Recessed Downlights/Spotlights Spacing Advice

[MandipS]

Thanks Bernard. What would be your suggestion for the actual spacing of each downlighting from eachother? I am thinking in general terms 1.2m apart from eachother as a general rule.

If a room is rectangular shaped instead of square then mayb 1.2m x 1m apart?

 

[aptsys]

Hi,

thanks for the response. Thing with the 60deg bulbs versus the 36deg bulbs is that they are only 1100 lumens where as the 36deg ones are 2200 lumens.
Standard 50W mains halogens are only 950 max so whilst your suggestion does give a wider light angle and hence less spotlights to fit, the brightness is still the same. I would get over twice the brightness with the 36deg bulbs albeit it shorter angle and more spotlights!

Considering a standard 60W incandescent has a luminous output of about 800lm, I don't think you'd ever actually need 2200 lumens in a 1.6m diameter circle in a domestic environment!

 

[1john]

one slight spanner in the works for you sorry.... JOISTS, they will almost always determin how many light you have unless you are planning installing them after you have planned your lights??

I would advise you to draw scale plans with the joists marked on them and get the manufacturers recommendation for the distance to be left from the edge of the fitting to the edge of the joist.

sometimes things just work out but 9 times out of 10 for me it never goes exactly as you thaught it would.

 

[bernardgreen]

Thanks Bernard. What would be your suggestion for the actual spacing of each downlighting from eachother?

I cannot answer that foe you because the spacing depends on

[1] how bright you want to have the area and people in it illuminate
[2] how evenly you want the area and people lit ( pools of light in dimmer surroundings, stars in the limelight and the backing group barely visible )
[3] the height of the lights above the surface / area to be illuminated
[4] the spread of light from the lights ( the intensity in the beam will vary depending on the angle within the beam )
[5] many other things such as spacing of furniture.
[6] and of course, as just mentioned, joists in the ceiling

If the ceilings are low then someone standing near a spot light can have their face illuminated with ghoulish shadows in the upside down version of the torch shone up onto the face to make the face look ugly.

I don't like these lights based on seeing them and the comments of people stuck with them.

 

[Chri5]

Hows about:-

Untitled

• Chri5
• 4 Nov 2009
• 1

 

[Aragorn84]

That is going to be awful.

 

[Chri5]

That is going to be awful.

I agree, it will instantly date and as for resale value and the energy report negatives.....

When 15 per kw hour is normal and there's 80+ lamps

 

[MandipS]

Hi Guys,

Thanks very much for the responses so far. It's greatly appreciated.

Chris - I think I like your suggested design. Question though - do you think the 2mtr between each light across the lengh of the room is going to be ok?


Aragorn - I know it looks like a lot of lights on a plan collectively, but this is going to be my only source of light.

For the larger rooms I am going to wiring in the circuits in a design way so that I can choose to turn on the outer lights and leave the inner ones off and vice versa just to mix things up a little.

I am going to start wiring first fix all of this weekend. A good couple of days work I think at least. Thanks so far guys.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

That is going to be awful.

I agree, it will instantly date and as for resale value and the energy report negatives.....

And the fact that there will be no Building Regulations completion certificate and clear evidence of work done which does not comply with the Building Regs....

 

[Aragorn84]

interesting, why wouldnt it comply with building regs?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Part L - you have to make reasonable provision for the conservation of fuel and power in buildings by, amongst other things, providing and commissioning energy efficient fixed building services.

Kilowatts of 2" spotlights are not energy efficient. Even if you choose to ignore the guidance in Approved Document L, and argue that no absolute definition of "energy efficient" is present in the law, there's also a regulation which says you mustn't make things worse than they were, and I doubt that the lighting was that inefficient before.

And even if the OP chooses to ignore the guidance, we all know how hard it is to get LABC to ignore it too (except the bit on charging for electrical inspections).

I really cannot see how LABC would accept this lighting design as being compliant, so it looks as though amongst all the other problems this stupid idiot is storing up for himself we can add failing to notify and ending up with a refurbished property with no Building Regulations sign off...

 

[LiamPope]

Downlights in a garage!? Now I've seen it all. Urrgghhh.

Best advice I can give is to get some lightweight mini step ladders. Have one on each floor of the house easily accessible. You'll find it very convenient for the frequent lightbulb changing you'll be engaged in .

Liam

 

[flameport]

If downlights are going in the garage, it will be one of the very few occasions where fire rated fittings or fire hoods are actually required.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi All,

I am a newbie to all of this so pleae bear with me. I need some advice on spacing of spotlights in all of the rooms in my renovated house.

Space them into the dustbin.

I am going for 12v MR16 downlights in every room of the house, Osram 2200 Lumens, 36 degree angle bulbs in a variety of normal/fire rated/ip rated Aurora downlights depending upon the room of course.

They are not suitable for any room.

With respect, please do not reply stating that I ought to go for different lights, energy efficient lights, etc, I have already set my mind on these.

Your request not to be given the best advice possible is completely at odds with:

I would really appreciate some common sense advice here guys pls.

Common sense dictates not fitting those useless lights.

This lighting will be my primary source of lighting for all the rooms in the house so it is critical I get this right.

You aren't behaving as if getting it right is at all important to you. If it were you would not be considering for one second fitting those useless little lights.

Fact is I am wanting to stick with these downlights/bulbs

The fact is that if you do, not only will you fail in your critical objective of getting it right, you will fail in a spectacular and expensive way.

Thanks all for the responses so far.

I have discounted CFLs, LED and any other alternative so far

You've also discounted all the advice which contradicts the course of action you have mistakenly chosen.

Im not being arrogant here

No?

In your first post you told us what advice we were allowed to give you.

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

Downlights in a garage!? Now I've seen it all. Urrgghhh.

Best advice I can give is to get some lightweight mini step ladders. Have one on each floor of the house easily accessible. You'll find it very convenient for the frequent lightbulb changing you'll be engaged in .

Liam

To add to that, you might want to build a sizable storage area in your house, source a supplier who will give you a decent price if you buy replacement lamps by the 1000, that should keep you going til next summer.

Making a few assumptions:-
79 shown so far over 2 floors, (say 100 when finished)
average lamp life, 2000 hrs (low cost version 35W, say £1.50 each)
1 transformer per 3 lamps (33) lets say,
0.5 transformer fails/month
1 fixture failure/year
cost of fixture = £5
Average cost of new transformer = £10
average lamp on time, 3hrs/day
average cost of kWh, say 7.5p
average time taken to replace defective individual lamp, 10 mins (fetch new lamp, fetch step ladder, move furniture, change lamp, ladders away etc.)
Average time to change 1 transformer, 45mins. ( same reason as above)
time to change defective fixture, 30mins. (ditto)

then roughly speaking you'll have, on average,

1 lamp fail every 6 days. lamp cost/year = £91
transformer costs/year = £60
fixture cost/year = £5
annual Elec. bill for lighting only = £287

running cost/year =£440

time spent maintaining system = 11 hours/year
You cut down on maintenance time by waiting until you have faults in every room and then repairing it all in 1 hit, might get it done in a day!

I for one am not a downlight hater, in certain circumstances i think the're great, but i see this lighting plan being a real PIA to install (joists,insulation problem etc, as others have said).
Then you are pretty much stuck with it unless you refurb/replaster rooms