- Now, most people of a certain age will remember
when these CFL lamps were the cutting edge
of energy saving technology.
A product so universally hated
that energy companies used to give them away for free.
Now, sure, they've saved energy compared
to the incandescent lamps they were designed to replace
but people complained that they didn't like the light
that these lamps produced.
Was it the color wasn't right?
Was it the warmup time
or was it something you couldn't just put your finger on?
They made spaces feel depressing.
Colors seemed so dull, and at one stage,
they decided to even try
and shoehorn this technology
into the shape of a halogen lamp.
Now, thankfully, lighting technology has improved
and all of these lamps have now been fazed out, banned
and never to be installed again.
Today there is only one source, LED.
Now, when it comes to LED, as we'll learn in this video,
not all lamps and fixtures are created equal.
And indeed, many of the early LEDs suffered
from the same problems as these compact fluorescent lamps,
particularly concerning light quality.
Now, over the last few years, manufacturers
like Aurora have worked hard to create lighting products
that outperform all previous light sources.
Now, choosing a quality product
like this new R6 LED Downlight gives us confidence
that installation will be easy
with simple plug in socket connections.
Additionally, it can be installed
in ceilings that have an insulation covering above them
and that's great for the installer.
But what about light quality?
That's something that really only the homeowner
or business owner cares about.
It's something that manufacturers often don't talk about,
yet a number is hiding in plain sight
on this packaging that can give us a clue to light quality.
This one here, Ra 90,
sometimes called CRI or color rendering index.
Now, Ra or color rendering index measures
how well an artificial light renders colors compared
to what we would see with the naked eye outside
in natural daylight.
And this color rendering index can vary between zero
and 100, zero being rubbish, 100 being absolutely perfect.
Now let's look at some practical examples.
If you remember back to the days before LED
when street lights were colored orange,
the orange ones are low pressure sodium lamps
with a color rendering of Ra 30.
Now, under this orange light, it's impossible
to identify the colors of these T-shirts.
Of course, this is an extreme example.
I can't imagine many people would want to live
in a house lit with orange light.
However, I do remember there was an insurance company
that their corporate color scheme was indeed orange light.
But white light sources can also have different levels
of quality as shown by their Ra value,
which can typically range between 70 to 90.
Now, if you use an LED light source
with a color rendering index of 70 to get dressed,
you may experience a wardrobe malfunction.
Now, this t-shirt in front of me here looks black
but when you actually go outside,
it's actually colored navy blue
and that is the difference that color rendering makes.
Now, at this point,
it's important to clarify that color rendering
and color temperature are not the same thing.
Light sources can have warm, cool or neutral white
and I'm sure we're used
to offering customers that option when they decide
what they want their room to look like.
But color rendering is different.
Color rendering is crucial
for businesses that rely on the color of their products,
such as a shop that sells clothes, fresh produce
or perhaps decorative items.
And retailers pay really close attention to the lighting
so their products look their best and tempt you to buy.
(till clanging)
But what about the quality of colors in your home?
It's often overlooked when trying to save energy.
If you're watching this video
and your family photos on the wall don't quite look
as vibrant as when you remember them
or if your fruit bowl looks a bit dull,
it might be time to consider updating your lighting.
(sad music)
Now, thankfully, this new R6 Downlight
from Aurora is now available with a color rendering index
of 90, a first for fire rated downlights intended
for residential applications.
The high CRI is available in all color temperatures
and also available in a selectable color temperature version
with this CWS version,
which includes also a dual power option.
So for smaller spaces such as corridors or bathrooms,
you can further reduce energy.
Along with the range of bezels, finishes,
these are great features for customers
who can't make up their minds
or wholesalers who don't want to carry hundreds
of stock items.
So this can actually achieve 36 options
from one part number.
Of course, you can also select fixed color options
if you know exactly what you want.
All versions offer smooth dimming on TRIAC dimmers
to low levels.
The R6 range is fully tested for fire rating in compliance
with a wide range of engineered
and traditional timber ceilings.
It also meets building regulation requirements
for air tightness and acoustic performance.
Its low profile design, suitable option
for shallow ceiling recess details.
And to round off the specification,
you can also add a three-hour emergency conversion pack
for commercial applications.
Now, it's wonderful to see that discussions about downlights
have progressed beyond just energy efficiency
and install features.
The quality of light is crucial
and can significantly impact the environments
where we live and work.
And as ever,
we'd love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
Would you advise customers
to choose a high color rendering option?
Have you tried installing this new R6 range?
Drop us a comment below, along with any questions in general
about lighting, and we will try to answer them
in a future video.
Until then, check out the short video
we've made installing this R6 Downlight.