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Positioning of Lights
Positioning of Lights
Where to position the lights in a new home or renovation is often a worry as once the wiring is in place it is expensive to make changes.
The following guidelines are based on practical rules of thumb and may be helpful in planning how to place your lights.
For general lighting in the home LED recessed or LED surface mounted lights work well.
A guide to the amount amount of light per square meter that is required in the home is :
Hallways 70 to 100 Lux
Kitchen 150 to 200 Lux and 300 to 400 Lux on bench tops
Bathroom/Laundry 230 to 300 Lux
Lounge 200 Lux 300 to 400 Lux for reading
Bedroom 200 Lux 300 to 400 Lux for reading
To estimate how many lights to use for an area first calculate the area of the room in square meters.
Then multiply the area of the room by the Lux level and this will give a guide to the total Lumens required from the light fittings.
Divide the Lumen output of the lights chosen into the total to find the number of lights to fit.
For an even lights place the light by a wall at half the distance of the spacing between the lights in the centre of the row.
Highlighting a wall can make a room appear larger, or used in an entry can make the hall seem inviting.
LED with a light output of about 600Lumens are usually used and these are spaced about one quarter of the height of the wall out from the wall. The lights are spaced about the same distance apart along the wall, and tilted to shine about one quarter of the way down the wall.
If a wall has an interesting texture, then grazing it with light is a popular option. In this case the LED lights are fitted about 300mm out from the wall and spaced about 450mm apart along the wall.
Highlighting a painting is usually done with a tilting LED light. The beam angle of the light would be no more than 40 degrees The light output 450 to 600 Lumens. If the light is recessed into the ceiling place it in line with the centre of the painting. The distance out from the painting should be about two thirds of the distance from the centre of the painting to the ceiling.
LED with a light output of about 600Lumens are usually used and these are spaced about one quarter of the height of the wall out from the wall. The lights are spaced about the same distance apart along the wall, and tilted to shine about one quarter of the way down the wall.
If a wall has an interesting texture, then grazing it with light is a popular option. In this case the LED lights are fitted about 300mm out from the wall and spaced about 450mm apart along the wall.
Highlighting a painting is usually done with a tilting LED light. The beam angle of the light would be no more than 40 degrees The light output 450 to 600 Lumens. If the light is recessed into the ceiling place it in line with the centre of the painting. The distance out from the painting should be about two thirds of the distance from the centre of the painting to the ceiling.