Installing Spotlights Cost

How Much Does it Cost to Install Spotlights?

So, what are the downlights installation costs or spotlights installation cost?

The average cost of having one spotlight installed would land around £50 to £160, while the price to have four downlights or spotlights installed would be about £300 to £500.

If you want to pay for approximately 8-10 spotlights to be fitted, expect to pay somewhere in the range of £500 to £1,300.

We'll now break down the spotlights installation cost in more detail…

Spotlight Installation Prices

What are the Supply Costs for Downlights?

Let's take a look at how much spotlights or downlights cost when purchased directly from a retailer.

The supply costs are particularly useful to know so you understand how much the parts cost as part of an overall quote for installation. Professional installation of lights is always recommended, as a contractor will have the right skills and knowledge to complete the job safely.

It’s always essential that you isolate the relevant electrics from the mains or turn off all power to ensure you do not suffer an electric shock.

The spotlight prices for one unit are around £20 to £80, whereas you'd need a budget of about £80 to £320 should you wish to buy four spotlights. Purchasing 8-10 downlights/spotlights would likely cost between £160 and £800.

Additional Jobs to Go with Installing Spotlights

Whilst having downlights or spotlights installed by a professional, there may be additional jobs you will need to complete at the same time.

Here are some suitable additional jobs to consider:

Further Electrical Upgrades

Whilst you have an electrician on site, you may want to perform further electrical upgrades within your room, including:

• New Switches or Dimmers - for better control of your new downlights or spotlights.
• Rewiring - Upgrade or replace old wiring if found to be old or faulty
• Additional Sockets - Install new power points nearby

Ceiling Repair

Spotlights usually require cutting into the ceiling, so you may need to repair your ceiling once the lights are installed. This could include plastering jobs such as patching or skimming to fix any holes around the new light fittings.

Once you have had the area replastered, you may want to hire a painter and decorator to repaint your ceiling to give a fresh new look to complement your new lights.

Loft Upgrades

To install spotlights and downlights on an upper floor, the electrician may need to access your loft. Accessing your loft can be made a lot safer with the installation of a bright loft light.

For around £100 to £150, an electrician can install a new loft light and fit a light switch outside the loft hatch.

Whilst in the loft, your installer will also need to move any insulation away from the new light fittings as a fire safety precaution. Whilst doing this you may choose to upgrade or replace your loft insulation for better energy efficiency.

Install Smart Lighting

When installing spotlights, why not consider upgrading them to a smart lighting system.

This can be either done by using smart bulbs or using integrated smart LED downlights that can be controlled via mobile apps or voice assistants such as Alexa, Google or Siri.

This not only adds a level of convenience to your home's lighting but also offers energy savings as you can automate when they turn on and off.

Tradesmen Costs for Spotlights Installation

Now let's move on to the labour costs involved in installing downlights. This is what you'd pay the electrician for their work when fitting the lights.

On average, electricians charge around £30 to £40 per hour or approximately £220 to £250 per day.

The labour costs would be around £30 to £80 for one downlight/spotlight, £220 to £250 (for a day's work, therefore) to have four spotlights installed and approximately £340 to £500 for the installation of 8-10 downlights or spotlights.

The labour cost of installing spotlights depends on:

• The scale of the job
• Ease of access
• Where in the UK you live

Labour prices vary from region to region across the UK. Electricians tend to charge above-average rates in the southeast of England (London especially), while labour rates are generally lower in northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

How Long Does It Take to Install Spotlights?

The duration of the work would depend on factors such as the size and type of lights being installed, as well as, of course, the number of lights being fitted.

If we look at the amount of lights as an example:

• One spotlight will take 1 - 2 hours to fit
• Four spotlights will take around 6-8 hours to fit
• Eight - ten spotlights will take between 1 1/2 days to 2 days to fit.

How many electricians you have working on the job would also impact how long the work takes, although it's rare that more than one electrician would be involved.

Types of Spotlights

There are many types of downlights and spotlights available on the market, each with its own design, features, and benefits. In this section, we’ll explore the most common types of spotlights, along with their advantages and disadvantages, to help you determine which option may best suit your needs.

Ceiling-Mounted Lights

Ceiling-mounted spotlights are available in a variety of designs, ranging from simple, single-light fixtures to multi-light setups that can illuminate larger areas.

Single ceiling spotlights often come in a variety of styles, finishes, and sizes to match different interior designs. They can serve as subtle lighting or a decorative feature in a room.

Three-light LED providence lights and four-lighted spotlight bars offer even more versatility and brightness. Ideal for larger spaces or rooms that require more focused lighting in multiple directions.

Pros:

• A popular and effective option
• A wide selection of styles, finishes & configurations available
• Can serve both functional and decorative purposes

Cons:

• No specific downsides

Wall-Mounted Lights

Alternative options are wall-mounted spotlights/downlights. These lights, however, are best installed in conjunction with other ceiling-mounted spotlights/downlights rather than as standalone lights.

While they can help enhance the overall ambience of a room, they generally aren’t suitable as the primary source of light on their own. Instead, they work best when paired with ceiling-mounted lights to create a layered lighting effect.

Pros:

• A great way to supplement your room’s existing lighting
• Allows you to use a different space for additional lighting
• Can help highlight specific areas or features within the room

Cons:

• Won't suffice as lighting on their own
• Placement can be limited depending on available wall space

IP Rating

One common way of categorising downlights is in relation to their IP rating.

IP rating or ingress protection rating determines how well light can protect itself from things like dust and water.

When it comes to the numbers used in an IP rating, the first digit refers to its protection levels against physical matter, whereas the second digit covers liquid matter such as water.

Lights with, say, an IP20 rating is touch-proof but not resistant to water, whereas any lights with a rating of IP44 or more are resistant to dust and water.

If the lights are rated above IP44 (i.e., both digits being higher than four), they may be used in bathroom zones 1 and 2, meaning that they could be mounted directly atop a shower.

For the most part, though, electricians would rather fit a light with an IP65 rating in these cases for more protection. It's essential that the IP rating of light suits its environment both for safety and practical purposes.

Let’s now look at some popular downlights based on their IP rating…

IP20 Downlights

An incredibly popular and straightforward choice is fixed downlights with an IP rating of 20. These lights, of course, point straight down. They are usually inexpensive and feature a small diameter.

Alternatively, you might want to consider adjustable IP20 downlights for more flexibility in terms of how the room is lit up.

IP20 downlights are not well-suited to bathrooms, but they are generally a fine option for kitchen installations. With that said, you could not fit them above a stove or sink as they would not offer sufficient water resistance (that being 0 – the second digit).

Pros:

• Commonplace indoor downlights for kitchens
• Generally cheap
• Small diameter

Cons:

• Not always a suitable choice (e.g., for bathrooms)

Outdoor IP44 Downlights

These lights are a suitable option for outdoor security lighting since, with an IP44 rating, they are sufficiently water-resistant to be used in an external setting. For instance, they might be installed on fascias and soffits.

Of course, not any IP44 downlight would be suitable for outdoor use since the actual materials and finish are also of concern when exposed to the elements. You want to avoid installing IP44 downlights that rust and deteriorate too easily.

Pros:

• Likely a relatively inexpensive option for outdoor lighting
• A good option for security lighting when you choose the right product

Cons:

• Generally, they are not the highest quality options for outdoor security lighting.

IP65 Bathroom Downlights

Downlights with an IP rating of 65 are a great option for bathrooms. Notably, plenty of lighting companies only provides integrated LED downlights as IP65s, which feature a dust/water-resistant seal.

IP65 bathroom downlights can be installed anywhere suitable for a light to be installed. You should be aware, though, that for long periods of immersion, bathroom lighting and electricians need an IP rating of 68.

Pros:

• Ideal for bathrooms
• Plenty of integrated LED downlights with IP65 ratings
• It can be installed almost anywhere

Cons:

• Maybe a bit more expensive

How Much Does It Cost to Remove Downlights?

Whether you’re thinking of having current downlights removed or might at some point down the line, you might be interested in knowing how much this would cost.

You may consider removing these lights to have new types of lighting installed in their place or because you no longer have a need for said lighting source in a given room.

The labour cost to have spotlights removed would be around £30 to £80, with the work likely to take somewhere between one and two hours, depending on the number of lights being removed.

Of course, some time would need to be set aside for the clean-up and waste removal.

Old lights and electrics can’t be disposed of with general waste, however. For that reason, you may face a small additional fee to deal with the waste removal.

Some potential solutions for disposing of old lights/electrics are:

• Kerbside collection.
• Handing them over to certain retailers (if the electrics are in the right condition etc.).
• Dropping the items off at a nearby recycling centre.

If in doubt, get in touch with those who run one or more of the aforementioned locations and check if they'll take your lights and their electrics.

FAQs

Q: How do you replace halogen downlights?

A: You may want to replace your halogen downlights with the more efficient alternative of LEDs.

If in doubt about any part of the process, you should hire a qualified electrician.

The exact process can vary depending on the products, among other factors (so it's best to check the manufacturer's guidance for certainty), but here is, broadly speaking, what is involved:

1. Ensure that the main power to the lighting circuit is turned off. This is crucial to prevent an electric shock that could be lethal.
2. Remove the halogen bulb.
3. Next, you’ll need to find the cable that is fitted into the Halogen holder’s terminal block. Unscrew this so that the holder itself can be released.
4. Remove the halogen bracket.
5. Locate the two main wires that were previously hooked up to the Halogens. Connect them to the mains 240vAC input of the LED transformer. You should see polarity ensuring that the live wire is hooked up to the LED transformer's live input, with the neutral wire being connected to the neutral input. It's also important to note that there should be two mains cables hooked up to the downlights that are followed by another. This is to make sure that the voltage can be carried to the next downlight within the circuit.
6. Place the LED transformer through the ceiling hole. Fit it into place before installing the LED downlight itself. It's important to pull the spring retaining clips back to place the LED downlight incorrectly and ensure a correct fitting.
7. Repeat each of the above steps for every downlight being replaced with an LED.
8. Once everything is firmly in place, installed and definitively safe, you can turn back on the mains power to the lighting switch.
9. Turn on your new LED downlights using the light switch. If all looks good, you've successfully completed the installation of the new LEDs in place of your old halogen downlights. You'll now enjoy brighter and more energy-efficient lighting as a result!

Q: How long do downlights/spotlights tend to last?

A: Spotlights have a life expectancy of up to 50,000 hours. As a result, there’s a good chance they can last for as much as a decade.

This is far better than halogen and incandescent light bulbs, which are expected to last for around 1,000 to 2,000 hours. However, the most durable option would be dimmable LEDs, which tend to last for as long as 100,000 hours or perhaps up to twenty years or more!

Q: What IP rating is needed for a light fitted above a stove or sink?

A: While downlights/stoplights fitted in a kitchen can generally have an IP rating of just 20, if they are installed over a stove or kitchen, then water resistance will be very important. As a result, you’ll want an IP rating of at least x4 (e.g., 44).

Q: What distinguishes an IP67 rated lighting fixture from one with an IP68 rating?

A: 1P67 lights can protect virtually 100% against dust, as well as protect against water immersion on a temporary basis. However, for the former level of protection against dust AND protection against long-term immersion, you’ll need an IP68 bathroom light.

Q: What are fire-rated downlights?

A: These downlights are designed to restore the fire integrity of a ceiling after a hole has been cut to fit the light in place. In other words, having one of these lights installed shouldn't make your ceiling any less resistant to fire.

As a result, fire-rated downlights must be able to pass a relevant fire resistance test.

Sources

1. https://www.downlights.co.uk/faq-downlight-types.html
2. https://www.thelightingsuperstore.co.uk/interior-lighting/spot-lights
3. https://www.savemoneycutcarbon.com/learn-save/ip-ratings-by-room/

Author: Melissa

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Digital Media, I'm a freelance writer and I've worked for clients such as the British Blockchain Association and I have experience in writing articles, YouTube video scripts, online guides and newsletters. I have written and produced many short films as well as a web series and feature film. I am also currently working on a novel.