Why Use Integrated Lighting

An integrated LED light fixture is a luminaire in which the light emitting diodes (LED) are sealed inside the housing.  Although incandescent lighting remains the majority of older installations, LED landscape lighting is taking over fast.  Most contractors solely install LED now, and if asked to service old incandescent systems they are working with homeowners to convert the systems over to LED.  The long term benefits and cost savings far outweigh the cost of purchasing the LEDs.   

In comparison to drop-in LED, integrated solutions allow the contractor to have a more robust product with better light color, less plant-damaging heat, and significantly longer life.  Integrated light fixtures simplify installation and can have a higher lumen output with better thermal management properties.  LEDs don’t like heat, so engineering heat sinks into the body of the fixture housing assists with this process.

It is very difficult to achieve comparable lumen output in a drop-in LED lamp as compared to an integrated LED fixture.  Although the lumen output on many LED retrofit lamps is suitable for most landscape applications, in some cases the higher lumens offered by an integrated fixture is needed.

Kichler’s Integrated Lighting Modules

Kichler Lighting offers 12V integrated LED path and spread lights. Among Kichler’s integrated lighting options are the downward and upward facing modules. Both of Kichler’s Design Pro LED modules deliver high lumen output and optimal energy efficiency. Because both modules are operating at a 9-15 volt range, and LED load is so much less than incandescent, the combination has drastically reduced the amount of voltage drop calculations that are needed to properly size a lighting job. An LED typically has about one-fourth the load (watts) of a comparable incandescent lamp, so the overall load is always going to be less.  This means that a homeowner pays less to operate their lighting system.  All fixtures are sealed to protect against moisture penetration – something that is more readily accomplished when a fixture is engineered from the ground up.

The downward facing module offers a light diffusion that is directional, and does not utilize the path light hat for reflected light output. The threads provide a robust assembly that cannot be easily stripped or cross threaded. The downward module reduces glare at common viewing angles and offers an optional louver to be used on elevations. In addition, the downward module includes a 3-Step LED binning to ensures superior color quality and consistency. A number of Kichler integrated path lights are Dark Sky compliant, and make for excellent fixture choices for clients who are concerned with side emitting or upward glare.