Electrics: Lighting

The traditional standard of electric lighting – the central pendant lamp – has gradually been replaced by more sophisticated designs. There are two drivers for this: better light quality and energy efficiency. Energyefficient lights are everywhere these days, and tend to be installed in far greater numbers than the old incandescent pendants, but the light quality has often been questionable. More recently, however, we have seen designs which combine both light quality and superior efficiency, as incandescents are faded out and compact fluorescents (CFLs) and LEDs come to the fore. Visit any lighting shop and you will find that most of the fittings are now adapted to take something other than incandescent bulbs.

Efficiency

The Building Regulations now require that a certain number of new fittings are energy efficient, which is defined as a lamp which gives off a minimum of 40 lumens per Watt. This includes almost all fluorescents and many (but not all) LEDs. Specifically, there is a requirement that you should fit energyefficient lights in 25% of your fittings, and that these should be dedicated fittings, not simply low-energy bulbs in a conventional lamp holder.

Downlighters

Most self-builders now use a fair number of downlighters, at least in the main living rooms. Be aware that they have a number of constraints on them as to where they are placed and how they will actually work. A typical living room will require as many as ten downlighters to give an adequate background level. Low-voltage (LV) halogen is the accepted light source for downlighters as it gives the best light quality; but though LV halogen is more energy efficient than conventional bulbs, it doesn’t meet the 40 lumens per Watt required to meet energyefficiency standards. You can now buy downlighters working with CFLs or LEDs.

Dimmers

Dimming has become an issue because of the complexities surrounding bulb types. All lights can be dimmed but many new lights require specialised dimmers so it’s often not possible to just switch lamps from one type to another. You must plan well for dimming.

Lighting Scenes

The top end of the lighting market is now addressed by computer-controlled lighting scenes, which take the idea of dimming to a new level. Instead of a conventional light switch, you have a display panel, enabling you to switch on pre-defined lighting scenes.

"We added colour with light"

Russell and Jannette Harris lit up their home’s minimalist, white interior with smart mood lighting

Russell and Jannette spent two years converting a disused water tower into their dream home in Cheshire, creating a sleek white canvas, onto which a comprehensive lighting scheme projects a palette of colours. “We chose seamless white liquid resin flooring for the main living spaces and added colour with the lighting, which was designed by Kate Wilkins who was responsible for the lighting scheme at the Tate Modern,” explains Jannette.

Fancy fittings

These sleek light fittings were designed to impress

1. Infinity Large Black by Vibia from Ray Lighting, £756.61
2. Star Pendant Light from Bodie & Fou, £85
3. Chicago Modern Ceiling Pendant Light in White from Amode, £62.99
4. Astro’s Azumi Nickel wall light, £65
5. Metal Batersea Light in Grey from The Contemporary Home, £44.99
6. Ecomoods ceiling light from Philips, from £40.

Slick switches

Inject style with light switches that are begging to be pressed.

1. Slate-style, Hammered waxed switch, £27 from Bromleighs
2. Hi-tech dimming by Lutron’s Lyneo, from £22.50
3. Sleek and simple, from Varilight, £4.48
4. Forbes & Lomax’s ‘invisible’ switch, around £28
5. Beech by Switch to Wood, from £10.59
6. For kids’ rooms, Cow Print by Savvy Switches, £30.

The Light Bulb - An ingenious idea

There aren’t many inventions that have changed so little in the 100-plus years since their invention as the incandescent light bulb, but unfortunately this means they are still an inefficient, if ingenious, way of producing light. They work by heating up the filament inside, causing it to glow with enough intensity to emit light; gasses prevent the tungsten from burning out. These bulbs’ inefficiency lies in the fact that much of the energy is used to heat the filament – around 90% – making them use vast quantities of electricity. Lighting in Britain accounts for around 20% of all electricity used – a remarkable waste – and so the Government plans to phase out incandescent bulbs by 2011.

The alternative? ‘Compact florescent lamps’, or CFLs, which use significantly less energy. They use argon gas to emit UV radiation which is absorbed by a phosphor coating in the bulb, making it glow brightly. This means they use less electricity and are cool to the touch. Traditionally, CFLs have had a bad press of being big, ugly and slow to warm up; but a lot has changed in recent years; many designs are now almost indistinguishable from ordinary bulbs (see above design from M&S). There have also been improvements in technology allowing ‘instant start up’ as opposed to the traditional warm-up period.

Lighting Costs

A rough guide to the lighting costs for an average house

Light Fittings: Cost anything between £15-50+ each; a four bedroom house might need 13, so expect to pay £200-2,500, dependent on specification and lamp type. Labour will cost around £210 for the job.

Switches and Sockets: Around £6 each for switches; a four bedroom house needs around 15, so £90 in total plus £150 for labour. Sockets are around £8 each; the same house would need 28, so £220 plus £420 for labour.

Bulbs (light fitting costs vary): Tungsten: 30p (lasts around 1,000hrs) Halogen: £2.50 (2,000hrs) Low-Voltage Halogen: £3.50 (2,000hrs) Fluorescent: £2.50 (8,000 hrs) Compact Fluorescent: £5-15 (6,000hrs) LEDs: £5 (10,000hrs)

Further reading:

• Smart Homes
• Ventilation and Built-in Vacuums

Return to 'The 12 Steps of Self-build: Electrics'