LED Lighting Christchurch

Lighting is one of the cheapest parts of a home to improve and one of the easiest to get wrong. We install LED downlights, replace tired halogen fittings, hang pendants and feature lights, and fit dimmers and smart switches in Christchurch homes, from brick bungalows in Beckenham to new builds in Halswell and Rolleston.

Changing a bulb is a job you can do yourself. What we bring is the fitting in the ceiling, the circuit behind it and the insulation around it. If a room is being renovated, we plan the lights at the same time as any new power points, so the cables go in once and the plasterer only comes once.

Pricing: a free quote and a fixed price agreed before we start. You get a written, itemised quote, and small jobs can be quoted from photos.

Lighting the garden, deck, driveway or security lights? See outdoor lighting.

LED Lighting by Cheeky's Electrical in Christchurch

Why LED makes sense in a cold city

Gen Less, the energy efficiency campaign run by EECA, says LEDs use up to 85% less electricity than old incandescent bulbs and can last up to 15 times longer. Savings are biggest on the lights that stay on longest: the kitchen, the living room, the hallway and anything left on outside overnight.

Christchurch winters add another reason. Orion, the lines company for the city and Selwyn, describes its network rush hours as very cold winter mornings and evenings, which is exactly when the lights are on. Swapping old halogen downlights for efficient LED fittings trims the load at those times, and it removes the hot transformers that often fail in older ceilings.

Downlights and your ceiling insulation

Christchurch gets around 80 ground frost days a year, so heat escaping through the ceiling matters here more than in most of the country. Building Performance explains that recessed downlights carry a rating that says how close insulation can sit. IC and IC-F fittings can have insulation laid up to and over them. CA-rated fittings allow insulation against the sides but not across the top. Old unrated downlights need a 100 mm gap all round, and a ceiling full of them is a ceiling full of bare patches.

If you are topping up ceiling insulation, the official guidance is to replace old downlights with IC or IC-F rated fittings at the same time. That is our standard fitting, so an insulation installer can lay batts straight over the top. Many Christchurch ceilings were relined during earthquake repairs; if yours was, it is worth checking the rating printed on the fittings that went back in.

IC or IC-F: insulation may cover the fitting
CA80 or CA135: insulation may touch the sides only
No rating: keep a 100 mm clear gap
Adding insulation? Change the downlights first

How It Works

Send photos of each room and tell us what you want the light to do

Fixed written quote listing fittings, quantities and switch positions

Light positions marked on the ceiling with you before cutting

Old fittings removed, new ones installed, holes reused or patched

Every light and dimmer tested, with a CoC for any new wiring

Colour, brightness and where each light goes

LEDs are sold by lumens for brightness and kelvin for colour. Warm white, roughly 2700 to 3000 K, suits lounges and bedrooms and feels right on a dark July evening. Neutral or cool white suits kitchens, laundries and garages where you need to see detail. Plenty of fittings now have a small switch on the driver to choose the colour, which helps when you cannot decide.

Layout matters as much as the fitting. Too few lights leave gloomy corners; too many make a lounge feel like a showroom. We mark every position on the ceiling with you before anything is cut, and steer clear of joists, beams and the duct from the bathroom extractor fan.

Dimmers, smart switches and older wiring

An LED and a dimmer that are not matched will flicker, hum or refuse to dim below halfway. We choose the dimmer to suit the driver and test the bottom of the range before we leave. Smart switches and app control work in most homes, though some models need a neutral conductor at the switch, which older wiring may not have.

Older Christchurch houses can still have tired lighting circuits behind the plaster. If we find brittle or rubber-insulated cable, we tell you before connecting anything new to it, because a partial rewire is far cheaper to plan before the ceiling is repainted than after.

Trailing-edge dimmers matched to the LED driver
Two-way switching for hallways and stairs
Smart switches where the wiring allows
Under-cabinet kitchen strips on their own switch

When you get a Certificate of Compliance

WorkSafe says a Certificate of Compliance is needed for fixed wiring work but not for maintenance, such as replacing a light fitting like for like. Taking out six old downlights and putting six new ones in the same holes is maintenance. Adding new lighting points, a new circuit or a new switch position is wiring work, and you get a CoC for it.

Under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations, homeowners may legally replace light fittings in their own home as long as the work does not involve the switchboard. Legal does not mean easy: ceiling spaces are tight, old cable crumbles when it is moved, and the insulation rating still matters. We are happy to quote either way.

Why Choose Cheeky's Electrical for LED Lighting

Insulation-rated fittings as standard

We fit IC-F rated downlights, so insulation can go straight back over the top with no cold gaps.

Positions agreed before we cut

Every light is marked on the ceiling with you first, clear of joists, beams and ducts.

Dimmers tested across the range

We match dimmers to drivers and check the low end before handover, so nothing flickers.

Fixed price, often from photos

Send photos of the room and the current fittings and we can usually price it without a visit.

LED Lighting FAQs

Can ceiling insulation go over LED downlights?

Only if the fittings are IC or IC-F rated. CA-rated fittings allow insulation against the sides but not on top, and unrated older fittings need a 100 mm gap all round.

How much power do LEDs save?

Gen Less says LEDs use up to 85% less electricity than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 15 times longer. Your saving depends on what you replace and how long the lights are on.

Do new downlights need a Certificate of Compliance?

Like for like replacements are maintenance and do not need one. New lighting points, circuits or switch positions are wiring work and come with a CoC.

My ceiling was relined after the earthquakes. Should I check the downlights?

It is worth a look. The rating is printed on the fitting. If it is unrated or CA-rated and you want more insulation, swapping to IC-F fittings first avoids leaving gaps.

Why does my LED flicker when dimmed?

Usually the dimmer and the LED driver do not suit each other. A trailing-edge dimmer matched to the driver normally fixes it.

Can you reuse my old halogen holes?

Often, yes. Many LED fittings come in cut-out sizes that suit old halogen holes. Where they do not, we enlarge or patch the hole.

LED Lighting Across Christchurch

We cover every region: Central Christchurch, North Christchurch, East and Coastal Christchurch, South Christchurch and Port Hills, West Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri.

Related Electrical Services

See the electrician prices guide or every service we offer.

Sources and further reading