Selecting the best LED panels for your home

LED panels are a common choice for lighting many rooms in the modern home. They are easy to install and last much longer than typical incandescent or energy-saving light bulbs.

They also help to prevent glare from lighting whilst providing excellent light in your choice of lumens and kelvins to achieve the right ambience. And, of course, they are energy efficient, meaning they are good for the environment and can help to save money on your energy bills.

More and more homes and workplaces are opting for LED panels over traditional bulbs and lighting configurations because they are sleek, efficient and versatile. Read this guide to learn more about the advantages of using LED panels in your home.

Which rooms in the home are most suited to LED panels?

LED panels are a good fit for any room in the house but different types suit different spaces. You can enhance any room with the addition of LED panel lighting as long as you choose the right types of light for the right purpose.

Kitchen

The kitchen is a space that often requires bright light for food preparation and cooking. High lumen LED panels work well for this, particularly if they have a higher colour temperature. This will result in a more blue or white light, similar to sunshine, which has proven to increase productivity and alertness.

To find out more about how to use LED panels in your kitchen in our guide.

Bathroom

Another space where bright lights are often preferred, the bathroom can be well illuminated by LED panels. Another advantage is that LED panels keep the electrics away from any water used in the bathroom, which is perfect for safety.

LED panels provide a soft light which is still widespread and bright, making them perfect for larger bathrooms in particular. Dimmable LED panels are also available allowing you to change the atmosphere of your bathroom to your requirements.

However, when installing LED panels in your bathroom, checking the IP rating of the panel you buy is essential. Most LED panels are only rated IP20 or 22 which is not suitable for use in bathrooms where there is a huge amount of steam.

Panels rated with IP41 and IP44 are protected against humidity and can withstand splashes of water so, if installing LED panels in your bathroom, this is something you should check to ensure the panels are safe.

Bedroom

You want to feel cosy and comfortable in your bedroom and LED panels can help with this. Choose LEDs with a lower lumen rating and colour temperature between 2700k-3000k as this is a popular colour temperature for bathrooms. Warm white lighting helps to create a relaxing atmosphere to help you wind down, get ready for sleep and sleep better.

Garage

As a space that is often used for storage and work, LED panels can provide ample lighting with a bright, white colour to illuminate the workspace and help you to feel more alert.

LED panels can be surface mounted to the ceiling so, if you don’t have an existing ceiling grid in your garage, you can still install the panels without having to make huge changes to the ceiling.

Small spaces

Notoriously difficult to light, an LED panel in the ceiling or on the wall of a small space makes it easy to illuminate the entire space effectively. Small spaces often lack windows and natural light so installing LED panels helps to replicate sunlight as much as possible.

Hallways

Though not the most decorative lighting choice, LED panels are well-suited to hallways. Often, your hallway lights are left on for long periods and the energy-efficiency of LED panels means this won’t run up your energy bills as much as a traditional bulb would.

Low ceilings

Many homeowners opt for pendant lights as ceiling lights. However, if you have a home or room with low ceilings, these types of fitting can hang lower than you might want and make the room feel smaller and cramped. LED panels will sit flush to the ceiling and help to open to room up whilst providing bright light.

How can LED panels be used in the home?

You might also be surprised to learn that LED panels can be used in different ways for different purposes. One of the best features of LED panels is their versatility; they can be applied in different ways to fulfil a wide range of needs.

LED panels act as a great alternative for replacing GU10 and MR16 downlights as, not only are they available in brighter lighting options, they can also be used in any room of your home.

Here are some common examples:

Ceiling lights

LED panels can be embedded in (or mounted to) the ceiling to illuminate an entire room or other space without any projection from the ceiling. They are excellent for lighting rooms of all shapes and sizes in an efficient way and they look extremely sleek and modern.

Wall panels

Whilst LED panels are designed mainly as ceiling lights, many people use LED panels embedded in their walls or mounted on walls to great effect. They create a unique, ultra-modern look which can be stylised with panels in different shapes and colours. Position them in creative ways to achieve different effects and they will still illuminate the room brilliantly.

Usually, the way the LED panels are designed, and their mounting process will decide where you can use them. For example, recessed LED panels can be used on plasterboard as these materials are easy to cut into and install the lights. However, harder surfaces such as brick or timber cannot be cut into so surface mounted LED panels are a better option in these cases.

Display lighting

If you have a collection or set of rewards you want to display with pride, LED panels make excellent display lights, illuminating your prized possessions in a cabinet or wall display.

Backlight panels

LED panels are excellent for use as backlight panels because they are durable, energy efficient and give off minimal heat. There is no sacrifice in terms of brightness, but you will save energy and ensure overheating is never an issue.

Functional lighting

When you have a workspace that needs illuminating, such as a workbench or kitchen counter, LED panels can be installed to provide bright, low-heat, energy-efficient lighting. Your workspace will be illuminated with a bright, white light that is known to enhance productivity.

Dimmable panels for ambience

There are rooms and spaces in the house where you might want to create a different ambience. Dimmable LED panels can help to get this right, making a space feel more relaxing when you need to wind down or more invigorating when you need to focus.

Decorative LED panels

The classic, plain LED panel you see in the office or in school buildings is not the only option available. There are all sorts of playful, artistic and generally exciting panel designs that can really add to the décor in any room.

Our LED panels are available with a Sky Clouds pattern which provides a huge amount of light whilst simulating the look of a skylight or window. This type of panel is perfect for rooms that have either no light or minimal natural daylight in which you want to create the effect of additional lighting. They’re perfect for imitating the same view and light you would receive from a window and also provide energy savings in contrast to other lighting sources.

Top picks: Our decorative LED panels

Product	size	Lumens	Colour Temp	Warranty
40w LED panels – 3D Sky Clouds	595mmx595mm (sold in sets of 4)	4000 lm	6500k	5 years	Buy Now
Powermaster 40w LED Skylight Panels – Sky Clouds	600mmx600mm	1500lm	6000k	5 years	Buy Now

Why do homeowners choose LED panels?

There are various reasons why many homeowners choose LED panels as a lighting solution. We’ve already outlined the different rooms of the house they can be used in, and the different ways you can apply them but, what are the main reasons homeowners are increasingly opting for LED panels in the home as opposed to traditional lighting?

Style

The sleek, modern aesthetic of the LED panel is a good fit for contemporary interior design. For décor styles with a little bit of individuality, there are different ways to use the panels to make a statement, and more unusual designs that really stand out from the crowd.

Replace fluorescent lighting

LED panels are often used by homeowners to replace GU10 or MR16 downlights and to upgrade fluorescent lighting sources. LED panels offer a more energy efficient light source and do not have to be replaced as often as other bulbs.

For modern homes, LED lighting offers a better alternative and has become a popular choice for homeowners.

In contrast to GU10’s and MR16’s, LED panels offer much higher wattages and can be easily installed in their place.

Long lifespan

LED panels are low-maintenance and the LEDs last a long time. This is a vast improvement on traditional bulbs such as the incandescent light bulb. They also light to full brightness instantly, unlike energy-saving bulbs, and are more efficient than any other type of lighting.

Choice of colour temperatures

LED panels are available in the full range of colour temperatures. This adds to their versatility, enabling them to perform any function and contribute to any ambience you wish to create in the house.

Energy savings

One of the biggest draws for LED panels is that they are extremely energy-efficient, meaning you lower your carbon footprint and enjoy energy savings on your energy bills when you have them installed. LED panels don’t force you to compromise on the quality of your lighting, but they can provide huge savings in terms of energy usage.

Top picks: Our bestselling LED panels

Product	size	Lumens	Colour Temp	Warranty
Dimmable Bright Source 40w LED panel	600mmx600mm	3600lm	3000k, 4000k, 6000k	3 years	Buy Now
Red Arrow 18w Round LED panel	225mm	1450lm	3000k, 4000k, 6000k	3 years	Buy Now
Dimmable Bright Source 24w LED panel	600mmx300mm	2160lm	3000k, 4000k, 6000k	5 years	Buy Now
Dimmable Bright Source 18w LED panel	300mmx300mm	1260lm	3000k, 4000, 6000k	5 years	Buy Now