Interior LED Lights

Picking an interior LED fixture

Interior lighting is where LED pays for itself fastest. A single incandescent dome can pull close to two amps; the LED equivalent, like the MG Innovative 150-lumen dome or the Diamond Group down light here, does the same job on a small fraction of that. Multiply across a dozen fixtures and it's real battery time.

A few things decide which fixture is right:

• Whole fixture vs. bulb swap. If your existing housing is cracked or dated, a complete LED fixture like the Peterson dome or the AP Products dual ceiling light is cleaner than retrofitting. If the housing is fine, a bulb from Replacement Bulbs is the cheaper path.
• Lumens and beam angle. Lumens is actual brightness — 150 lumens over a 120-degree beam lights a galley counter well; a tighter beam is better for a targeted spot. Don't shop by watts on LED, the number's meaningless for output.
• Color temperature. Warm white (around 3000K) feels like the incandescent you're used to; cool white reads brighter and more clinical. Mixing the two in one room looks off, so pick a lane.
• Switching and controls. Some fixtures here, like the Fasteners Unlimited under-cabinet light and the AP Products ceiling fixture, add a remote so you can kill the lights without getting up. Handy over a bed or a hard-to-reach bunk.

Keep an eye on your total draw if you're off-grid — even LED adds up across a rig, and it's worth knowing what your house batteries can carry overnight. For the bunk lamps and headlamps a ceiling fixture won't cover, the Reading & Task Lights are one category over.