Loft lighting

[lamandler]

I am trying to do a builder spec for a new loft bedroom and en suite - and I am a bit stuck on lighting. Has anyone any tips on how to light a loft extension? Am wondering if LED spotlights would be better than halogen, but to be honest I haven't a clue what the difference is!

My loft has something a bit like this

• it has halogen bulbs in at the minute. The main important difference between halogens and LEDs is the heat they kick out - LEDs don't get that hot at all, but halogen bulbs do, and if your ceiling's pretty low, that's probably important...

Wall lights give a softer light than most downlighters and can work if you have low ceiling heights.

LEDs are more expensive than halogens, but longer lasting and more energy efficient. We have halogen downlighters in bathroom no. 1, and LED downlighters in bathroom no 2.

I'm pretty pleased with the LEDs, so we're planning to use them in more places.

Too meet building regs on my extension i have had to put in low energy lighting. The lights i want (led similar to MyCoilPicksUpGaydar link) dont meet the regs so my electrician will swap them over once i have the council have signed off my building regs.

Interesting, thanks - didn't realise LEDs weren't low energy enough for regs. Are they 'warm' lighting? We have so many of those low energy bulbs around that make the place look like a Stalinist prison in a harsh cold kinda way....want to avoid that look at all costs

LEDs come in different colours, so you just have to make sure you pick 'warm' white not 'cool' white.

From my building plans submitted and passed by the council for building regs

75% of all lighting to be low energy type with fittings capable of only accepting bulbs having a luminous efficacy greater than 60 lumens per circuit watt.

My loft was done recently... and passed building regs... and at no stage were they concerned about whether the lighting was low energy or not... I've got a reclaimed ships lamp with a normal incandescent bulb in it up there too. All building control were interested in was stuff like insulation, fire routes, fire doors and structural integrity...