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I've decided to add a layer at the ceiling and rig a bunch of spotlights there. The distance will be about 60 cm between them.

Is there anything special to consider that a noob like me might miss?

I'm thinking light color, max brightness, direction, dimmers etc. Technical stuff, nothing design'ish.

(Being a noob, I'm not doing it myself. I hired an electrician, of course. But his responsibility is limited to, sort of, making usre I won't burn the house to the ground, nothing more.)

One specific "dream" I have is installing motion detector (indoors) so when I enter the hall (getting back home or preparing to head out), the light will automagically come up and then, when I've left, turn off by itself. Is that a stupid idea? I'm worried that it's not possible to adjust the detection area so that it only snatches the outer part of the hall and not the rest of connected area (which is my kitchen).

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  • Not an electrician, but I can offer some pointers: Detectors: Search for "lighting motion detectors" for an explanation of how those work, what is the detection area relative to sensor placement etc. You'll probably want them to cover the kitchen area itself, otherwise they'll turn off if you linger in the kitchen for more than their time-out period. Brightness: I installed five 3-Watt LED spots about 1m apart above my kitchen, aiming more-or-less toward the work areas. They do a fantastic job, just bright enough. – Jonathan Dec 26 '18 at 14:16
  • Color: It's a matter of taste. I used yellow (~3000K) LEDs, like I did in all of my house. You could use white (6000K), but I find that too "cold". Dimmers: LEDs always work on DC. If you see LED spots that work on 220V AC (like mine are), then they convert internally to 12V DC. So, if you want dimmers rather than just on/off, you'll have 2 options: 1. "dimmable" AC units, which convert according to input voltage (220V AC => 12V DC, 110V AC => 6V DC, etc.) 2. DC units, and have the dimmer convert from 220V AC to DC according to dimmer settings. – Jonathan Dec 26 '18 at 14:16
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If you hired a licensed electrician then he should be aware of any building codes in your area. I am trying to understand your question though. You stated "I've decided to add a layer at the ceiling and rig a bunch of spotlights there." Can you clarify this statement? The only thing that brings up a red flag is how many amps are going to be drawn by the spotlights and how many other fixtures and outlets are on the same circuit? Is it a 15-amp circuit or a 20-amp circuit?

As a rule of thumb in counting devices on a circuit you count each outlet (light or receptacle) as 1.5 amps. Now remember you only count 80% of the rating which means a 15 amp breaker should not exceed 12 amp load, a 20 amp breaker would be 16 amps.

Check out this previous post. How many Outlets can you put on a 14-2

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    Thanks and sorry for being unclear. I'm sure the guy will know the regulatory codes and specs. However, to give you one example of my worry - a friend of mine installed too few spotlights and the kitchen of his is a bit darn even when the regulator is set to max. Also, his regulator makes this annoying bzzzz noise - apparently something that can happen even when all the codes are followed. There's also the matter of color, I've heard. Apparently it's of imprtance to pick LED or some other type too. Did my question get any more apparent? – Konrad Viltersten Dec 25 '18 at 21:54

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