What does new bathroom lighting cost in Northamptonshire?
Our guide range in Northamptonshire is £350–£1,150 including VAT. Prices in Northamptonshire run at about 4% below the UK guide, based on East Midlands labour rates.
Essential
- Testing and certificate
Layered
- Downlights plus mirror or vanity light
Feature
- Illuminated mirror cabinet
Guide prices for Northamptonshire including VAT. Your itemised written quote after the free survey is the price that counts.
Which towns do we cover in Northamptonshire?
Water across much of Northamptonshire is 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 Northampton, the lighting is planned with the extractor fan so the two work together.
What the job includes
- Testing and an electrical certificate for the work on completion
- Cable runs to each fitting, from the loft above or through the ceiling
- RCD protection on the lighting circuit, checked at the consumer unit and added where it is missing
- A lighting plan: number and position of downlights, mirror lighting, switches and any shaver socket
- A shaver supply unit where wanted, positioned away from direct spray
- Fire-rated downlights or fire hoods where the ceiling has to keep its fire resistance
Decisions to make first
Feature lighting
LED strips in niches, under a wall-hung vanity or along a plinth give enough light for night-time without full glare.
Switching
A pull-cord inside, a switch outside the door or a motion sensor. Dimmers need LED fittings that are compatible with them.
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.
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.
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.