A properly illuminated garage can make tasks easy, providing a better garage environment with enhanced visibility, safety, and efficiency. With the various advancements in technology, LED garage lights have vastly become the preferred option for many homeowners. You would like to have your garage well-lit, whether to use it as a parking, workshop, or storage space. Selecting the best type and the right level of lighting is a crucial matter. Therefore, it is necessary to figure out how many lumens per square foot one would require for ample lighting.
Understanding Lumens
Lumens are a unit of measurement to measure the brightness of a light bulb. Garages often lack natural light, so they require the right lumen value for proper visibility. The high lumen value results in higher brightness.
Lumens for Different Garage Sizes
It is important to measure your garage to determine the correct light output needed to get ample lighting. When calculating the size of a garage, begin by measuring the length and width. Then, multiply the length of the garage times the width of the garage. For example, if one has a garage that measures 20 feet long × 10 feet wide has an overall of 200 square feet.
As a general rule of thumb, it is recommended to have 50 lumens per square foot for better visibility. Hence, if your garage measures 200 square feet, it would require 10,000 lumens.
Homeowners have different sizes of garages. One can measure the garage on their own but for better clarity, here is the tabular reference of lumens needed as per the size of the garage.
| GARAGE SIZE | LUMENS |
| 1 car garage ( 200-250 sq.ft.) | 10,000-12,500 lumens |
| 2 car garage (400-500 sq. ft.) | 20,000-25,000 lumens |
| 3 car garage (600-700 sq.ft.) | 30,000-35,000 lumens |
However, the number of lumens required depends on other factors as well, like the height of the ceiling, the color of your walls, the purpose of the garage, and so on.
Types of Garage Lighting
There are certain options in choosing the lights, but experts recommend fluorescent or LED lighting.
LED Bulbs
LED lighting is the best option, considering it uses less power and lasts twice that of fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. They also do not give off much noise and are at high brightness when turned on. However, LED light is directional, so you may require several fixtures. Otherwise, their energy efficiency, crisp light, and long life are still at best for your garage lighting needs.
Fluorescent Tubes
Fluorescent tube lighting is a popular ceiling-hanging option for garages. They are less efficient than LED but a good choice for general lighting.
Halogen Lights
Halogen lights are also used as garage lighting, but it is not highly recommended as they consume more energy and release significant heat.
Factors Affecting Garage Lighting
There are various factors to consider before selecting the required lumens for your garage. Here are the factors.
Ceiling Height - The requirement of lumens increases due to the higher ceilings for the higher brightness level of lighting fixtures.
Size - Consider identifying the size of the garage, as a larger garage would need multiple light fixtures or a higher lumen output.
Wall Color - Light-colored walls reflect the light, and dark-colored walls absorb the light. Therefore, if the wall of the garage is darker, you may need more lumens to ensure more brightness in the garage.
Purpose - The purpose depends upon how you use the garage. If you use it for parking or storage, general illumination is a good option to settle with. However, a workshop would require brighter lights with a higher (CRI) color rendering index.
Budget - LED is known for its energy efficiency and longer lifespan, so if you would like to go with a cheaper option, keep in mind that a high-quality LED would be a great option.
Color Temperature - The color temperature is measured in Kelvin. Warm lights have a color temperature between 2700K and 3500K, whereas cool lights have a temperature between 5000K and 6500K Kelvin and emit a bluish or whitish light.
Choosing the Right Fixtures
To select the best lighting, layout is an important factor to consider.
Light Layout
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Make sure the light fixtures are evenly covering the entire garage area before installing them on the ceiling for the general lighting.
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Install task lighting ( an additional fixture) above the workbenches.
Dimmable Lights
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Use dimmable lights to adjust the brightness as per the activity and preference.
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Consider using fixtures with adjustable heads to direct the light where it is required.
Energy Efficiency Tips
Here are some of the garage lighting tips to help you decrease the energy bill.
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Consider using an automatic timer for outdoor lighting of the garage so that it turns on and off at sundown and sunrise respectively.
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Make sure not to turn LED lights on and off too frequently, as it can lessen their lifespan.
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Keep the garage lights off during warm and sunny days; instead, open the garage door for natural light to seep through.
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Turn on the lights only when you have tasks at hand.
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Also, consider using fewer lights or lower-wattage bulbs whenever it's possible.
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Ensure to place the main work area close to natural light if you spend most of the daylight hours working in the garage.
Conclusion
As it has been mentioned clearly how, significance it is to consider the correct type of lighting, factors, lumens output, energy efficiency and lifespan to calculate the lumens value for the garage lighting. The reason is the right lumen value would ensure the safety, visibility, and efficiency of your garage, whether it is used for parking, storage, or workspace.