The Fluorescent Lights Required for Room Sizes

Lighting Requirements

• The exact amount of light needed in a room depends on the overall square footage of the space. Measure the length of the room by the width of the room for the square footage. Multiply the square footage by 1.5, which gives you the amount of bulb wattage needed in the room. For example, if you have a living room that measures 200 square feet, then you would need a total wattage of 300 in fluorescent lights around the room.

Personal Preference

• The total amount of fluorescent light required is not the same for everyone. Use your personal preference when planning lighting in the room. While 200 watts is strong enough for some, others may require more or less lighting. If you spend a large amount of time in the room after dark, then you may want more lights to fully illuminate the room. On the other hand, those that use a specific room only sparingly may want less light. For example, you may want a single chandelier hanging in your entryway that provides enough light when entering your house, but not so much that it fully illuminates the space.

Warning

• Depending on the type of fluorescent light used, you may notice that the light gives off a slightly yellowish hue that changes the color of items in the room. Be careful when using fluorescent lights in the kitchen, as the color of the bulb may give your foods a slightly off color. Larger bulbs, such as those used for overhanging lights, are more prone to looking yellowish or off-color.

Considerations

• For task-oriented rooms, you need more light. Any room where you do work is a task-oriented room, including an office or study. Multiply the square footage of such a room by 2.5, which gives you the overall wattage needed for the work you do there. For example, an office that has 100 square feet of space needs at minimum 250 watts of task lighting. Use a series of lights that give you the total wattage needed.