LED lighting

LED lighting for Takapuna homes and workplaces

Good lighting changes how a room feels and what it costs to run. We fit LED downlights, strip lighting and controls in Takapuna homes and apartments, and replace tired fluorescent and halogen fittings in offices and shops with LED that lasts for years.

A stepped white ceiling with a continuous LED strip running around its angled edges, between round downlights and metal grid panels

What switching to LED actually saves

The case for LED is mostly about running costs and replacement. EECA's guide to efficient lighting puts an LED's life at around 25,000 to 30,000 hours, against about 1,000 to 2,000 hours for an incandescent bulb and 8,000 to 12,000 hours for a fluorescent tube. Incandescent bulbs use 85 percent more energy than LEDs and fluorescent tubes 40 to 70 percent more. EECA estimates that switching to LED alone can cut lighting costs by up to 70 percent, and that adding controls can lift the energy saving to between 60 and 90 percent.

Those numbers matter most where lights are on for long hours: an office floor, a shop window, a stairwell in an apartment building, the kitchen and living area at home. They matter less in a cupboard that is lit for two minutes a day, so we start with the rooms where the hours are. If a lighting upgrade is part of a bigger refit, our commercial electrical work covers the rest of the fit-out.

Offices, shops and shared spaces

Takapuna's town centre is full of workplaces that keep their lights on all day, from offices to the specialist retail the council's centre plan wants at its heart. For these, the biggest gains come from pairing LED fittings with controls. EECA points to zoned switching so an empty corner of an office is not lit, occupancy sensors that dim or switch off lights in unused rooms, and daylight sensors that turn lights down on bright days. For offices it suggests ultrasonic sensors, because they notice small movements like typing.

Colour matters too. Colour temperature and colour rendering affect how comfortable a space is to work in and how true products look on a shelf, so we talk through the light you want before choosing fittings.

A long building lobby with grey lounge chairs and sofas, pale stone walls, a timber feature wall and tall windows

Lighting we install

LED downlights

New recessed downlights, or older halogen downlights replaced with LED, placed to light the room evenly rather than in spots.

Strip and feature lighting

Under-cabinet strips in kitchens, cove lighting in ceilings, and lit shelves and displays in shops.

Dimmers and smart controls

Dimmers matched to the LED fittings, scenes for living areas, and lighting you can run from your phone as part of a smart home setup.

Office and retail fittings

Fluorescent battens and panels replaced with LED, with sensors and zoned switching where they earn their keep.

Outdoor and garden lighting

Paths, decks, gardens and entrances lit for safety and for evenings outside.

At home, and close to the beach

In a house we look at how each room is used before deciding where lights go: task lighting over the bench, softer light in the living area, and enough light on the stairs. In an apartment we also check what sits in the ceiling space before planning recessed fittings, because it can be shallow or carry services shared with the units around you; our apartment electrician page explains when the body corporate needs to know.

Outside, Takapuna's sea air is worth planning for. BRANZ notes that salt in coastal air speeds up the corrosion of metals, so for decks and gardens near the water we choose fittings rated for outdoor use and suited to the exposure. If a light keeps tripping the power after rain, that is a fault to have looked at; see our emergency electrician page if it happens at night.

LED lighting questions

Can my existing downlights just take LED bulbs?

Sometimes. Some fittings take a direct LED replacement; older halogen downlights with transformers often work better replaced as a whole fitting. We check what you have before recommending either.

Why do some LED lights flicker on a dimmer?

Usually because the dimmer was designed for older bulbs. LED lights need a compatible dimmer, so we match the two.

Will I get a certificate for new lighting?

New wiring and new light circuits come with a Certificate of Compliance. Simply replacing a light fitting like for like is maintenance and does not.

Can LED lighting be part of a smart home?

Yes. Lights can be set up on smart switches or dimmers and controlled from a phone, by voice or on a schedule, either on their own or as part of a wider home automation system.

How bright should office lighting be?

Bright enough for the task and no brighter. EECA points out that over-lighting a space wastes energy, and suggests measuring light levels with a lux meter, or roughly with a phone app, before deciding how many fittings an area needs.