. Task lighting: lighting that allows you to perform specific tasks such as, food preparation, reading, cooking, etc. Effective task lighting should not have distracting glare and shadows and make sure that it is bright enough to avoid eyestrain.
      - Best choices for task lighting: recessed, pendant lights, under the cabinet lighting, floor and table lamps.
    1. Drama/accent/focal lighting: lighting that is used to introduce elements of drama or accent by bringing the viewer’s attention to something in particular-such as artwork, plants a wall, etc. How to make focal lighting work effectively? Make sure the light on the focal point (object) is three times brighter than your general lighting source around it.
      - Best choices for focal lighting: recessed lights, track lights.

    Some Thoughts on Dimming Systems

     

    Some designers like to incorporate dimming systems in their lighting design. Our designer recommends that dimming systems be avoided in most cases-with the exception of dining rooms and media rooms. Here are some reasons why a dimming system should be avoided: 1) color temperature shifts (if you are not using a LED lamp) 2) bulb does not dim in the full range and will drop out around 15-20% (common with LED lamps) 3) flickering. Halogen bulbs experience color temperature shifts when being dimmed-not to mention that they require more energy to run and create unwanted heat. Fluorescent bulbs do not have a filament-which translates to it not being conducive to being dimmed-they drop out at 15-20%-which in turn, does not give you the full range. Fluorescent bulbs will also flicker when being dimmed. LEDs do not have a filament either, and suffer from the same things that fluorescent bulbs do; dropping out at 15-20% and flickering. Flickering is a bigger deal than one would initially think: it can cause neurological disturbances, headaches, fatigue, eye strain, affects your perception of motion and is a distraction, to name a few of the problems. As technology changes, the LED are becoming more easily dimmed, but we like to reserve dimming for where dimming is actually needed. Hopefully, we've succeeded in talking you out of using a dimming system.

    You can achieve a more pleasing effect by using the layering technique-not to mention that it looks professional. You can also keep your lighting costs down by using fixtures that can perform multiple functions.

    General Light Source

     

    6" recessed cans are a great choice for the general lights-and will give you the most choice by way of lamps/bulbs that fit into the fixture. When I did a kitchen remodel in my own home in 2008, LED lights for 6" recessed had just been introduced to the market. Yes, initially, LED bulbs cost more than their counterparts, but now with the changes in LED technology, prices have dropped down to where they are more than affordable. The new LED bulbs provide up to 60,000 of continuous light that is cool burning and instant on. No other bulb can do that! LED is also the most 'green' choice you can make in keeping your carbon footprint minimized. Initially, we tried out LED bulbs that had a color temperature of 27K. We found these to look too 'yellow' and ended up going with a brighter, slightly cooler color temperature of 30K. Much better! You can go up to as high as 4100K. We found that the 5000K and above is just to white of a light for use in a home-to the point where your eyes see it as blue.

    LED 6" recessed kitchen lights

    Here is an example in my kitchen with just some of the recessed lights on-this is my 'everyday' lighting choice. The lights are LED bulbs in 6" recessed cans (my camera did yield some unwanted lens flare from pointing up in to the lights-those reflections are not really there on the ceiling).

     

    LED 6" and 4" CFL recessed kitchen lightsIn this example of my kitchen lighting, I have all of the recessed lights on. All decisions for the lighting source and placement were intentional. We looked for a light that had a broad, white, diffused, bright, even light-one that did not have 'edges' to the beam spread. This reduces the shadows on the work surfaces and the amount of glare. The LED lights we chose met that criteria. Track lighting was not a good choice because it is harsh, directional and creates lots of shadows. It wasn't appropriate for our application (you might have call for a directional light in your kitchen layout, however).

    My lighting designer wanted all my work surfaces to be evenly lit. Notice the distance of the recessed lights in relation to the cabinets. They are place 18" out from the cabinets so that it would light the cabinets and allow the light to light the inside of the cabinet when opened. This distance also minimized shadows cast in the area of the work space when standing at the counter. The space between each recessed light is about 2 feet-allowing for a well lit room. Notice too, that one is placed over the doorway.

    Look carefully at the bank of recessed lights above the table (far top right of image). These are 4" LED Modules just like we used in the 6” housing. Using the 4" housing and module also breaks things up and adds interest-we didn't need as much light over the table area.

    With the 6"recessed cans, our lighting designer put them on two switches so that you could just have some on and at other times, have them all on when you want it to be brighter. That provided two levels of general lighting.

    Task Lighting

     

    The next layer of lighting in my kitchen is task lighting. Right above my kitchen sink is a light to provide me with an additional layer of light-by way of a LED under cabinet fixture.
    kitchen sink task lightAn additional LED under cabinet light fixture over the kitchen sink for additional task lighting (I turned the general lighting off so that you can see this light source better - we have a full video on the new LED under cabinet fixture at this link)

    stovetop task lighting Task lighting over the stove top area achieve by way of halogen MR-16s

    Accent Lighting (for added drama)

     

    Accent lighting in my kitchen was achieved by way of additional fixtures under the cabinets The LED under the cabinet fixture is a great choice over a fluorescent since it lasts longer, is more energy efficient AND has a lower profile. Not to mention that the color rendering is much better. The LED under the cabinet is a specular light source-it gives an added dimension that a fluorescent bulb cannot. Think of it as adding more 'bling'.

    under cabinet lighting Under cabinet lighting
    cabinet lighting specials LED under cabinet & cabinet lights

    Pictured here are the LED under the cabinet lights and LED cabinet lights in the upper cabinets.

    Of course, it goes without saying, that if you have natural light to work with, by all means incorporate that in to your lighting design. Natural light always makes a home more appealing. When trying to achieve natural lighting with lighting fixtures, be sure to use bulbs that are described as 'daylight' instead of those described as warm-that way the color temperature is more closely matched.

    Hopefully, by sharing what went in to the decision making process for lighting choices in my kitchen remodel, you will have at least a better starting point. Avoid using a dimming system and avoid trying to light the entire room with just one light source such as a ceiling mounted fixture.  Please feel free to contact us for solutions to your lighting challenges-we are here to help!

    If you found this article to be helpful, please send us your before and after photos and a brief description of your experience-we'd love to share your success story!

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    Tags: Energy Saving, led, LED under cabinet lighitng, 6" recessed lighting, LED recessed lighting, kitchen lighting, Under Cabinet Lighting

  • One of the 'Sexiest' Recessed Lighting Fixtures Around!

    iFit any 5" and 6" recessed housingsWe just introduced a LED Retrofit Module and Trim (aka: universal LED Retrofit ) to our line about a month ago and it is soon becoming one of most popular and most sought after items. Want to know why?

    -First off, if you have an EXISTING 5" OR 6" recessed light fixture, this retrofit can be used to replace what is already in there. Its application is for remodel and for new construction.

    -It fits shallow AND regular IC and Non-IC housings.

    Are you impressed yet? Wait-there's more:

    -It's energy efficient: it is 14W: to equate it to what you've been used to, which would be the 65W incandescent bulb. That translates to a 75% savings on energy consumption, so this is a very 'green' choice by way of lighting. It also has the Energy Star rating AND meets the California Title 24 requirements.

    -It is bright: 620 lumens (remember that lumens is the measure of brightness and not wattage: see our article that explains how this works). Not to mention that has a color temperature of 3,000K-which is a very good approximation of daylight.

    -Long lasting (because it is LED): it is rated for up to 50,000 life hours.

    -If you so desire, it is dimmable. Although, our lighting designer frowns on installing dimmable lights-instead, he recommends that you create several 'layers' of lighting. For the sake of aesthetics and for the sake of longevity of the fixture (as dimmable switches come with their own set of issues).

    This fixture is dimmable with these dimmers:

    LUTRON: Ariadni, Diva, Skylark, AY/TG Series,DV Series, S Series Electroic Low Voltage: Diva- DVELV-300P, Maestro MAELV-600, Nova T-NTLV-1000, Nova T-NTELV-600

    LUTRON System Homeworks HW-RPM-4A-120

    LEVITON Dimmers IPIO6-1LX,6673-10W,6631-LW and IPE04-1LX, 6615

    Note: Use of 600watt incandescent dimmers will limit maximum number of fixtures to 4 and 7 for 1000watt incandescent.

    We recommend using electronic low voltage dimmers for better performance.

    -This fixture is also rated for WET locations: such as, your shower or under eave lighting.

    -This LED Retrofit Module and Trim can easily convert most 5" and 6" incandescent recessed lighting cans to an energy saving LED fixture. There is no other product out there that has this versatility.

    You can see how easy it is to install and change out your fixtures here:

    We don't know of any other product out there that can do all of these things: be used in remodel and new construction, fits shallow and regular IC and Non-IC housings, that can also be used in a wet location, that can fit an existing 5" or 6" recessed housing, that is energy efficient, that is rated for 50,000 life hours, meets California's Title 24 code, and is Energy Star rated. Do you? I mean, this fixture gives you a lot of bang for the buck and you will not find anything like this in the big box stores.

    If you already have existing 5" or 6" recessed incandescent fixtures, you can now go green with the existing housing with this LED Retrofit Module and Trim.

    So, if you are looking for ways to cut your energy cost and consumption of your existing 5" or 6" incandescent recessed lighting fixture, this is the way to go: with Total Recessed Lighting's  LED Retrofit Module and Trim.

     

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    Tags: 5" recessed lighting, 6" recessed lighting, LED recessed lighting

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