I am planning a basement layout in HO and would like to start to get some idea of how much light is required. How much lighting power per unit area does everyone use? Units may be watts/meter^2, lumens/foot^2, or any other convenient unit.
Thanks in advance.
Bill MacIndoe
You can never have enough lights, but they do need to be dimmable. ;^) When you're working on the layout you need lots more than when you're operating.
If you can get 30 - 35 lumens per square foot, your room will be plenty bright. You need to also allow for yourself to get older. As I age, I am discovering that I want more light than I deemed necessary 30 years ago.
Froggy,
FWIW, the school standard in Ontario is 55 lumens/sq.ft. Going by the number of lights in my (former) classroom, that would be six 4ft fluorescents in a 10x10 room. YMMV.
Dimmable fluorescents are a bit pricey.
Try some incandescent *indirect* wall sconces on a dimmer capable of
20fc and fluorescent (cans or strips) capable of 30-40fc.The wall sconces are for looks and making the room seem larger and pleasant. By shining on the ceiling they will give a soft almost shadowless light that is quite comfortable. The fluorescents are for detail work without spending big bucks on power.
Richard Reid, LC
Thanks guys, exactly what I was looking for.
MacIndoe
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