Amount of light per square meter. Calculating the number of sections of heating radiators - why you need to know this. Everything is normal, everything is according to regulations...

With all the achievements of modern science, the best lighting is still provided by nature. A person can only strive to get as close as possible to the indicators of natural light that the sun provides us, and, if possible, imitate it. That is why it is advisable to approach such a seemingly trivial matter as calculating the illumination of a room with all responsibility. Better than necessary - it still won't work.

Correct distribution light is the key to comfort in a room

The lighting calculation itself consists of (electric or light), the number of lamps, as well as the number of lamps and the power of each of them. But there are quite a lot of factors that can affect these calculations.

What to consider when calculating

Let's focus on those characteristics that can be taken into account independently. This:

• type of room (living room, study, etc.);
• ceiling height;
• color flooring, furniture or walls;
• presence or absence of mirrors.

Light level different types rooms depends on their intended purpose. What would be the norm in the living room or kitchen is already too bright for the bedroom, and vice versa. The height of the ceiling also has a certain meaning. The standard for calculations is a height of up to 3 m. If it is in the range from 3 to 4 m, all results must be multiplied by 1.5, if more - by 2.

First of all, you should proceed from the type of room

Accounting color range and the presence of mirrors is done using special coefficients and indices. If you try to take into account absolutely everything, you can get stuck in this process for a long time. Difficulties arise mainly when zoning a room using light. But, on the other hand, this applies more to complex design plans, and such data is included in the design project. We will try to give ones that will be useful in most cases.

Calculation methods

There are two of them:

1. By electrical power(in Watts).
2. By light (in Lumens).

Each option has its own standards, formulas and units of measurement. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Let's look at them in more detail.

We count in Watts

• required power per square meter.

We find the area using the simple school formula S=a*b. Next, we take data on the required number of watts per 1 m2 - on average this is 20 W - and multiply by the area. Mathematically it will look like this: P=S*p, where P is the total power, p is the nominal power for 1 m 2. Now you can calculate the number of light bulbs in the room. We simply divide the total power by the same indicator for one lamp. That is, if you want to illuminate a room that requires a total of 300 W using 75 W bulbs, then: 300/75 = 4 - this is exactly how many light sources you will need.

Rational use lighting sources will improve the atmosphere in the room

It should be noted that the norm of 20 W is very approximate. And to increase accuracy, it is advisable to use separate indicators for each type of room:

• living room - 10–35 W;
• kitchen - 12–40 W;
• bathroom - 10–30 W;
• bedroom - 10–20 W.

We deliberately provided all the power data for ordinary incandescent lamps, as they are the most common in our area. Manufacturers are more expensive and at the same time economical types They often indicate on the packaging what kind of incandescent lamp power this instance corresponds to.

We count in Lumens

This method, on the one hand, is more accurate, on the other, less familiar. Although, if you understand the units of measurement, then there is nothing complicated about it. The challenge is that most of us associate everything related to lighting with Watts. But in fact, this unit of measurement only shows how much your lamp consumes electrical energy. And how much light it gives, its luminous flux, is measured in Lumens (Lm). In turn, the illumination of the room is measured in Lux (Lx). 1 Lx is equal to 1 Lm per 1 m2. Let's explain it more simply. If using a luminous flux of 1 Lm to illuminate a surface with an area of ​​1 m2, such illumination will be equal to 1 Lux.

Then we follow the same algorithm. We take the total area, multiply it by the required illumination for 1 square meter and get the luminous flux power that is needed to illuminate the entire room. The formula is almost the same as before: P=S*E. Where S is still the area, P is the total power (now in Lm), and E is the illumination of 1 m 2 in Lx.

Remember the effectiveness of each light source

To bring this formula to life, you will need standards for illumination of a particular type of room. According to different regulatory documents they are:

• living room - 100–200 Lux;
• kitchen 150–300 Lux;
• bathroom - 50–200 Lux;
• bedroom - 100–200 Lx.

It remains to calculate the number of lamps. To do this, divide the total power (P) by the luminous flux from one source (F) - n=P/F. Here, too, certain numbers will be required. Namely, light power different types lamps Almost always this information can be found on the packaging. But just in case, we present the main ones here:

Substituting the data from the table into the formula above it, the number of light sources when using different types of lamps.

As we said, if you pay attention to the units of measurement and do not confuse Lumens and Luxes, the calculation itself is not complicated. With a sufficient level of responsibility and attention, anyone can produce it. But if this information puzzles you a little, we can offer you to do the calculation online. To do this, use a special room illumination calculator.

The very first and most important advice when selecting lighting power is to think about it in advance, before starting repair work! After all, it depends on what places in the room to plan installation. lighting fixtures and in what quantity. Acceptance the right decision consists of the following steps:

1) Determination of the required degree of illumination

2) Selection of lamp power for luminaires

The degree of illumination of the room.

To assess the degree of illumination, you need to start from 3 main parameters: the area of ​​the room, the height of the ceiling and the nature of the use of the room.

The formula is this: you need the area of ​​the room in square meters. m. multiplied by the indicators in Watts. If the ceiling height in the room is more than 3 m, then the resulting number should be multiplied by no less than 1.5 times. That's it! Now let's delve into the subtleties and details.

In different rooms of an apartment or house, the degree of lighting varies depending on the purpose of the room. We have structured the recommended lighting power for a particular type of room in table No. 1. Soft diffused light is more suitable for a bedroom; bright and direct light is more suitable for a hall or living room. In the bathroom 4 - 6 sq. m. a lamp with a power of 80 W to 100 W will be sufficient. In a kitchen with an area of ​​about 7 - 10 square meters. m. the total power of the lamps should be an order of magnitude greater - from 120 W to 150 W, and for a 15 square meter living room this figure will already be from 200 W to 300 W, and for a bedroom 6 - 9 sq.m. A chandelier with a power of 100 W is enough.

Light level	Room type	Required number of watts per sq. m.
Rooms with dim lighting	Bedroom, corridor	10 – 12 W per sq. m.
Rooms with average level of illumination	Bathroom, children's room, kitchen	15 – 18 W per sq. m.
Rooms with the brightest light	Living room, study	20 W per sq. m.

Now for practice. The problem is almost like something out of a school textbook: choose a chandelier for a kitchen with an area of ​​15 sq.m. and a ceiling height of 2.7 m. We take the illumination level indicators from the first table - 17 W per 1 sq. m. Next, 15 sq.m. our kitchen multiplied by 17 W, we get 255 W. This is the maximum that incandescent lamps in the kitchen should consume in total, that is, approximately 4-5 lamps of 60 W each. An alternative is fluorescent lamps of 15 W or 4-5 LED lamps with a power of 10 W. If you plan to install only two lights, e.g. shared chandelier and suspension over dining table, then you should use two 30 W fluorescent lamps or 16-17 W LED lamps.

We strongly recommend using several lamps in a room at the same time, regardless of the type of room. For example, in addition to the ceiling chandelier, choose a floor lamp, a pair of sconces or pendants. This way, you can evenly distribute the light in the room and this will make it possible to vary the level of illumination by turning off unnecessary lights.

Precautions.

• Always pay attention to the wattage of the light bulbs you choose to illuminate your home. The higher the power, the more electricity the light bulb consumes, and therefore the more the wiring and the lamp itself heat up.
• Never use incandescent lamps with a wattage greater than that indicated on the light fixture. This may cause the lamp to catch fire or break.
• For lamps made of textiles or paper, never choose incandescent light bulbs with high power- the material may ignite! Carefully read the instructions for use of the lighting device and strictly follow all recommendations.
• Periodically call a professional to check the wiring in your home. This extremely important measure will protect you, especially if you decide to use high-power lamps to illuminate your home.

Selecting the power of the light bulbs

Energy-saving light bulbs will solve the problem of lighting a large room. We'll tell you how to choose them.

IN technical specifications a lighting fixture usually indicates the maximum permissible power of 1 incandescent lamp. This is usually 40W - 60W. We focus on this indicator when choosing an incandescent lamp in the store. Or replace it with energy saving lamp, which, with the same power, will shine brighter and cover large area premises. For your convenience, we have structured the power ratio of different types of lamps in one table:

Incandescent lamp	Fluorescent lamp	LED lamp

Plan your room lighting before going to the store - this will save you a lot of time and effort. Measure the parameters of the room, determine your goals and with this information start planning. Our managers are always ready to advise you on the optimal purchase of lighting fixtures for your needs and will help you decide on the type of lamps for already purchased chandeliers and sconces.

The calculation of room illumination given in this article is based on a simplified approximate calculation method. This method is used by designers and architects when determining the required illumination in non-specific cases. It provides indicative information and can be used by ordinary buyers when assessing the required lighting fixture.

The calculation of room illumination using this method is based on the tables below. It is necessary to take into account that the tables contain illumination values ​​in general for the entire room. In some cases, it is necessary to calculate special local lighting (office, work area kitchens).

The table shows generally accepted lighting standards at the height of the ceiling of the room no more than 3 m.

The indicated power in watts (W) refers to the power consumption of a conventional incandescent lamp; for other types of lamps, correction factors are indicated in the second table.

For evaluation required quantity lamps, you just need to multiply the area of ​​the illuminated room (m²) by the number of W in the table line.

If the ceiling height is more than 3 meters, the calculated power consumption must be multiplied by 1.5 (minimum).

Evaluate the light output of a lamp by watts not entirely correct, in this table this value is indicated due to its widespread occurrence.

Do you know what these are sources that should be taken into account when calculating illumination? You can learn everything about them from our article.

Here you can also get acquainted with the premises various types. Try to figure out what standards are defined for the premises in which you live?

Correspondence of illumination depending on the type of lamps

We illuminate a study of 30 m² with a ceiling height of 2.6 meters. We find the total illumination in the first table and take it as 17 W/m². Thus, we need incandescent lamps with a total power consumption of 510 W.

That is, approximately a lamp or lamps with 5 lamps with a power of 100 W each is required.

If these are not incandescent lamps, we adjust the calculation. To do this, you can go two ways:

1. We divide the total power consumption by 1.5 and get 340 W. For example, this could be 7 halogen lamps of 50 W each.
2. This option is more applicable when you are tied to the number of lamps. For 510 W, 8 incandescent lamps are also suitable, taking into account the correction factor, you can take 8 40 W halogen lamps or 8 energy-saving 11 W lamps.

Thus, in the room you can install one chandelier with 5 arms, one sconce with two lamps and one floor lamp.

Did you know that you can regulate the illumination of a living space by installing. Read about it in our article.

Please note that we also have a review available for use in indoor lighting.

For a more accurate calculation, you should take into account the color of the room.

When the furniture and walls of the rooms are dark in color with a matte surface, the amount of incoming light must be taken into account with a margin.

See the table below for more details.

Room	Average illumination	Direct lighting				Mixed lighting				Indirect lighting
		Room decoration
		light		dark		light		dark		light		dark
		A	B	A	B	A	B	A	B	A	B	A	B
For incandescent lamps
Hallway	60	10	16	12	20	11	20	14	24	12	24	10	32
Cabinet	250	42	70	50	83	42	83	60	100	50	100	70	140
Bedroom	120	20	32	24	40	20	40	28	40	20	48	32	64
Bathroom, kitchen	250	42	70	50	83	42	83	60	100	50	100	70	140
Utility room, pantry	60	10	16	12	20	11	20	14	24	12	24	16	32
Basement, attic	60	10	16	12	20	11	90	14	24	12	24	16	32
For fluorescent lamps
Hallway, staircase	60	3	5	4	6	3.5	6	4.5	7.5	4	7.5	5	10
Bathroom, kitchen	250	13	21	17	25	15	25	19	31	17	31	21	42
Utility room, pantry, basement, attic	60	3	5	4	6	3.5	6	4.5	7.5	4	7.5	5	10

It should be remembered that different lamps and lamps, due to their design, can give different luminous fluxes, intensity, brightness. Main lighting is not always able to evenly illuminate the entire room, that is, individual parts of the room may turn out to be darker.
To achieve more uniform lighting, additional light sources are used in the form of floor lamps, sconces, etc.

For main lighting it is better to use chandeliers and ceiling lights, which have shades made of frosted or opal glass. Light passing through such a surface will be more diffused, i.e. soft. Such a light source will be able to illuminate the entire space of the room more evenly.

For a more accurate calculation of room luminance, you should use SNIPs (building codes and rules).

Have you ever wondered how much a particular light bulb costs you? Is it really profitable to change it to fluorescent or LED? To understand this, you just need to find out the power of the light bulb and the cost of electricity in your home. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient alternatives usually saves several hundred rubles in the first year and even more over time.

Steps

Part 1

Kilowatts and kilowatt-hours

1. Determine the power of the light bulb. The wattage is usually indicated directly on the lamp as a number followed by a "W" symbol. If it is not there, check the packaging that came with the lamp you purchased. A watt is a unit of power that indicates how much energy a lamp uses every second.

   • Ignore phrases like "100 watt equivalent" that are used to compare brightness. You need to find out exactly how many watts the lamp uses.

2. Divide this number by a thousand. This is how you convert watts to kilowatts. The easiest way to divide by a thousand is to move the decimal point three places to the left.

   • Example 1: a typical incandescent light bulb uses 60 watts (W) of energy or 60/1000 = 0.06 kW.
   • Example 2: regular fluorescent lamp consumes 15 W or 15/1000 = 0.015 kW. This lamp uses four times less energy than the lamp in the first example, since 15/60 = ¼.

3. Calculate how many hours a month a light bulb works. To calculate the bill for public utilities, you should find out how long the light bulb has been in working condition. Since your utility bills come once a month, calculate how many hours a month your light bulb runs.

   • Example 1: your 0.06 kW light bulb turns on for 6 hours every day. In a 30-day period, this value will be (30 days/month * 6 hours/day) = 180 hours per month.
   • Example 2: Your 0.015 kW fluorescent lamp is only turned on for 3 hours a day, 3 days a week. In a month she will work approximately (3 hours/day * 3 days/week * 4 weeks/month) = 28 hours per month.

4. Multiply the number of kilowatts consumed by the number of hours. Your utility charges you for each “kilowatt-hour” (kWh), or each kilowatt of energy used in one hour. To figure out how many kilowatt-hours your light bulb uses per month, multiply the number of kilowatts by the number of hours it runs each month.

   • Example 1: an incandescent lamp consumes 0.06 kW of energy for 180 hours per month. Its energy consumption is (0.06 kW * 180 hours/month) = 10.8 kilowatt-hours per month.
   • Example 2: a fluorescent lamp consumes 0.015 kW 28 hours per month. Its energy consumption is (0.015 kW * 28 hours/month) = 0.42 kilowatt-hours per month.

   Surely you already know that too dim or, conversely, too bright lighting in a room has a negative effect on the human body. In addition to eternal drowsiness, an insufficient amount of artificial and natural light entails more serious dangers - blurred vision and impaired psychological state. Solving the problem is quite simple - install more suitable lamps and properly organize lighting in each room. However, before this, you need to find out what lighting standards exist for residential premises. This is exactly what we will talk about now.

   What does SNiP say?

   The main document that specifies existing standards is SNiP (building codes and regulations). So, according to this document, the following standards of illumination in lux (Lx) must be observed in an apartment and a private house:

   • attic and basement passage – 20;
   • toilet, shower, bath – 50;
   • hall, corridor – 50;
   • wardrobe – 75;
   • bathhouse, swimming pool – 100;
   • bedroom, kitchen – 150;
   • children's - 200;
   • personal office, library, utility room, room with billiards - 300.

   Please note that in the bathroom you can optionally increase artificial illumination to 100 Lux, because... for applying makeup and shaving, the value specified in SNiP 05/23/2010 may not be enough.

   So that you understand how to convert the provided numbers into more familiar values, remember - 1 Lux is 1 Lumen/1 square meter of room. Each light bulb must indicate such a characteristic as luminous flux (in lumens, Lm). All you need to do is first calculate the standard illumination of a living space, in your case one of the rooms, then convert the value to Lumens and select the appropriate light bulbs. Let's look at the calculation technology using an example.

   

   We make calculations

   Let's say you need to find out the standard of illumination in a bedroom whose area is 20 m2. First of all, we multiply the norm according to SNiP for this room by the area, namely 150 * 20, in total we get 3000 Lux. Accordingly, with this value, the total luminous flux of the lamps should be 3000 Lm. All you have to do is choose the appropriate light bulbs for your living space, for example, if you want, you can use 3 light bulbs of 12 W each, which in total will give no more than 3600 Lm according to the table:

   

   This calculation is approximate, because Each has its own meanings, which you can find out upon purchase. This way you can easily do artificial light in the room as recommended by the lighting standards for residential premises according to SNiP.
   

   By the way, this value can be measured using special device– a lux meter, which is quite easy to use, as proven by the video below.

   Measuring work