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myCost of Light Fixtures and Fittings
At a Glance
- The average cost of a new light installation is around £100.
- The job will take approximately 2 to 3 hours to complete.
- A complete lighting installation pricing breakdown, including the cost of different light fixtures.
- The time it takes to change a light fitting, and an overview of the steps involved in replacing a light fixture.
- How to distinguish different light bulb fittings to know what you need.
- How to find and hire a local electrician to fit new lights.
How much does it cost for an electrician to install a ceiling light in the UK?
The average cost of installing light fixtures will typically be around £100 depending on the complexity of the job and other factors.
There are a whole range of home lighting options available to choose from, such as kitchen light fittings, ceiling light fixtures, bedroom light fixtures, and many more. Determining what's right for you can be overwhelming, with variations in price, light quality, and brightness to consider.
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If you're curious how much new lighting features may cost to install, keep reading to discover local electrician fees, material costs, and more.
£100
Table of Contents
How Much Does It Cost to Change a Light Fitting?
Want to find out how much light fittings cost to install?
For a simple like-for-like replacement - such as changing one existing light fixture for a new light fixture - you can expect costs of £100 for combined material and labour costs, with the entire job taking around 1 hour to complete. This is a fairly simple job for an electrician to complete, but if your home has old electrical wiring, or the existing light fitting is hard to access, you can expect labour costs to increase with the additional time needed.
This cost assumes you're looking to install a ceiling light with existing wiring. If you need new wiring, or a complete electrical home rewire, you can expect your labour costs to rise, with the cost of home rewiring ranging from £5,500 to £7,000 for a semi-detached house.
Adding a chandelier or pendant light can transform a space, adding a focal point. Depending on the type of light fitting you choose, you can expect supply costs of around £80, together with labour costs of £50 for an electrician's fitting fees.
You can also make use of an electrician being at your property by adding in some extra electrical sockets. The cost of electrical socket installation is around £75, making it a cost-effective way of utilising the contractor's time.
We want a ceiling light swapped. I had a look myself and there are a lot of wires attached to the current light fixture. How much would this cost?
"A local electrician would normally charge £40 to £50 to replace the fitting dependant on time and travel."
New Internal Light Fixture Installation Costs
Let's take a closer look at some light fitting supply and installation costs, considering different light bulb fittings.
Spotlights and downlights are a great way of adding a sleek, modern feel to rooms, while adding extra light in specific locations. The cost of installing spotlights and downlights ranges from £300 to £500 for supply and installation, taking between 2 to 4 hours to complete depending on the job's complexity and ease of access.
| Job Description | Duration | Material Cost | Labour Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiling or Wall Lamp Replacement | 1 hour | £50 | £50 |
| Single Lightweight Pendant/Chandelier With No Extra Wiring | 1 hour | £80 | £50 |
| 6 Lamp Lighting Grid in the Kitchen With New Wiring | 4 hours | £650 | £250 |
| 4 Dimmed Wall Lights in the Living Room | 2 – 3 hours | £250 | £175 |
| Downlight/Spotlight Installation in One Room | 2 - 4 hours | £20 - £75 | £280 - £425 |
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New External Light Fixture Installation Costs
While you have an electrician at your property, it's cost-efficient to schedule multiple electrical changes at the same time if you know you have upgrades you want to make. This will help to negate any further call-out fees or extra fees for small jobs when you can roll them into one slightly larger project.
Adding external lights to your property can help with security while providing lighting for hosting and entertaining. Outdoor floodlights cost as little as £4 to £80 each, with labour costs of around £100.
If you want to up your outdoor security game further, outdoor motion activated lights cost between £90 to £500 for supply and installation, helping to alert you to any potential unwanted visitors.
You may want outdoor soffits installed to brighten up your property's exterior or enhance architectural features. The cost of outdoor low-voltage soffits ranges from £270 to £400 for supply and installation, depending on the volume of lights and the complexity of the installation.
Lastly, while external lighting is our main focus, installing a few outdoor plug sockets can give you an easy electrical supply for lawnmowing and other outdoor tasks. Outdoor socket installation costs £10 to £15 per single socket, with £75 to £185 added on in electrician fees to fit and install the sockets.
| Job Description | Duration | Material Cost | Labour Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Floodlight Installation | 1 hour | £4 - £80 | £100 |
| Outdoor Spotlight Installation | 1 hour | £8 - £400 | £100 |
| Low-Voltage Exterior Light Installation | 2 - 4 hours | £120 - £200 | £150 - £200 |
| Outdoor Single Socket Installation | 1 - 2 hours | £10 - £15 | £75 - £185 |
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How to Choose the Right Light Fittings
With so many light fittings on the market, deciding what's best for your home can be overwhelming. To help you choose, you should consider:
- What's the purpose of the new lighting? - Is it purely decorative, or is it providing a functional benefit?
- Do you have a current lighting style? - If your home already has a distinct style, such as ultra-modern spotlights, you'll want to keep your lighting upgrades within the same style family.
- Are you swapping like-for-like light fittings or requiring extensive rewiring? - The former will give you lower labour fees, while the latter will raise your labour costs.
Ceiling lights are a range with possibly the biggest choice out of all internal lighting options. You can choose everything from traditional and retro light fittings, right through to the most contemporary designs.
Metal ceiling lights made from industrial materials are becoming very popular along with the ever-fashionable glass light fittings. Spotlights are very desirable right now, especially in bathrooms and kitchens, as these lights not only look great, but also allow you to focus the light exactly where you want it.
Pendant-type lights, including chandeliers and modern cluster ceiling lights, are an easy way to make a fashion statement and are the obvious choice when you need to make an impression. It's worth bearing in mind that extra wiring might be needed for these pendants and chandeliers, as well as ensuring the area you're hanging the light is suitable for the additional weight load.
When buying ceiling light fittings, there are several things to consider - but the most basic mistake to avoid is buying a light fitting you like and then trying to work out which room it might suit afterwards! You should aim to shop the other way round and look for ceiling lights to enhance a particular room.
For ceiling lights in particular, you need to consider the room's width. Narrow rooms are awkward to light, so you may want to choose track lighting, where several spotlights are mounted in a row on a track.
Track lighting and spotlights are available for rooms up to 30 metres. Height is also a crucial consideration, and you're best to avoid pendant lights and chandeliers in modern homes with low ceilings.
How can I go about layering lighting?
"Layering lighting refers to the use of multiple sources of light to create a well-lit space with different levels of brightness and ambiance. This approach to lighting is important in interior design because it can help to enhance the look and feel of a room, create a sense of depth, and highlight key elements."
How To Save Money on New Light Fitting Installations
The easiest way to update your home lighting is to simply replace the shades and bulbs on your existing ceiling lights. There’s nothing wrong with choosing this option if you get the style just right.
For wet rooms, you need to consider the IP rating as well as the size and style. The IP rating measures how well the light fitting is protected against the ingress of dust and water. For example, if you're lighting a bathroom, then you need a light fitting that is IP4-rated.
You also need to consider how much light you need in a particular space. Larger spaces will obviously need larger fittings to light them, or alternatively, use a number of smaller fittings depending on the look you want to achieve.
For instance, your property's loft space might be underutilised because there is no lighting. The cost to install loft lighting is around £120, taking just 2 to 3 hours to complete.
LED and other dedicated low-energy fittings are very popular today due to their long life and cost efficiency. You may have to pay out a little bit more initially for the technology, but the long-term savings are definitely worth it.
Your lighting can be adapted further to be more energy-efficient by installing smart lighting functionalities. Switching to smart bulbs costs £10 to £50 for the bulb itself, with an extra £20 to £100 for the smart hub itself, and £40 to £50 in labour fees to have it all installed.
How to Change a Light Fitting: Can I Do It Myself?
LED spotlights or downlights can offer the perfect finishing touch to a room. Most people would rather have an electrician to install LED downlights for them, however, it is possible to fit them yourself if you follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
- Before you begin any electrical work, make sure that you have properly isolated the electrical circuit and that there is no chance of anybody else switching it back on to prevent any accidents.
- Measure your downlighter carefully and cut your circles the correct size – checking there are no wires or pipes in the way before you start cutting.
- Cut out the circles carefully using a plasterboard saw or pad saw, then feed the wiring through the holes and connect all the wires into the connector strip.
- Screw the connector cover closed and push it up into the hole out of sight.
- Push in the lugs on the LED downlight and then push the light up into the hole. The lugs will then spring back out and keep the light in place.
Can I control living and dining room lights separately? I have one switch for both areas but want two. How much work and cost to install separate switches?
"You wouldn't need to install two separate switches just replace the existing 1-way switch for a 2-way switch. Hire a competent electrician to do this minor work. Expect to pay no more than £60 to £80, not including materials."
Checklist: How to Find and Hire an Electrician in the UK
Some light fittings are simple to install, needing basic DIY skills, but others will need some rewiring and more complex skills, so they are best left to competent electricians. When hiring a local electrician, bear the following in mind:
- Determine the scope of your job - do you need any rewiring, or is it a like-for-like swap?
- Are there any other electrical jobs you can add to the project to help save costs?
- Gather at least 3 quotes from different local electricians using MyJobQuote's online directory.
- Ask for a written itemised quote before beginning work to ensure there are no hidden costs.
- Check the electrician's credentials, ensuring they're qualified for the job.
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FAQs
Can My Light Fittings Be Controlled via Tablet or Smartphone?
Many light fittings today do come with their own phone/tablet applications which allow for smart control and flexibility of lighting.
What Are LED Lights?
An LED is a semiconductor that will emit light of a certain colour when an electrical charge is applied. They provide good lighting with very low heat, so are efficient and have a very long bulb life of up to 50,000 hours.
Where Can I Install Spotlights and Track Lighting?
Track lighting and spotlights can be used in almost any room in the home. They are useful for a variety of purposes and although these lighting types tend to be more popular in kitchens, they are particularly good for directing light at artwork, ornaments, feature walls, kitchen countertops and work surfaces.
Will Dimmers or Control Systems Save Me Money?
Dimmers and control systems will contribute to cost savings on electricity bills if you adjust them correctly and only use as much power as necessary for the lighting effect you require.
Where Can I Install a Pendant Light?
Pendant lights are versatile and can be used in any room, however, certain types of pendant light fittings are suited to certain rooms better than others. Traditionally pendant light fittings are used in living rooms but they do look great when used elsewhere.
For example, in the kitchen pendants look good over your kitchen table or island, plus mini pendant lights look great in the dining room over the table.
For example, in the kitchen pendants look good over your kitchen table or island, plus mini pendant lights look great in the dining room over the table.
