LED and interior lighting

LED and interior lighting in Herne Bay

Good LED lighting in a Herne Bay home starts with the room, not the catalogue: what happens in it, where the light needs to fall, and what the ceiling and walls will allow. We plan and install interior lighting for villas, renovated character homes and newer houses, from a single pendant over a dining table to the whole lighting plan for a renovation.

Send an enquiry 021 156 4005

A dining room with tall sash windows in a bay, a lantern-style ceiling light, a round table with a floral cloth and a polished timber floor

More than one light in the middle of the ceiling

Many of Herne Bay's villas and Edwardian houses were designed in an era when a room might have one light hanging from the middle of the ceiling, if that. Those rooms are often generous and beautifully proportioned, but a single centre light leaves corners dark, flattens timber detailing and makes reading or cooking harder than it needs to be. The answer is rarely more of the same light. It is usually a few layers: something general for the room, something focused where you work or read, and something softer for the evening.

In practice that might mean wall lights either side of a fireplace, a dimmable pendant over the dining table, picture lights or a slim LED strip along a bookcase, and switching that lets you change the mood without walking round the room. Where the existing cabling is old or there is nowhere sensible to switch new lights from, it can be part of a villa rewire rather than an add-on to tired wiring.

Kitchens, islands and renovations

A kitchen needs light on the bench in front of you, not just above your head. Pendants over an island give a strong, even pool of light where people work and gather, and lighting under the overhead cupboards takes away the shadow your own body casts on the bench. Separate switching for each layer means the kitchen can be bright for cooking and quiet once the dishes are done.

If you are renovating, the best time to involve an electrician is before the walls and ceilings are closed in. Cables can then be run to exactly where pendants, strips and switches will go, rather than being fished through finished linings later. Bring your kitchen or renovation plans to a conversation with our electricians and we can mark up the lighting with you.

A white kitchen with three black pendant lights over the island bench, a strip of under-cabinet lighting and a city view through a tall window

Downlights and your ceiling insulation

Older downlights with halogen or incandescent bulbs bring a hidden cost. According to MBIE's guidance on downlights and recessed lights, older downlights get hot enough that safety regulations require a 100mm gap between them and the ceiling insulation. Every one of those gaps is a hole in the insulation through which warm air escapes into the roof space, and a ceiling full of them can undo much of the insulation's work.

The fix MBIE recommends is to replace older halogen or incandescent downlights with modern LED downlights rated IC or IC-F. Insulation that can cope with temperatures up to 90 degrees Celsius can be laid up to and over those fittings, so the ceiling is properly covered again and the lights use far less power. If you are not sure what is in your ceiling now, we can identify the fittings and tell you which need replacing.

Lighting we install

Pendants and feature lights

Over tables, islands and stairwells, hung at the right height and on their own switch or dimmer.

Wall lights and picture lights

Softer light at eye level, useful in high-ceilinged rooms and either side of a fireplace or bed.

LED downlights

IC or IC-F rated fittings that let the ceiling insulation cover them, laid out to light the room evenly.

Dimmers and two-way switching

Dimmers matched to dimmable LEDs, and switches at both ends of a hallway or stair.

Strip and under-cupboard lighting

Slim LED strips for benches, shelves and joinery, with the driver placed where it can be reached.

Sensor and night lighting

Low lights for hallways and stairs at night, and sensor lights that can be part of a home security set-up.

Lighting questions

Why does my new LED bulb flicker on the dimmer?

Not every LED bulb is dimmable, and standard ones are not. A dimmable LED can still flicker on an old dimmer designed for incandescent bulbs, so the fix is often a matching dimmer as well as the right bulb.

Can I just swap my halogen spotlights for LED bulbs?

Sometimes. Check whether the fitting takes a 12 volt MR16 bulb or a 240 volt GU10, because they are not interchangeable. With older recessed downlights, though, replacing the whole fitting with an IC-rated LED one is usually the better move for the insulation.

Warm white or cool white?

For living areas and bedrooms most people prefer warm white. Cooler light suits places where seeing detail matters, like a garage workbench.

Do I get a certificate for new lights?

New lights on new wiring are fixed wiring work, so you receive a Certificate of Compliance. Swapping an existing fitting for a similar one is maintenance and does not need one.

Do you light shops and offices too?

Yes. We do commercial electrical work as well as residential, including lighting for retail and office spaces.

Planning new lighting?

Call 021 156 4005 or tell us about the rooms in the form below, and an electrician will get back to you.

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Contact us

Call 021 156 4005 at any hour of the day or night, or leave the details below and we will get back to you.

021 156 4005

Auckland
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