Brightgreen has introduced a new LED downlight in the D700+ series designed specifically to reduce glare in interior lighting applications.
Glare is a major consideration for most experienced lighting designers, when setting out to create ambient and comfortable interior lighting schemes. Glare is described as an excessively bright light spill that can cause discomfort, and in some cases even temporary visual impairment.
To eliminate the unpleasantness associated with glare, Brightgreen has been focusing on more considered product design to minimise this effect. Since glare only occurs when a light source is in the viewer’s direct line of sight, Brightgreen has recessed the lens of the new D700+ LED downlight deep into its body. The light’s deep recessed design combined with the product's smooth, directional beam reduces the light spill and glare common in diffused LED alternatives.
Brightgreen’s new D700+ was then tested by simulating its glare levels and the results compared to Inlite’s LL-9035-W LED downlight. The occurrence of glare was measured by calculating the light output of each of the LEDs within the exact scenario.
This measurement was done using a metric called Unified Glare Rating (UGR). UGR is used to measure glare in any given space by incorporating the level of background luminance, the sum of light luminance, the angle of the viewer’s line of sight and the viewer’s position index. UGR levels range from UGR 10 (minute glare) to UGR 30 (excruciating glare). According to Australian Standards (AS/NZS 1680.1:2006, p.44), discomfort glare occurs when UGR levels exceed 19.
According to the test results, Inlite’s product created a UGR of 19.3, whereas in the same space, the D700+ created an optimal UGR level of no higher than 10. Thanks to the low-glare design of the D700+, homeowners can almost halve their interior UGR ratings, effectively doubling the visual comfort experienced in their space.
