The main difference between "new build" and "retrofit" is that the latter is mounted- clipped onto the ceiling board while the former is nailed into the ceiling joists. The differences in insulation quality depends on the selection made as well as how tightly the can fits into the hole and whether the installer made the effort to seal things up. Retrofit housing is usually used when lighting is added after the ceiling was completed and either there is limited access to the space above or the contractor deemed it too much effort put in new construction cans. The question should be why do you need to swap out the remodel housings. Are you replacing the ceiling board? If so, standard "new build" housing should be installed since it would be quicker and less problematic than cutting the necessary holes and clipping the "remodel" housing to the ceiling board. The rate quote is as expected.

Thank you very much, David. Ecosmart daylight version has 5000K temperature, which is too white for the home computer room. I prefer 3000K or 3500K.

The problem is almost certainly the insulation. Non insulation contact lights require that the "attic" insulation be pulled back 3" and the top be open to the attic space. If a non IC can is enclosed in a box, either in the attic or between floors then the box must be large enough so that the heat can disipate thru the sides of the box. Pulling the insulation back 3" from a non IC can installed in your first floor ceiling is not nearly enough. Instalation instructions may not mention this because insulation between floors is rare. There is no definite recomended size for how big a box is needed to disipate the heat because it depends on how well the box is insulated. I have heard recomendations of 2' x 2' x 2' and 2' x 2' x 4' for boxes over attic installed cans. presumably these boxes would be covered with insulation. Whats happening in your lights is that a 15 cent thermostatic switch over heats and turns off your light before it gets hot enough to melt the wiring insulation or start a fire. If one of these high quality 15 cent switches fail then you will have a real problem. I hate people that point out problems and then don't offer any solutions. So I'll offer one, although you probably won't like it. All cans are designed so that the housing can be removed to access the wiring connections. Remove the housings and pull out the insulation. use a coathanger hook to pull out everything within 2' in the cavity where the light is mounted. This may be easy or tough depending on how the insulation is fastened in. Another possibility is that the same brand IC contact housings may be able to be retrofitted into the existing non IC frames that are in your ceiling. That's a long shot but may be worth looking into.

Countryboyok1, that makes sense. I got my wattage-in-what-can info from Seattle Lighting, but they sell Juno predominately so it makes sense they would pitch me Juno's 7.25" and not even mention Halo's equivalent. At Lowes where they sell predominately Halo, my local store only carried 6" tall cans that hold 50 watt. It wasn't stated for 50 - I had to ask outright, "will these cans take a 75 watt bulb?" He said no, I'd blow the can. It would turn itself off after 20 mins or so when it got hot enough. I told him that was my 3rd trip to Lowe's and the 2 people I'd worked with previously didn't say a thing about that to me and that I had even bought the 75 watt bulbs WITH those cans already per the recommendation of the last sales guy I worked with. I told him I would have made a big mistake if not for the guys at Seattle Lighting, and he said most of the sales people at any of the Lowe's wouldn't know about cans and higher wattage bulbs, but he did only because he was an electrician by trade. There was zero mention at any of the Lowes that Halo DID make a can that would hold a 75 watt. I guess if they don't sell it, it's not relevant to their customer! I do feel so sorry for people who set up their plan for 100 or 75 watt bulbs and then discover too late that their cans can only hold 50. I would be very angry at the big box stores for not providing that info. I was misled and caught it only cause of a random visit to a light store. I have to say I worked with yet ANOTHER light store in the very beginning who sold both Halo and Juno - they set up my lighting plan but ended up being too expensive - but the plan called for the 6" high Juno cans with 75watt bulbs. When I called her back after finding this out, she had to actually look it up in Juno's specs or literature or whatever, and was shocked to find out it was true. I have no idea why there is SOO much misinformation and lack of knowledge even in the industry about this. I am actually aghast at how this info is simply unknown. But good to know that Halo does sell cans that can hold higher watts. Interesting that they are almost as expensive as Juno.