Lighting Regulations

There are several regulations for new and existing buildings to achieve high energy efficient projects.
With our wide range of high efficiency luminaires, energy and maintenance costs can be reduced.
For designers and clients, being aware of the regulation requirements can be a huge help in making
their projects as efficient as possible.

Please be aware that building regulations are often changing so you will need to refer to the up to
date publications.

BS EN 12464-1/ BS EN 12464-2
BSI (British Standards Institution) sets out the standards for the lighting of indoor (BS EN 12464-1)
and outdoor (BS EN 12464-2) work places in accordance to the European Standard. In the case of BS
EN 12464-2 no expectation is given to emergency lighting. The lighting requirements here are
dictated by three basic human needs; Visual comfort (lighting should give workers a feeling of well-
being and therefore contribute to their productiveness), visual performance (workers must be able
to fulfil visual tasks under difficult circumstances and for longer durations of time) and lighting
should enable all work to be carried out safely.

To purchase these standards, visit BSI here.

Part L
Part L is part of building regulation issued by the Secretary of State laying down measures to
conserve fuel and power (of which lighting is an aspect). This regulation will need to be adhered to
when extending a building or when replacing existing lighting systems.

Within the regulations certain sections relate to; L1A - New Dwellings, L1B - Existing Dwellings, L2A -
New buildings other than dwellings, L2B - Existing buildings other than dwellings.

L1A and L1B refer to the Domestic building compliance guide, which you can see here. L2A and L2B
refer to the Non-domestic building compliance guide which you can see here.

In all new dwellings, 75% of the fixed internal light fittings must have a minimum of 45 lamp lumens
per watt and must have a greater output than 400 lamp lumens (in order to be counted). All lights
emitting less than this (i.e. bedside lamps) do not need to be considered during fitting.

In the case of external lighting at new dwellings, products need to be under 100 watts and be
controlled by light sensors so that they do not waste energy in daylight hours of sufficient light.
Alternately they may have a light efficiency of over 45 lumens per Watt and again should be
controlled by a light sensor (or manually controlled).

For non-domestic builds (highlighted in L2A), the sum of all general light fittings in offices, industrial
and storage areas need to be a mean of 60 luminaire lumens per circuit watt.

For general lighting in ‘other’ types of space, the total of all fittings should have an average efficiency
of 60 lamp lumens per watt and 22 lamp lumens per watt for all display lighting (However having
lighting controls might allow builds to have a lower average output).

Certain builds are exempt from these regulations, including listed buildings, monuments and places
of worship (we recommend you make enquiries if you are uncertain what your obligations are).
LENI (Lighting energy numeric indicator)
This is an alternative means of demonstrating the compliance of lighting systems. This means that
compliance can now be demonstrated either by meeting the recommended minimum standards for
efficacy and building controls, or by meeting the recommended minimum standards for LENI. The
calculation methodology for LENI is set out in the Non-domestic Building Services Compliance Guide.
LENI indicates the efficiency of the whole lighting installation (including controls) and is expressed in
energy used per square metre. The LENI of a build must not exceed the prescribed limit for a given
illuminance and the number of hours per year the lighting will be required.

Table 44 (from the compliance guide)

General lighting in office, The average initial efficacy

industrial and storage
areas
General lighting
in other types of
space
Display lighting
should be not less than 60
luminaire lumens per circuitwatt.
In calculating the average
luminaire lumens per circuitwatt,
the circuit-watts for
each luminaire may first be
multiplied by the control factors
in Table 45.
Note: The value entered in
the NCM tools for calculating
The average initial efficacy
should be not less than 60
lamp lumens per circuit-watt.
The average initial efficacy
should be not less than 22
lamp lumens per circuit-watt

LENI is worked out on the level of illuminance in an area and the number of hours per year that
lighting is required. The calculation accounts for:
• Energy used by any lighting control systems.
• The total power of the lighting in watts.
• Energy saved by automatic control systems, both switching off when no one is around and
dimming when there is a degree of natural light.
• The ability of lighting to retain its efficiency.
Put simply, the LENI is the sum of energy used divided by the area.

LG7
The Society of Light and Lighting (SLL), part of the CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services
Engineers) provides its own guide for the lighting of offices - Lighting Guide 7 (LG7).
The purpose of this guide is not only to ensure adequate levels of lighting but to also provide a
stimulating environment for office workers. LG7 recognises that there are different lighting
environments, requiring various approaches (e.g. open plan, cellular and deep plan) and the
emergence of new technologies, such as tablets, smartphones and touchscreen computers.

LG7 also informs on how best to select luminaires, lights sources and their controls (i.e. ability to dim
and setup controls to limit energy waste), considering the needs of employees to create a tailored
approach. This means that lighting is utilised in the interior design process to bring out varying tones
across a space. Other factors considered include; the flexibility of the workspace (i.e. will it be
necessary to move furniture), are there heritage features to be considered, requirements in terms of
light colour and will emergency lighting be required.

Cylindrical illumination (distribution of light within various areas of the workspace) is also covered. It
is recommended that the task area (e.g. desk area worked in) should be between 300 to 500 lux and
1200 to 1600 mm above floor level should be lit to 150 lux.

Colour used in an office can affect the experience of users. Warmer colours, such as 2700K (warm
white), will tend to be beneficial in creating a more relaxed environment, while 4000K (cool white)
keeps employees more alert. Extremely cold light sources nearer to 6000 or 7000 K can distort
colour appearance or give the occupants of the room an unhealthy pallor.

All walls and ceilings should be illuminated. An employee needs to be able to look away into the
distance to avoid eye strain. The best scenario here is that they can look outside but if not, there
should be a distance to look into, and the walls and ceiling within this view should be lit to a similar
level to the task area (see fig.2 below).
Glare is an issue that occurs whenever one part of an interior is much brighter than the general
brightness in the interior. The most common sources of excessive brightness are luminaires and
windows, seen directly or by reflection. Glare can have two effects: it can impair vision, in which
case it is called disability glare, and it can cause discomfort, in which case it is called discomfort
glare. Disability glare and discomfort glare can occur simultaneously or separately.

Best practice for utilising daylight in conjunction with having dimming settings is also covered to
allow for energy saving and improving well-being.

For further information on LG7 please refer to CIBSE’s website here.

Further to this, the CIBSE also recommends the following lighting levels (In Lux) for other work
places.
Commercial offices -
General offices 500
Computer workstations 300-500
Conference rooms, executive offices 500
Computer and data preparation rooms 500
Filing room 300
Banks and building societies -
Counter, office area 500
Public area 300
Hotels -
Entrance halls 100
Reception, cashiers and porters' desks 300
Bars, coffee bars, dining rooms, grill rooms, restaurants, lounges 50-200
Cloakrooms, baggage, rooms 100
 Bedrooms 50-100
Bathrooms 150
Retailing 500
Small retail outlets 500
Grocery/vegetable stores 1000
Showrooms 500-700
Covered arcades and malls 50-300
Lighting Regulations for Health and Safety
The Government’s Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations (WHSWR) require that all
organisations must ensure that all parts of the workplace (internal and external) are adequately lit.
Both ambient and background lighting must be utilised to maintain safe working areas and sufficient
lighting at machinery and workstations (which might require higher levels of lighting).

Further to this;

• Lighting as far as possible should be provided naturally (windows and other sources of
natural light should be regularly cleaned).
• Sufficient emergency lighting should be provided in the event of the failure of artificial
lighting (this should be independently powered from the main light source). Emergency
lighting is essential in environments where when artificial light fails the lack of light presents
a significant health risk.
• Lighting should not cause glare and be suitably distributed and maintained. This is to ensure
there is no visual fatigue or eyestrain for employees.
• It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that all light regulating devices are
maintained and that they do not become obscured by any objects in the workplace.
• Should work equipment be used away from the site by an employee, it is the responsibility
of the employer to provide sufficient lighting.
• All previous requirements must be factored in any risk assessment by the employer.

Quality of light necessary by illuminance (taken directly from HSE Guidance Notes HS(G)38: Lighting
at Work).
Activity Typical locations/types of Average illuminance (Lux) Minimum measured
work 1x illuminance (Lux) 1x
Movement of people, Lorry parks, corridors, 20 5
machines & vehicles circulation routes
Movement of people, Construction site clearance 50 20
machines and vehicles in excavation and soil work,
hazardous areas, rough docks, loading bays,
work not requiring any bottling and canning plants
perception of detail (a)
Work requiring limited Kitchens, factories, 100 50
perception of detail (b) assembling large
components, potteries
Work requiring perception Office, sheet metal work, 200 100
of detail (c) bookbinding
Work requiring perception Drawing offices, factories 500 200
of fine detail (d) assembling electronic
components, textile
production
(a) Only safety has been considered, because no perception of detail is needed and visual fatigue is unlikely. However,
where it is necessary to see detail to recognise a hazard or where error in performing the task could put someone else at
risk, for safety purposes as well as to avoid visual fatigue, the figure needs to be increased to that for work requiring the
perception of detail. The CIBSE Code for lighting 4 gives more information and recommendations based on scientific
knowledge, practical experience, technical feasibility and economic reality.
(b) The purpose is to avoid visual fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes

(c) The purpose is to avoid visual fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes

(d) The purpose is to avoid visual fatigue; the illuminances will be adequate for safety purposes

For further details please refer to the publication of Lighting at Work, accessible here.