The Secret to Figuring Out How Many Recessed Lights Your Kitchen Needs

Installing recessed lighting is one of the best ways to illuminate your kitchen. Recessed lights, also known as can lights or downlights, are discreet yet highly functional fixtures that provide direct illumination exactly where you need it. But deciding precisely how many recessed lights your kitchen requires can be tricky.

We'll look at critical factors like room size, ceiling height, natural lighting, and the type of bulbs you select. With the right formula and a bit of planning, you'll be able to create a bright, welcoming kitchen environment that's perfect for cooking, socializing, and tasks like homework.

Determine Your Kitchen's Square Footage

The first step is measuring your kitchen to find the total square footage. This is important because the standard recommendation is to have one recessed light for every 16-25 square feet of space. To calculate square footage:

• Measure the length and width of the kitchen in feet, including all spaces like islands.
• Multiply the length by the width to get the total square footage.

For example, a kitchen that is 12 feet wide by 20 feet long is 12 x 20 = 240 square feet. For a small galley kitchen that's 8 x 12 feet (96 square feet), you'd need about 4-6 recessed lights. A large open concept kitchen that's 20 x 20 feet (400 square feet) would need approximately 16-25 recessed can lights.

Tips for Measuring Square Footage

When calculating your kitchen's square footage:

• Include all contiguous spaces, like islands, eat-in dining areas, etc.
• For irregular shaped kitchens, break the space into rectangles/squares.
• Consider room openings like doorways and passes through to adjacent spaces.

Having accurate square footage measurements ensures your lighting calculations will be correct.

Choose the Right Bulb for Your Recessed Lighting

Next, determine what type of bulb you'll use in your recessed lighting fixtures. The most common options include:

• LED: Energy efficient and long lasting. Provide bright, white light. Use equivalent wattage not actual wattage.
• Incandescent: Less efficient but lower cost. Warm light. Typical wattage 40-75W.
• Halogen: Slightly more efficient than incandescent. Bright light. Wattage around 35-50W.

We recommend LED bulbs because they're over 80% more efficient than incandescent, will last up to 25 times longer, and emit virtually no heat. Just be sure to use the equivalent wattage, not the actual wattage, when doing your lighting calculations.

Typical LED Equivalent Wattages

• 4-5W = 25W incandescent equivalent
• 6-8W = 40W incandescent equivalent
• 9-13W = 60W incandescent equivalent
• 15-20W = 75W incandescent equivalent

Lower wattage LEDs provide plenty of light for recessed fixtures, so select your LED bulb accordingly.

Calculate the Total Watts Needed

Now we'll use your kitchen's square footage to determine the total wattage needed. The standard lighting calculation is:

Typical recommendations for watts per square foot are:

• Kitchens: 1.5 to 2 watts per square foot
• Living/dining rooms: 1 to 1.5 watts per square foot
• Bathrooms: 1.5 to 2 watts per square foot

Higher ceilings over 9 feet and darker wall colors may require extra wattage. Let's look at some sample calculations:

As you can see, smaller spaces may need only 100-200 total watts, while larger kitchens could require 500-800+ total watts for adequate lighting.

Adjusting Your Watts per Square Foot

Factors that increase kitchen lighting needs include:

• Room with darker paint colors or finishes
• Ceiling height over 9 feet
• Task lighting needed for cooking and prep areas

In these cases, use 1.7-2.0 watts per square foot. Natural light decreases needs.

Determine Recessed Lighting Wattage

Now that you know the total watts required, determine the wattage of the actual recessed lighting fixtures you plan to install. Standard recessed lighting kits with LED bulbs often have wattages like:

• 4" recess kit with 6W LED bulb = 60W equivalent
• 5-6" recess kit with 9W LED bulb = 90W equivalent
• 7-9" recess kit with 15W LED bulb = 150W equivalent

Generally, 50-150W equivalents are ideal for kitchen recessed lighting. Again, be sure to use the equivalent wattage, not the bulb's actual wattage.

Calculate the Number of Recessed Lights

To find how many recessed lights you need, take the total wattage required and divide it by the wattage of your selected recessed fixtures. For example:

Round up to the nearest whole number. So for this 240 square foot medium sized kitchen, about 8 recessed lights spaced evenly will provide sufficient overall illumination.

Some sample light amount calculations:

• Small 96 sq ft kitchen: 144 total watts / 60W fixture = 2-3 lights
• Medium 240 sq ft kitchen: 480 total watts / 60W fixture = 8 lights
• Large 400 sq ft kitchen: 680 total watts / 90W fixture = 7-8 lights

As you can see, the number of required recessed lights can range quite a bit depending on your kitchen's size and lighting needs.

Account for Natural Lighting

The availability of natural lighting can allow you to reduce the number of recessed lights. Here are some tips:

• Position key kitchen work areas like food prep counters outside of direct sunlight from windows.
• Add skylights to bring in natural light without harsh direct sun.
• Reduce the number of recessed lights in zones with ample ambient natural light.

You may be able to remove 1-3 recessed lights in well naturally lit areas of the kitchen. Just be sure key task areas are properly illuminated.

Include Task and Accent Lighting

While recessed cans provide overall ambient lighting, also consider adding task and accent lighting. This can include:

• Pendant lights over islands, bars, and sinks.
• Under cabinet lighting to illuminate countertops.
• Accent lighting over glass front cabinets or display areas.

Layering on additional lighting types enhances functionality and visual interest. Just be sure to coordinate with your recessed lighting layout to avoid excessive overlap.

Review Any Code Requirements

Most areas have building codes that dictate technical requirements for lighting. For recessed lights, this may include:

• Mandating IC/AT rated housing in direct contact with insulation.
• Minimum spacing between fixtures and from walls/ceilings.
• Limits on excessive localized heat or light intensity.

Check with your local building department to avoid any code violations. An experienced electrician can also ensure your lighting plan meets regulations.

Determining the right amount of recessed lighting for your kitchen is an important process that balances proper illumination with aesthetic appeal. With some simple measurements, lighting calculations, and planning, you can create a recessed lighting plan tailored to your space.

The key steps are:

1. Calculate total square footage of kitchen.
2. Select appropriate bulb type and wattage.
3. Determine total wattage needed based on size.
4. Choose recessed lighting kits and wattage.
5. Divide total wattage by kit wattage to get number of lights.
6. Adjust for natural lighting.
7. Supplement with other lighting like pendants.
8. Check local building codes.

Following this lighting formula along with help from a professional electrician is the best way to ensure your new kitchen lighting is perfectly suited to your space and needs.