What does new bathroom lighting cost in Hertfordshire?
Our guide range in Hertfordshire is £350–£1,250 including VAT. Prices in Hertfordshire run at about 6% above the UK guide, based on East of England labour rates.
Essential
- Testing and certificate
Layered
- Downlights plus mirror or vanity light
Feature
- Illuminated mirror cabinet
Guide prices for Hertfordshire including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Hertfordshire?
- Watford
- Hemel Hempstead
- Stevenage
- St Albans
- Welwyn Garden City
- Cheshunt
- Hatfield
- Bishops Stortford
- Borehamwood
- Hitchin
- Hoddesdon
- Letchworth Garden City
- North Watford
- Harpenden
- Bushey
- Hertford
- Rickmansworth
- Potters Bar
- Berkhamsted
- Ware
Water across much of Hertfordshire is very hard. We plan easy-clean glass, rimless toilets and finishes that do not show limescale. Hardness varies street by street, so check the figure for your postcode with your water supplier. If you are refitting a windowless bathroom in Watford, the lighting is planned with the extractor fan so the two work together.
What the job includes
- IP-rated fittings chosen for each zone, with IP65 downlights over the bath or shower
- RCD protection on the lighting circuit, checked at the consumer unit and added where it is missing
- Testing and an electrical certificate for the work on completion
- A ceiling pull-cord or a switch outside the room, with separate switching for mirror and feature lights
- Fire-rated downlights or fire hoods where the ceiling has to keep its fire resistance
- Cable runs to each fitting, from the loft above or through the ceiling
Decisions to make first
Downlight positions
Evenly spaced downlights give flat, general light. Placing one over the shower and one over the basin puts the light where you actually use it.
Mirror lighting
An illuminated mirror or mirror cabinet lights the face from the front, which a ceiling light cannot do. Many include a demister pad and a shaver socket.
Colour temperature
Warm white, around 3000 K, feels softer; cool white, around 4000 K, is crisper for shaving and make-up. Mixing the two in one room looks uneven.
Integrated or replaceable LED
Integrated LED downlights are slimmer and fully sealed. Fittings with replaceable lamps let you change brightness or colour later.
Rules that apply in England
BS 7671 sets the rules for bathroom electrics across the UK. Every circuit in a room with a bath or shower needs 30 mA RCD protection. Zone 0 is inside the bath or shower tray and needs IPX7 fittings; zone 1 is above it up to 2.25 m and needs at least IPX4, or IPX5 where water jets are used; zone 2 extends 0.6 m out from zone 1, where IPX4 is recommended. Sockets other than shaver supply units must be at least 3 m from the zone 1 boundary.
In England, Part P makes a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement and any addition or alteration to circuits in a room with a bath or shower notifiable. The work must be done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme or notified to building control. Replacing a light fitting like for like is not usually notifiable, but it still has to meet BS 7671.