Posted 15 July 2026 · Sandy Electrical
Most homes we walk into across the eastern suburbs and the Yarra Valley are still running a mix of old halogen downlights and the odd fluorescent tube. If you're thinking about switching to LED, it's one of the easier upgrades you can make to a house — but there's more to it than screwing in a new globe.
LED downlights use around a fifth of the power of the old halogen units and last a lot longer — we're talking 15,000 to 25,000 hours against 1,000 to 2,000 for halogen. If you've got twenty downlights running a few hours a night, that difference shows up on your power bill within the first year. LEDs also run cooler, which matters if you've got insulation sitting close to your ceiling fittings.
A proper LED downlight upgrade isn't just a globe swap. Old halogen fittings are usually a different size and shape to LED units, so in most homes we're replacing the whole fitting, not just the globe. We also check the transformer or driver behind each one — halogens run on a different type of transformer to LEDs, and if that's not swapped over too, you'll get flickering, buzzing, or lights that won't dim properly.
If you're adding LED strip lighting — under kitchen cabinets, along a hallway, behind a bedhead — that's a separate job again. Strip lighting needs the right driver for the length and location, and if it's going somewhere damp like a bathroom or alfresco area, it needs the correct IP rating so it doesn't fail early or become a safety issue.
We get called out fairly often to fix a DIY lighting job that's gone sideways. The usual issues: LED globes fitted into old halogen housings that weren't designed for them and overheat, dimmer switches that were never LED-compatible causing flickering or a dead dimmer within weeks, and downlights punched into insulated ceilings without checking clearance — which is a genuine fire risk. None of this is difficult work for a licensed electrician, but it's not a job to learn on your own roof.
Every home is different — the number of downlights, ceiling access, and whether the wiring needs any attention all affect the price. We assess the job first and give you a fixed, upfront price before any work starts — you're quoted for the job, not billed by the hour, and that price doesn't move once we're on site.
If you're planning a full downlight upgrade or want strip lighting added somewhere in the house, we'll assess what you've got, tell you straight whether the existing wiring and transformers need replacing, and give you a clear price. That's not a problem for us — it's a job we do regularly across Mount Evelyn, Lilydale, Croydon, Ringwood and the surrounding areas.
General information only — every property is different. Get a licensed electrician to assess your specific setup before any lighting work.
Call now or send an enquiry. We'll get back to you the same day.
