Almost every home unit, regardless of size, comes with a carport. Garages have evolved into multi-functional spaces that may be used for various purposes, including storage, workshops, and studios, as well as providing a limitless number of alternative uses for the space.
Although many people believe garage lighting to be trivial or insignificant, considering the variety of purposes for the garage area, a well-installed and well-planned lighting system is critical for the space’s function and safety.
Poor or insufficient lighting can impair the intended functions, create eye strain, and even result in accidents.
Even if utilized solely for car parking, only sufficient illumination will allow for smooth steering and a clearly defined parking space at night. In this article, we will share with you “How many led lights for the garage?“ and how many are enough.
Why Does Your Garage Need Good Lighting?
It is critical to construct and set up an appropriate lighting system regardless of the intended function or use of the garage area.
A dimly illuminated garage is not only inconvenient for the work at hand, but it may also be dangerous, causing you to trip over threads or hoses or accidentally knock things off.
You are in danger of accidents if you try any maintenance work, no matter how simple, in a dimly illuminated garage.
A properly-designed lighting system in your garage lowers hazards and provides human safety and an accident-free environment.
The most excellent garage lighting transforms a potentially dangerous room into a safer, friendlier space that seems more open and comfortable.
Fortunately, the industry offers a wide choice of LED lighting to match the space’s requirements.
Introducing multi-position lighting and upgrading your whole garage lighting system can be as simple as replacing traditional lighting fixtures with energy-efficient LEDs or screws.
How much lighting Do I Need In My Garage?
After emphasizing the significance of garage parking spots, the next important consideration is the amount of lighting necessary within the garage.
To answer this topic, you must first grasp what the term ‘lumens’ means, as it is frequently displayed or highlighted on LED light bulb packaging or marketing.
Lumens are a measurement of how much light a light source produces, with the higher the lumens rating, the brighter the LED.
The term “lumen output” is distinct from “wattage,” which refers to the amount of energy used by an electrical item.
When addressing the amount of illumination required in an area, such as a garage, you should usually evaluate and determine the ‘lumens’ required.
As a general guideline, a minimum of 50 lumens of lighting is necessary for every square meter of virtual garage space. For more practical purposes, 80-100 lumens per square foot are recommended.
13200 lumens of lighting are required for a one-car garage with an approximate space of 264 square feet (22 feet by 12 feet). 22000 Lumens of illumination are required for a two-car garage with a floor area of 440 square feet (22 feet by 20 feet).
You will need more light to utilize your garage for something else, like a workshop or a studio.
Read more: How To Decorate Room With LED Lights – The Useful Tips
What Type Of Light Is Best For A Garage?
Incandescent light bulbs, fluorescent light bulbs/CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps), and LEDs are examples of light sources that can be utilized in garages.
Incandescent lights are often the worst type of light to use. This type burns energy with low light output and insufficient brightness levels.
In addition, incandescent lights have a very short lifespan and require more frequent replacement.
The fluorescent coating of fluorescent light bulbs and CFLs converts UV radiation into visible light radiation.
Although they are more energy-efficient and last longer than incandescent lights, they still fall short of LEDs.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have incredibly long life spans and require significantly less energy while producing higher light output, making this type extremely cost-effective and significantly lowering electricity expenses.
LED lights are the most excellent option based on the brief descriptions of all three light sources.
LED lights are more energy-efficient, last longer, and are less expensive in the long run than other varieties.
Why Use Led Lights For The Garage?
The term “Light Emitting Diode” refers to a little component in the center of a light bulb that illuminates when electricity passes through it.
These bulbs are a popular choice because of their brightness, energy efficiency, and extended lifespan.
LEDs are standard in everyday items like flashlights, and they create directional light in the form of a brilliant beam of light that concentrates on a limited region.
Manufacturers of garage lighting address this in two ways: they design LED lights with multi-directional orientations and install reflectors to spread light across the room uniformly.
These characteristics make LED lights a great alternative to incandescent bulbs’ extensive cast lighting, without the incandescent bulbs’ irritating chemicals and UV rays.
LED lights are also 100 percent recyclable, lowering your carbon footprint dramatically. A single LED light can perform the tasks of around 25 incandescent bulbs over its lifetime, resulting in significant savings in manufacturing and production materials.
When you use LED lights in your garage, you can expect many benefits, including:
- Long lifetimes.
- Energy-efficiency.
- Improved environmental performance.
- The ability to operate in cold conditions.
- No heat or ultraviolet radiation.
- Design flexibility.
- Instant lighting and the ability to withstand frequent changes.
- Low voltage operation.
Traditional bulbs (such as incandescent bulbs) convert more than 90% of the total energy used to power them into heat, whereas LED lights emit very little forward heat.
Furthermore, LED lights’ decreased power consumption makes them far more effective in low-voltage electrical systems.
Different Types Of Garage Light Fixtures
#1. Ceiling And Wraparound Lights
These are suspended from the ceiling or linked to it with ropes or chains.
#2. High Bay Lighting
High Bay lights are primarily utilized for extensive commercial uses and facilities and are typically surface mounted or suspended from a high ceiling, thus the name.
They provide a lot of light, wholly and consistently illuminating extensive areas.
Read more: Warm White VS Cool White – Which Is The Best Lighting Selection?
#3. Shop Lights
Small and compact garages benefit greatly from shop lights.
A shop light set up like this is cost-effective, uses little energy, and provides adequate illumination for the space.
Fluorescent lights were once utilized in-store lighting. However, they have since been supplanted by LED lights.
The LED light can be fixed directly to the fixture (integrated LED shop light) or may need to be fixed separately (LED shop light retrofits).
In all circumstances, the user will find the installation process relatively straightforward and convenient.
#4. Smaller Lights
LED strips and other smaller lights can also be used. These are specialty lights used to illuminate regions where standard lighting can not reach, such as cupboards, cabinets, or other similar spaces.
Ceiling-mounted LED lights are the most popular and recommended lighting option.
Important Elements Of A Lighting Layout
#1. Overhead Lights
An overhead light is hung or fixed on the ceiling.
#2. Clamp-On Lights
Clamp-on lights are little lights that can be affixed to almost anything and can be moved around. In the garage, they are typically used for workstations and work benches.
#3. Tasks Light
In a garage, these lights illuminate specific operations on workstations.
#4. Entrance Light
An LED strip is commonly used to brighten a garage’s entry.
How To Choose An Led?
#1. Lumens
The most critical element before purchasing an LED is the bulb’s ‘lumen’ rating.
Lumens measure how bright a light bulb is, and the larger the space, the more light is required. Hence, the LED’s “lumen rating” should be higher.
#2. Wattage
The power consumption of an LED is determined by its wattage. Higher wattages indicate that the light will consume more energy, resulting in a higher electricity bill.
LEDs with lower wattages should always be chosen.
It is important to remember that wattage has nothing to do with the LED’s brightness (determined by the “lumen rating”).
#3. Colour Temperature
Another crucial characteristic to consider during the selection process is color temperature.
Each LED light has a temperature rating (for example, 5000 Kelvin or 5000 K), which indicates whether the LED bulb is warm or cool.
Low color temperatures (3000 K) are associated with warm, pleasant hues of light, while high color temperatures (6000 K) are associated with chilly, energetic light effects.
It is usually recommended to select a color temperature that is neither too chilly nor too warm, i.e., somewhere in the middle (4000–5000 K).
What Colour Temperature Is Best For A Garage?
The color temperature of light is measured on the Kelvin scale and refers to the color it produces.
Temperatures range from 3500K to 6000K, with lower values corresponding to warm and yellow effects and higher values corresponding to cold and blue effects.
Because most garages are grey, lower illumination temperatures are preferred, while higher temperatures might cause the floors to become dull.
Aim for a temperature of roughly 4-5000K in general. A 5000K light bulb produces a slight blue hue but has no harmful or disorienting consequences.
Some lights feature a color temperature that can be adjusted, allowing you to select the most appropriate color temperature from a range.
Read more: Can I Leave LED Lights 24/7? The Great Answer
Which Type Of Led Lights Are Used In Garages?
The primary purpose of garage lighting fixtures is to cover the most area with the fewest lights possible, ensuring a consistent distribution of light across the space.
Choosing LED lights is not enough; you also need to choose the right LED kind to have the maximum effect, and LED battens are the most effective LED for garages.
How To Calculate Lumens For Garage Lighting
#1. Recommended Lumens Per Square Foot
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) established illumination requirements based on how the room is used.
They are intended for commercial structures but provide some helpful information that we will apply here. (source: pdf)
For an automobile showroom or service area, they recommend 50 lumens per square foot.
We will presume your garage needs at least the same amount of light.
#2. Measure Your Garage
The square footage of your garage is the other piece of information we require. We will use this to figure out how much lighting your garage needs.
A typical one-car garage is 12 ft x 22 ft, giving it 264 square feet of area.
Similarly, the average two-car garage is around 20′ × 20′, with some size variations. This translates to about 400 square feet of space.
#3. Multiply Together
We will multiply those two amounts to get the total number of lumens you will need for your garage.
- One Car Garage
50 lumens/Sq. Ft. x 264 sq. ft. = 13,200 lumens
- Two Car Garage
50 lumens/Sq. Ft. x 400 sq. ft. = 20,000 lumens
What Are Led Battens?
LED batten lights are similar to fluorescent light tubes; however, they use LED bulbs instead. The LED battens produce uniform light, ensuring the entire garage is well illuminated.
Benefits Of Installing Led Battens In Your Garage
Installing an LED batten has several benefits:
- LED battens are cost-effective, long-lasting, and energy-saving.
- LED battens are simple to install and replace (although they rarely malfunction and require minimal replacement).
- If LED battens are evenly spaced, they will provide uniform lighting across the garage.
- LED battens are likewise small in size. They take up a minimal amount of room and may thus fit into any garage.
Where Should I Place Lights In My Garage?
Any lighting system’s principal purpose is to cover the most area with the fewest number of lights possible.
As a result, the best spot for an overhead light is in the center of the ceiling, with an equitable dispersion.
If two lights are utilized, they should be placed at approximately equal distances from the center and the boundary.
The space above the garage door or on the garage walls are two other options for mounting lights in a garage.
Instead of homogenous lighting, these arrangements would produce focused light outputs.
What To Do If There Is No Power Supply In Your Garage?
Some garages may lack a power supply capable of powering the LED battens.
Installing solar panels to generate electricity and power the LED garage lights could be an intelligent alternative in this scenario.
A portable generator, which works as a high-power battery and can power LED lights, is an alternative to solar panels.
How Long Does Each Light Bulb Last?
You might be shocked to learn how long (or how short) light bulbs survive (in the case of incandescent lights). Garage lighting is not something you should do once a year.
Instead, you should be able to install a light fixture and forget about it while working on other garage jobs. Before they must be replaced, incandescent light bulbs typically last about 1,000 hours.
It may sound like a lot, but a simple arithmetic equation indicates that you would run out of power in just one year with an average of 3 to 4 hours of daily usage.
Fluorescent light bulbs have a lifespan of up to 30,000 hours, significantly longer than incandescent bulbs. You can probably guess why they were so popular after they were mass-produced.
However, the ballasts that light the lights frequently fail before the bulb itself, necessitating the replacement of the entire fixture rather than simply the bulb.
LED light bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours, making them the world’s longest-lasting bulbs. LEDs became the go-to choice not long after they were introduced. They are also not very pricey because they are made with relatively few ingredients.
LEDs are the most significant light for your garage. They provide the best light at the lowest cost of operation. Compared to the 100-500 watt equivalent of high-powered non-LED bulbs, it is easy to see why non-LED fixtures are frequently replaced as soon as possible.
Knowing what bulbs to use and how many lumens to use is only one component of the decision-making process. To get the most out of your lights, you must also understand how to position them.
Read more: How To Wire A Bathroom Fan And A Light On Separate Switches
Garage Lighting Tips
Numerous approaches may be used to achieve the best lighting effects and a superb lighting update in the garage.
- Include accent lighting. Miniature lights, such as LED strips at the entry or in specified spots, can dramatically improve the space’s aesthetics and lighting effect. Lighting installed at specified points in the garage, such as workstations, cabinets, or cupboard edges, will increase the space’s functionality and improve its appearance.
- Always measure the dimensions of the garage before selecting the right LED light and the LED batten’s lumen rating. Because dim or overly illuminated spaces are complicated for the eyes, it is critical to research and carefully design the lighting for your garage.
- The placement and installation of lighting are crucial. Asymmetrically placed lights will result in non-uniform illumination of the garage, as well as an unappealing asymmetrical appearance.
LED lights should be chosen and installed. LED lights are the best option for a garage and have several advantages over other options.
Traditional lighting will be replaced with LED lights, which will not only illuminate the garage more effectively but also save money.
Conclusion
The garage is one of the darkest rooms in most homes, even though it is one of the most critical locations in the house to have good lighting.
It can be challenging to locate equipment and tools in dark garages. Eye strain might result in more severe repercussions, such as falls or other injuries. In your garage, you should never have to use a flashlight or a penlight to find something.
Hopefully, this information will assist you in determining How many led lights for the garage to work in a well-lit space.