What is office lighting?
Office lighting is the design and installation of luminaires that light desks, meeting rooms, circulation areas and receptions to the right level without glare. BS EN 12464-1:2021 uses 500 lux on the task area as the benchmark for reading, writing and screen work, with lower levels acceptable in corridors and break-out spaces.
What's included
- LED panels, linear suspended fittings or downlights to suit your ceilings
- Layouts that hit around 500 lux on desks with low glare on screens
- Presence detection in meeting rooms, toilets and stores
- Daylight dimming along window bays
- Emergency lighting checked and integrated with the new layout
- Out-of-hours installation so desks stay usable during the working day
How we deliver office lighting
Survey
We measure existing light levels, note ceiling grids and check how each area is used.
Design
A layout and fitting schedule with lux targets for desks, meeting rooms and circulation.
Install
Floor-by-floor works, usually after hours, with dust sheets and daily clean-down.
Commission
Sensors set, scenes programmed where used, certification and a handover pack.
Guide prices
National guide budgets, supplied and installed, excluding VAT. Your fixed price follows a free survey.
| Item | Guide budget (ex VAT) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| LED panel (600×600) | £50 – £150 | per fitting, supplied and fitted |
| Presence (PIR) sensor | £40 – £80 | per sensor, installed |
| Daylight sensor | £60 – £120 | per sensor, installed |
| DALI dimming and control | £50 – £150 | per luminaire, on top of the fitting |
Example: 60 LED panels with presence sensing in a 600 m² open-plan office: about £3,600 – £10,200 excluding VAT. Get a figure for your site.
Standards and rules we work to
| Topic | Current position |
|---|---|
| Wiring | BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations. Every installation is tested and certified. |
| Workplace light levels | BS EN 12464-1:2021, for example 500 lux on office task areas and 150 lux at the floor of rack storage. |
| Emergency lighting | BS 5266-1:2025 code of practice, BS EN 1838:2024 light levels and BS EN 50172:2024 testing and records. |
| Energy efficiency of new lighting | England: Approved Document L (95 luminaire lm/circuit-W, rising above 105 from 24 March 2027). Wales: Welsh Approved Document L (new edition from 4 March 2027). Scotland: Section 6. Northern Ireland: Technical Booklet F2. |
| Fire safety duties | England and Wales: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Scotland: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. Northern Ireland: Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. |
| Waste | Fluorescent tubes are hazardous waste and are recycled through authorised routes, with paperwork. |
Office lighting FAQs
How many lux does an office need?
BS EN 12464-1:2021 gives 500 lux maintained on the task area for writing, reading and data processing. Surrounding areas, corridors and break-out spaces can be lower. The standard also sets limits for glare and uniformity.
Panels or linear pendants?
Recessed 600×600 panels suit suspended grid ceilings and are the simplest swap. Linear suspended fittings suit exposed soffits and can light both the desk and the ceiling, which makes a space feel brighter.
Can you work outside office hours?
Yes. Most office projects are done in the evening or at weekends, a zone at a time, so staff come back to a working floor.
Do we need sensors in an office?
They are worth it in meeting rooms, toilets, kitchens and stores, where lights are often left on. Daylight dimming along windows also saves energy in perimeter zones.
Office lighting by area
We provide office lighting in every part of the UK. Choose your area:
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- City of Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire
- Clwyd
- Dyfed
- Gwent
- Gwynedd
- Mid Glamorgan
- Powys
- South Glamorgan
- West Glamorgan
- Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
- Dundee and Angus
- Argyll and Bute
- Ayrshire
- Dumfries and Galloway
- Edinburgh and the Lothians
- Fife
- Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire
- Glasgow and Dunbartonshire
- Highlands and Islands
- Lanarkshire
- Moray
- Perth and Kinross
- Renfrewshire and Inverclyde
- Scottish Borders
- County Antrim
- County Armagh
- County Down
- County Fermanagh
- County Londonderry
- County Tyrone
Related services
LED lighting upgrades
Swap fluorescent, halogen and metal halide fittings for efficient LED.
Lighting controls
Presence detection, daylight dimming and DALI systems.
Commercial lighting design
Lux calculations, layouts and specifications for any commercial space.
Emergency lighting installation
Escape route lighting and exit signs designed to BS 5266-1.
Guides
LED vs fluorescent: savings and payback for businesses
How much energy LED saves against fluorescent, metal halide and sodium lighting, and how to work out payback.
Fluorescent tube phase-out: what UK businesses need to know
Which fluorescent tubes have been phased out in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, what it means for existing fittings and how to plan.
Part L and lighting efficacy for commercial buildings
The lighting efficacy figures in Approved Document L, the Welsh and Scottish equivalents and Northern Ireland's Technical Booklet F2, plus the 2027 changes.