What’s Involved In Upgrading to LED Downlights?

Have some of your halogen downlights burnt out? Maybe some of them have dulled, buzz or flicker…

Is it time to kick your old, dead halogens aside and replace them with new energy-efficient LEDs?

LED lights are better for a myriad of reasons including efficiency, which means they produce the same amount of lighting output with less energy input, they’re safer because they run at much cooler temperatures, they last much longer – some as much as 20 years and the lighting they supply is far superior – no buzzing, flickering or dulling over time.

If it’s time to replace some of your halogen lights or incandescent globes, you might think about upgrading to new energy-efficient LEDs. You might even have seen an advert, or two, advertising the Victorian Government’s Energy Upgrades program which offers energy efficiency upgrades to LED to help you reduce your energy needs and decrease your energy bills. The reason this is a fantastic offer to take advantage of while it’s still aBut, what’s involved in an LED upgrade? Can you simply upgrade your lights yourself?

Technically, yes you can personally upgrade the lights in your home to LED – and why not? It’s easy to switch your globes over, right? Hang on, not so fast – let’s consider some of the circumstances in which replacing the lights yourself might not be such a great idea.

1. LEDs are expensive. They’re the most efficient lighting technology available but they’re not the cheapest. Here is some information on why LEDs are so expensive if you want to learn more about that. A shopping trip to your local hardware shop to purchase your own LEDs is a great idea but purchasing your own LEDs could cost you hundreds of dollars (depending on the number of lights in your property) so upgrading your whole home or business could be a VERY costly job.
2. There’s more to an upgrade than just switching globes. Not all light fittings are the same and some have transformers. Did you know MR16 halogen downlights have a transformer and they’re not always compatible with every LED? And, if you have a dimmer switch with your MR16s and upgrade to LED MR16s would be strongly disadvised by us as dimmable MR16s are notoriously unreliable. Your best, most efficient option is to contact us and one of our certified electricians can attend your property and replace your ‘old’ halogen downlights or incandescent globes with energy-efficient LEDs. Our electrician will check the transformers in your ceiling and ensure they’re compatible with our LEDs to provide you with the most efficient LED lighting system.
3. How will you recycle your old lights? An additional benefit to us completing your upgrade: We can access higher ceilings than you might have access to and our electricians will physically remove and decommission the halogen bulb, ensuring they’re recycled safely, so you don’t have to.
4. You don’t have to source great LEDs. Our team does the hard work for you. Under the regulations of the energy upgrades program, an Accredited Partner (like Energy Makeovers) are only allowed to install products that have been approved by the governing body. This means they have been checked for safety and quality and you, as the customer, will receive an excellent, high-quality product that will last for years. We have more information on the high-quality LEDs we choose here.
5. We supply a 12-month warranty on our LED upgrades. If something doesn’t seem right, we’re happy to come back to your property to address the problem. IF you install your own LEDs and there are any problems, you’re on your own!

Can you send me the LEDs and I upgrade them myself?

We get asked this question a lot. Unfortunately, that’s not allowed under the regulations of the program that offer these subsidies. We have more information on why you can’t upgrade your own LEDs for free. It is essential that an Energy Makeovers electrician complete the upgrade to comply with all of the regulations within the program.

Don’t worry – our electricians are professional and qualified and we stand by our high ratings and reviews that we receive thanks to our great customer service and the excellent team of electricians. They can answer any questions you may have about your lights and they’ll do a test with you after the installation to make sure your lights work correctly and that your happy with the colour and brightness or your new, and free, LEDs.

Can we upgrade light fittings with no globes in them?

Another very common question we hear; can we install lights where there are no fittings or where an empty fitting does not have an old light in place. Unfortunately, no. Again – this is down to the regulations under the program which exists to retrofit already existing, inefficient lights to LEDs. We have more information on why we can’t upgrade lights to LED if no light is in the fitting here.

The benefits of an Energy Makeovers electrician completing and LED Upgrade for you far outweigh you upgrading your own LEDs. However, even if you’re in a position to replace the LEDs yourself, why not have an Energy Makeovers’ electrician replace them for you for free?!

Free upgrades to new LED lights using the VEET scheme (now called the VEU Program) are available for a limited time, so why not have a look at our information on the benefits, how this is possible and how you can sign up on our website here.

Summary:
1: Do the research, buy your bulbs, climb a ladder and replace everything yourself at a potentially large cost.

Or

2: Contact Energy Makeovers, we’ll provide the LEDs (for free), arrange an appointment to suit you, install new lamps (for free) and our certified electrician will do all the hard work for you!

Which sounds right for you?