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Technician

—Fittings and installations

Lighting a loft or attic

A loft light is simple, but the cable route and the switch position decide whether it is actually usable.

A loft or attic is often dark even in daylight, and the one light, if there is one, is usually a bare fitting near the hatch. Adding useful lighting is mostly about the cable route and the switch: getting a supply to the loft safely, and putting the switch somewhere you can reach from the access.

Installation guides cover what a fitting or appliance needs from the electrics before it goes on the wall or ceiling.

The cable usually runs up through the ceiling from the room below, either from an existing lighting circuit or a new feed from the board. The fitting and switch positions are chosen so the whole loft is lit, not just the area by the hatch, and so you do not cross the loft in the dark to reach the switch.

01In short

The points that matter most

  • The access decides the switch

    The switch goes where you can reach it as you come up, not across the loft.

  • The cable route

    The supply comes up through the ceiling, from an existing circuit or a new feed.

  • Light the whole space

    Enough fittings to reach the far corners, not just the hatch.

02Detail

What the installation involves

  • The supply

    A feed from an existing lighting circuit or the board, run safely to the loft.

  • The switch

    A switch placed at the access, so the loft can be lit as you enter.

  • The fittings

    Lighting positioned to reach the whole loft, with the cable run tidily.

03Checklist

Before adding loft lighting

  • Check the access

    Where the ladder or hatch is, and where the switch should sit.

  • Plan the route

    How the cable comes up through the ceiling without weakening it.

  • Decide the coverage

    Which areas of the loft need to be lit.

—In practice

Putting it into practice

Put the switch at the access so the loft can be lit as you enter, and run the cable through the ceiling on a protected route that does not weaken it. Light the whole loft, not just the hatch, and confirm whether an existing lighting circuit can be extended or a new feed is needed.

Common mistakes

The switch across the loft
A switch that cannot be reached from the hatch means crossing the loft in the dark. Put it at the access.
One bare fitting at the hatch
A single fitting lights only the hatch. Position the lights to reach the far corners.

04Questions

Questions people ask

Can I add a loft light from an existing circuit?
Often yes, by extending an existing lighting circuit. Whether that is suitable depends on the circuit and the board, which is checked first.
Where should the switch go?
At the access, where you can reach it as you come up. A switch across the loft is a switch nobody uses in the dark.
Does the cable have to run through the ceiling?
Usually, from the room below. The route is planned so it is protected and does not weaken the ceiling.

05Related

Related guides

This guide sits under installation. All topics are on the guides page.

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Adding a loft light?

Tell us where the hatch is and how much of the loft needs light. We will plan the route and the switch.

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