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Downlight Benefits?

Downlight Benefits?  It’s an extremely good question, considering the issues downlights introduce.

Downlights…

  • Remove unsightly imperfections in the ceiling, especially an issue in older renovated homes.
  • A desirable look, because they are flush and minimalist.
  • Provide an excellent lighting choice for low ceilings.
  • Flexibility in partly lighting a room.
  • Reduce the chances of tall people hitting their head with low hanging light fittings.

hiding uneven ceilings with downlights

Myths of why people might think downlights are desirable:

  • Energy efficient.  Just because downlights are low voltage does not mean they use less energy, because their amperage is quite high.  (e.g.,.  High voltage GU10 downlights use less power than Low voltage MR16 downlights because they do not need control gear, energy is lost during the transformation process of 240V to 12V, and also the low voltage cable and lamp holder get hotter due to the higher amperage.)
  • Downlights do not effectively use the walls and ceiling to deflect lighting around the room creating a more evenly spread brightness

The ultimate solution for building air tightness would be a Surface mounted downlight, and they are becoming available, but they currently do not have the ability to produce a flush look, with the necessary light output without breaking the building envelope.

Using a recessed luminaire with a barrier or an IC Rated fitting.  When they are designed to work, they can provide significant benefits, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the thermal and air tight barrier of a building.

 

Recessed lighting Barrier StandardLuminaire IC rated fitting

OR

 

 

An LED disk light

OR

Surface mount LED downlight

 

IC-4 Rated Downlights VS Barrier Standard

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With LED lighting becoming the mainstream in todays recessed lighting industry, and with the need to make the building envelope and thermal envelope as consistent as possible, the barrier standard (AS/NZS 5110) was implemented (Called up by AS/NZS 3000 the wiring rules) and now luminaire fittings without a cover are required to have IC ratings (AS/NZS 60598.2.2).

The different standardised solutions specified in AS 3000, which can be implemented to will achieve a similar result for household safety, yet different results for energy efficiency of heating and cooling.  

Taking into Consideration LED’s can have such a long lamp life and they are composed of electronic components, it is actually very important to understand what temperatures they get to, especially if they are IC rated and have a heat sink fin design, which is not the best design under insulation.

If you are looking at owning or you currently own IC-4 (IC-F) rated fittings, and there are some great products out there but, be careful about lamp life. HOLD onto your receipt, because there is a chance of premature failure regardless of Warrantee.  These fittings are not required to be tested for LED life longevity under insulation, and can over heat and fail prematurely.  An IC-4 rating is a safety standard only.  Although a NATA accredited test laboratory (Such as LEDLab) would perform an In-Situ test of such a product actually covered with insulation, this is not a mandatory test.  If correctly performed this test will give a close approximation of LED lifetime.  However even government subsidy schemes such as I-PART and VEET do not require NATA endorsed In-Situ reports and reports from overseas are accepted even if performed at 25 degrees uncovered. 

So when you consider IC Rated Downlights there is still a good reason why you could benefit significantly using a barrier on top of an IC rated fitting.  The LED chip will run cooler and the fitting will last longer.

 

IC-4 (IC-F) Rated Downlights VS Barrier Standard

Luminaire Barriers:    Extend the building envelope

Recessed lighting Building envelope with cover

IC-4 & IC-F Rated fittings:          Become the building envelope

Recessed lighting building envelope without a cover

All of these standards do not include the control gear, and it must be considered when installing these fittings.

CA90 Downlight Fitting:     Fitting can be abutted to its sides with insulation only.

IC-4 (IC-F) Downlight Fitting:     Largest hole on a fitting must be less than 1mm in width,but what happens to control gear?

IP-65 Downlight Fitting:     Highly protected against dust and water.    Ingress protection.

IC Downlight Fitting:     Fitting can be abutted and covered with insulation, but what happens to control gear?

IC-F (IC-4) Downlight Fitting (NZ):    Fitting is a completely sealed unit and can be abutted and covered with insulation, again, what happens to control gear?

These fittings really need to be installed under insulation, and they should be designed without fins to enable efficient dissipation of heat in insulation.  Fins in a heat sink do not help when submerged inside insulation.

The Benefits of the two solutions

What ends up happening…

Barrier Standard fitting combination

Downlight Barrier standard Example

Click here to see more about our Downlight Covers 

  • A good quality air tight barrier insulates extreme temperatures in the roof from the luminaire more reliably.  Roof area temperatures in Australia can go as high as 60˚C for significant periods of time.
  • It includes an R-value in the barrier itself.
  • Keeps insulation away from a LED Luminaire allowing an area to breathe in, improving lamp life longevity.
  • Can provide a Tested and reproducible sound proofing and fire rating if required in the building.
  • Provides an ability to keep heat producing control gear outside of the barrier and away from insulation, improves control gear longevity.
  • Significantly Reduces the chance of vermin living on top of insulation hotspots where they may lower the life of the luminaire, from compacting insulation and or excretion.  This was a common occurrence with Halogen Lighting in Australia.
  • Install-able from below the ceiling.

Things to look out for:

  • Make sure the downlight cover includes an R-Value.  Steel and plastic do not insulate at all, and they contribute to thermal bridging.  Heat sinks are great conductors.
  • Ensure the barrier conforms as a combination barrier with a LED

IC/IC-4 Rated fittingsIC Rated fitting covered with insulation 

  • Quick and easy installation.
  • Insulation consistency is maintained but can be problematic, because the insulation will sit up off of the plasterboard, and hot attic air can move in between the gap.
  • The heat sink is exposed outside of the building envelope directly into insulation.  The insulation after time usually sags around the luminaire and reduces exposed cooling plasterboard exposed to the living area for an efficient means of dissipating heat downwards.
  • Install-able from below the ceiling.

Things to look out for:

  • Be wary of what temperature IC-4/IC-F/IC testing was undertaken with, because most roof cavities in Australia can reach extremely high temperatures.  25˚C Ambient testing is not reflective of some roof cavities that can reach up to 60˚C very consistently.
  • Newer LED downlights do not stand as high, so insulation does not lift up so much.  This means that there is less air for the LED to breath with, and less uninsulated plaster for the fitting to use to dissipate heat downwards into the living area.
  • No matter how much a luminaire manufacturer tells you an LED is designed to run under insulation, if they can run cooler they will last a lot longer.  Heat sink fins do not help LEDS to dissipate heat under insulation.  a flat surface with a larger surface area is more beneficial.
  • Luminaires that are designed  to operate under insulation directly abutted and covered, should not have fins on the heatsink, but should be conducting straight into insulation batts with an entirely flat piece of aluminium as opposed to using convection.  Hold onto to your receipt to ensure you can replace the fitting should it fail.
  • AS3000 has some requirements for transformers.  Make sure the Control gear can also be covered in insulation, most of the time it CANNOT!
  • If the control equipment needs to be clear of insulation, mount them on structural timbers or look at using an insulative barrier that can allow installation of the control gear up and out of the way of insulation.
  • Having a gap under the insulation, where the LED is completely open underneith, will highly likely become a nesting ground for vermin during cooler times of the year, where they will excrete and move around at night potentially causing damage to the luminaire.
  • The LED can be exposed to hotspots depending on how the insulation forms on and around the LED.
  • The amount of exposed plasterboard where heat can radiate downwards is not garaunteed, especially with some of the more flat LED’s that do not protrude so much.
  • Lamp longevity testing is NOT required to be done under insulation, IC-4 rating a fitting is only a safety thing.  Hold onto your receipt when covering these fittings with insulation.

Electronic luminaire or control gear failures operating inside elevated temperature environments.

These failure rates can depend on how efficient a given device is capable of moving heat away from the electronic components, control gear and LED itself.  But it helps understand just how critical it is to keep these devices as cool as possible to ensure a much longer lamp life.

25˚C represents no change in lamp life, and most IC-rating tests are conducted using this temperature.  Any exposure that a fitting like this might get from the loft area which can go to 65˚C will have the following effect on an LED.

  • 45˚C  Operating temperature can reduce LED/Control gear life expectancy by 7.  50000 hour service life could become 7000 hour.*
  • 65˚C  Operating temperature can reduce LED/Control gear life expectancy by 40.  50000 hour service life could become 1500 hour.*

*As a contrast, a high quality MR16 Halogen globe should last up to 5000 hours.

If you are buying/using an IC rated fitting that has only been tested at 25˚C Ambient, and you aren’t using an insulative barrier with it, make sure you hold onto your receipt!

Conclusion

Its important to keep LED’s as cool as possible.  Protecting the LED from roof area temperatures while also allowing it to breath so that it can dissipate its own heat is a tight balancing act.

Both solutions, provide a significant energy efficiency benefit as opposed to old Halogen oven technology recessed lighting which can contribute significantly to draughts and insulation inconsistencies while also being a fire hazard with old filament lighting technologies.

So when you consider IC Rated downlights VS The Barrier Standard.  There are still good reasons why you could benefit significantly using a barrier on top of an IC rated fitting.   So they don’t necessarily need to be competing standards.

Halogen Lighting
50W halogen globes can get to 90˚C on the plasterboard without a barrier, so if your LED luminaire has control gear that can support a 50W halogen globe, it is extremely likely that the luminaire will not be able to be covered by insulation or a barrier.

Be aware!!! In order to ensure an LED with a AS/NZS 5110 barrier or IC Rated LED fitting is installed as efficiently as possible for heating and cooling, its important to put insulation around the luminaire/barrier afterwards. So make sure your professional tradesman who installs an energy efficient barrier or an IC rated fitting, finishes the job and covers the downlights after fit off.   Be aware of the limitation of control gear, most of the time they need to be away from insulation.  Read the documentation, and hold onto your receipts if you are completely submerging your IC rated downlight with insulation.

Click here for an article on LED Thermal issues.

Understanding AS/NZS 5110

Understanding AS NZS 5110 can be quite hard and confusing.  This is a page dedicated to simplifying this barrier standard for everyone.  Contact Efficiency Matrix should you have any further questions.

AS/NZS 5110 is a safety standard which is called up by AS/NZS 60598 when insulation clearances are required to be reduced:

  • for fire rating requirements,
  • sound proofing  or
  • energy efficiency.

If none of the above features are needed:

  • 200mm clearance of insulation is required from incandescent/halogen lighting and
  • 50mm clearance of insulation is required from LED lighting

and everything complies because 5110 is not required to be adhered to.

In the case of you needing to cover your downlights for any of the 3 reasons listed in red above, here are the potential solutions…

Firstly, here is a good example of a solution which does not comply to AS/NZS 5110

the difference between GU10 and MR16
GU10 and MR16 Pin Outs
Gimble vs fixed Downlights
Fixed is smaller more air tight and non-adjustable, while Gimble is larger and manouverable

1. GU10 & MR16 with 50W Transformer (Iron Core or Electronic) fixed Fittings (65mm – 95mm cutout)

Status: UncoverableDiagram of downlights with insulation clearance

Fixed head Fitting temperature at the plasterboard with no enclosure reach 90˚C (this is the Limit for compliance to AS/NZS 5110)  In order to keep this downlight cover at this temperature the compliant barrier would need to be very well ventilated.

Comments:

Halogen Globes reach extreme temperatures of 350˚C + and with a fixed head fitting can reach 90˚C without an enclosure.  Fixed head fittings may benefit your home energy efficiency due to reduced air leakage rates compared to a gimble fitting, but they are uncover-able and they require the 200mm insulation clearance stipulated in AS/NZS 60598.

Because these fittings can be installed with 50W Halogen Globes they must be tested with 50W Globes, even though the GU10 Fitting maybe sold as an LED Fitting.  Beware to check that these fittings are labelled with AS/NZS5110 before thinking about submerging them in insulation. (Again GU10 LED’s need to be tested with GU10 50W Halogen otherwise they dont comply with AS/NZS 5110)

Critical in case your house is sold to someone who isn’t aware of the difference between Halogen and LED’s who undertakes replacing of LED with a halogen globe.

These types of fittings are extremely restrictive to cover and insulate due to the ability to retrofit them with Halogen type globes.  These types of fittings/combinations should be avoided for new homes.

 

2. MR16 Fitting with a Gimble fitting and LED Control Gear (82mm + Cutout)

 

Status: CoverableDiagram of 200mm clearance with a halogen Globe

Compared to a Fixed fitting, a gimble has significantly reduced temperatures at the plasterboard when installed with halogen Lighting.

Comments:

The Loft Mitt & Downlight Mitt (DOWMIT04-02) Downlight covers are capable of complying to AS/NZS5110 for energy efficiency, sound proofing and with an up to 2 hour fire rating.

3. LED Full Fitting with LED Control Gear built into Fitting. (No GU10 no MR16)

Status: CoverableLED Globe with reduced insulation clearance

LED fittings that cannot be retrofitted with a halogen globe

Comments:

The Loft Mitt and Downlight Mitt (DOWMIT02 & DOWMIT04) Downlight covers are capable of complying to AS/NZS5110 for energy efficiency, sound proofing and up to a 2 hour fire ratings with an install from below the ceiling.

4. MR16 Fitting with LED Control Gear

Status: CoverableInsulation clearance of an LED in Australian Standards

LED MR16 Fitting cannot be retrofitted with a Halogen Globe due to the use of an LED Driver

Comments:

The Loft Mitt and Downlight Mitt (DOWMIT02 & DOWMIT04) Downlight covers are one of the only downlight covers capable of complying to AS/NZS5110 for energy efficiency, sound proofing and up to a 2 hour fire ratings with an install from below the ceiling on the market.

 

Benefits for covering LED’s

Loft Area temperatures can get to temperatures of 70˚C.  LED’s that are designed to be enclosed in a cover and ventilate with cooler living area air can benefit from an air tight barrier.

Barrier standard with insulation and control gear away from insulation

Building envelope extension in summer protects the LED from excess temperatures

 

Covering an LED downlight with a Quality downlight cover can save considerable money on heating and cooling costs, but don’t forget about keeping control gear safe and out of the way of insulation.  Efficiency Matrix downlight covers have a built in loop for cable tying control gear.

Control gear away from insulation for LED Lighting

LED downlight fittings installed with a building envelope extension (Recessed Lighting Barrier AS/NZS 5110)

 

Unsafe Downlights installed

Unsafe downlights installed can be extremely dangerous.  With many Halogen downlights being replaced with LED’s now is a perfect time to set recessed lighting straight.  The major reason why improperly installed Downlights are unsafe is that they upset the building envelope (Home air tightness and Insulation consistency).

This is because they exist in two completely different parts of the home:

  1. the roof area, and
  2. the living area

This exposes these electrical devices to potentially extremely dangerous situations, while at the same time contributing to significant energy losses for heating and cooling…

Examples of unsafe downlights installed:

Downlight with visible burning
This downlight has been installed with some sort of a cardboard cover which has started burning due to the extreme temperatures that come out of halogen lighting
Downlight through Wood member
A downlight that had been installed straight through a wood member with halogen lighting, is a huge danger and definitely not a legal installation. Should a downlight be installed like this contact a licensed electrician to work out the best way to resolve this situation.
Melted downlight transformer
Poorly terminated Lamp holder to control gear has melted this transformer. This situation could become very dangerous over time.
Leaves and debris around downlight
A Downlight that has been inundated with Leaves and insulation. Its easy to understand how dust comes through your downlights when you see this. With Halogen Lighting, this type of occurrence is also extremely dangerous, for fire safety. Dry leaves are an excellent ignition source, and Halogen Lighting reaches temperatures in excess of 350C˚
Downlight with Burned insulation
This home shows an example of unsafe insulation installed on top of a 50W Halogen Downlight. Home insulation and Halogen Lighting/LED Electronics do not work well together. Heat Build up with any electric appliance is very dangerous. Luckily, this home escaped the high potential of fire.
Downlight electrical cabling burned
Burned electrical cabling caused by an illegal installation of recessed lighting.
Burned Iron core transformer
The chances of transformers starting a fire in a home are almost as great as Halogen Lighting starting a fire. Control gear must be installed as per manufacturers instructions which is usually well away from insulation.
Downlight Electronic Transformer Burned
Control Gear failure is an extremely important part of installing downlights safely. LED lighting still has control gear and to ensure a long lasting transformer these appliances should be up and away from insulation. All LED Lighting is Low voltage, so whether you buy a 240V LED or not, heat dissipation from control gear electronics needs to be considered.

 

 

Take a look at our Downlight Mitt cover product for LED Lighting.  For LED and Halogen Lighting, take a look at the Loft Mitt.

Downlight Covers by Efficiency Matrix
Click here to see Product information

All Photo’s were taken by Mal Boyd from Save Energy Plus.  Should any customers have any additional photo’s of unsafe downlights installed and you would like to share them, feel free to email them with a description.

Downlight Cover Compatible LED Products

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Downlight Cover Compatible LED Products

IMPORTANT! There maybe other cheaper products on the market, but they may not comply to AS/NZS 5110 Barrier Standard, they sometime also need to be assembled on site and they may not have a place to cable tie control gear.  Be sure to check that you are comparing our product with a Cover that complies to the barrier standard called up by AS/NZS 60598.

Here is a table we have complied with for specification requirements when requiring the use of our downlight covers for Sound proofing, fire ratings and energy efficiency.

LED FittingsLED MakeDownlight Mitt (Unventilated)
Compliant with AS/NZS 5110. Recommend LED wattage up to 10W
Loft Mitt (Unventilated)
Compliant with AS/NZS 5110. Recommend LED wattage of up to 16W
Sealed FittingProduct Data
VBL-102ANL Lighting (Vibe)YesYesNo (Gimble)Brochure
VBLDL-103ANL Lighting (Vibe)YesYesYesBrochure
VBLDL-165ANL Lighting (Vibe)YesYesYesBrochure
VBLDL-180ANL Lighting (Vibe)YesYesYesBrochure
VBLDL-156ANL Lighting (Vibe)YesYesYesBrochure
M14DecroluxYesYesYesBrochure
M10DecroluxYesYesYesBrochure
VargoDecroluxYesYesYesBrochure
DR8DecroluxYesYesYesBrochure
Loomi 12WBrightGreenYesYesYes
Premier S9071Sunny Australia Lighting
(SAL)
YesYesYesBrochure
ECOGEM S9041Sunny Australia Lighting (SAL)YesYesYesBrochure
KLED8WxKHF HaloCromptonYesYesYes
KLED08WAxxK Mini ProCromptonYesYesNo
Saturn 10UGEYes
55000hrs at 70% Brightness
Yes
55000hrs at 70% Brightness
YesBrochure
Saturn 12UGEYes
55000hrs at 70% Brightness
Yes
55000hrs at 70% Brightness
NoBrochure
Orbit 18UGEYes
45000hrs at 70% Brightness
Yes
45000hrs at 70% Brightness
NoBrochure
GU10 7W SapphireUGEYes
49000hrs at 70% Brightness
Yes
49000hrs at 70% Brightness
N/ABrochure
MR16 7W Sapphire RetrofitUGEYes
49000hrs at 70% Brightness
Yes
49000hrs at 70% Brightness
N/ABrochure
OPTIC 10 LED ModuleUGEYes
31000hrs at 70% Brightness
Yes
31000hrs at 70% Brightness
N/ABrochure
Birrung V2.0 14WSylvaniaYes (Warranty may be impactedYesN/ABrochure
Birrung V1 9.5wSylvaniaYesYesNoBrochure
iGlobe MR16 5W LED RetrofitiGlobeYesYesN/ABrochure
iGlobe GU10 5W LED RetrofitiGlobeYesYesN/ABrochure
DR700Bright GreenYes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)YesBrochure
DR450Bright GreenYes YesLamp MR16Brochure
D900Bright GreenYes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)No
CLA364610SCLA LightingYes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
CLA374610SCLA LightingYes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
CLA378610SCLA LightingYes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
CLA368610SCLA LightingYes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
GU10 10W COBUGEYes (Warranty Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)Lamp GU10
MR16 10W COBUGEYes (Warranty may be Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)Lamp MR16
VBLDL-122-1-50Vibe (ANL Lighting)Yes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes
VBLDL-101-1-50Vibe (ANL Lighting)Yes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes (Contact Manufacturer regarding warranty)Yes
LT2AD10 DimmableLumexYes (Warranty may be Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
LL1N10LumexYes (Warranty may be Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
LEDLUX 15WLUCCIYes (Warranty Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)Yes
Barricuda 15WLumitecYesYesYes
ML-A15-WMELECYes (Warranty Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)Nohttp://www.melec.com.au/
SKU170241LUCCIYes (Warranty Impacted)Yes (Warranty may be Impacted)No
DL-1370 WD CDDolphin LightingYesYesNo
DL-1396 WD CDDolphin LightingYesYesYes
PDL-1290 WD CDDolphin LightingYesYesYes

Insulating Downlights using LED lighting

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Insulating Downlights using LED lighting

Insulating downlights using LED lighting instead of the halogen variety from a safety perspective can become a legal issue when used with a combination barrier, and it’s critical to ask your LED manufacturer whether they can be covered with a quality downlight cover.  With the advent of LED lighting, insulating downlights with clearances of 200mm can now be a thing of the past, as most LED manufacturers now recommend less clearance of insulation.  On this page we cover thermal imaging comparisons of a living area with clearances and LED lighting without clearances, using a thermal downlight cover.

With the introduction of IC Rated LED Downlights, they can now be covered with insulation without question.   Well, not completely without question…  Even though a LED advertises an IC rating, they have not been tested for their lamp life under insulation.  So it is still recommended to keep these electrical devices as cool as possible.

For more information on insulation while only replacing an MR16 LED globe click here.

Examples of insulation clearances

Control Gear with insulation breaks
Thermal Image 1
LED gimble Air Leakage
Thermal Image 2
insulation Clearances
Thermal Image 3
Inconsistant Insulation
Thermal Image 4

 

Thermal Image 1 – Here we have downlights turned on, and control gear which is resting on the roof, is radiating its heat into the living area.

Thermal Image 2 – Air leakage through a recessed light during summer.  Home is being pressure tested to create the imagery.

Thermal Image 3 – In this thermal image taken, all downlights are gimble fittings, so they contribute to draught effect, and you can very clearly see thermal bridging off outside cooler temperatures radiating into the living area.

Thermal Image 4 – Again insulation clearances are bypassing the thermal R-value of the insulation installed, here there is a 3-degree difference in temperature between non-insulated roof spaces compared to insulated.

 Downlight Cover installed

To kick this analysis off, here is a living area image of a downlight not covered and another with an insulative downlight cover.  Downlights are usually made out of steel and plastic, and both these materials have a very low R-value, in fact, metal/aluminum are super efficient conductors.  Having 40 LED downlights in your home whether they are ventilated or not is the same as having 40 Heatsinks built into your ceiling to assist in dissipating the desired temperature in your living area to the outside.  In this image, both LED’s were not connected, so the heating system is creating the temperatures measured.

Utilizing an air tight insulative downlight cover with a well-ventilated gimble fitting is very effective at protecting LED’s from extreme roof area temperatures which can reach temperatures of up to 65˚C

Downlight Cover Vs Insulation Batt
Thermal Image 5
Insulation with Loft Mitt installed
Thermal Image 6

Thermal Image 5 – Thermal imaging of a non-insulated roof, comparing an R-3.5 Batt with the Efficiency Matrix Loft Mitt Product.

Thermal Image 6 – Same image as Thermal image five completely insulated with R-3.5 Batts showing the thermal performance of the ceiling with the Loft Mitt installed over the gimble downlight fittings.  In both pictures, fittings have been retrofitted with 5W LED globes.

Gimble Downlight Fittings with LED recessed downlights

During summer, Loft areas can get scorching hot.  Having a well-ventilated fitting while insulating downlights with a good quality airtight downlight cover enables the LED luminaire to slowly mix with living area air to dissipate its heat into while also shielding your living area and LED from the extreme temperatures.  Although LED’s produce way less heat than Halogen Lighting they are more susceptible to failure when operating in extreme temperatures.  Good quality LED’s can handle overheating better than cheaper models, ask your LED manufacturer regarding these limitations.  If a LED manufacturer says that you can cover the LED with insulation, be sure to keep your receipt in a safe place in case of premature failure.  All LED’s that say they can be covered have not been tested for lamp life longevity operating under insulation.

LED's in a Hot Roof area

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