Downlight installation in London costs £35–£50 per light, labour-only, to swap old halogen fittings for fire-rated LED ones in the same holes, and £55–£85 per light to put new downlights into an existing ceiling where none were before. A typical kitchen of six new downlights comes to roughly £330–£510 labour, plus the fittings at cost (usually £10–£35 each for a decent fire-rated LED). Every job is subject to our minimum charge of £90 + VAT (£108 inc VAT), so a single light is never cheaper than that. The things that move the price are the ceiling (lath and plaster or plasterboard), whether the ceiling is a fire separation between flats, how easy it is to get a cable across the joists, and whether a bathroom or a new circuit is involved. F & A Electrical is NICEIC approved and Part P registered, based in Tottenham N15, rated 9.32/10 from 242 Checkatrade reviews. Call 07407 627542.
How much do downlights cost to install in London?
These are our 2026 labour prices, inc VAT. Materials — the fittings, cable, junction boxes and any dimmer — are charged at what the wholesaler charged us, and we show you the receipt. We give a fixed labour price once we’ve seen the ceiling or a few photos, so the figure doesn’t drift on the day.
| Job | Labour-only price (inc VAT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Swap halogen GU10 lamps for LED lamps (same fittings) | £108 minimum charge | Usually 10–15 lamps within the minimum; we check the transformers and dimmer while we’re there |
| Replace existing downlights with fire-rated LED fittings (same holes) | £35–£50 per light (min £108) | Most common upgrade; holes may need trimming or a plaster repair ring if the new fitting is smaller |
| New downlights in an existing ceiling, from the existing lighting circuit | £55–£85 per light (min £108) | Cutting in, running cable between joists; higher end for lath and plaster or joists running the wrong way |
| Kitchen: six new downlights plus a new switch | £330–£510 | Fittings at cost on top, typically £60–£210 for six |
| Downlights in a new or open ceiling (renovation, first and second fix) | £40–£60 per light | Cheaper per light because the cable goes in before the plasterboard |
| Bathroom IP65 downlights (3–4 lights) | £220–£360 | Fittings rated for the bathroom zone; notifiable work under Part P, certificate included |
| Change a dimmer to an LED-compatible dimmer | £108 minimum charge | Often done in the same visit as the downlights at no extra labour |
| New lighting circuit from the consumer unit | From £300 | Needed if the existing circuit is overloaded or unsuitable; notifiable, certified |
For the wider picture — hourly rates, what other jobs cost and why London is dearer than the national average — see electrician prices in London.
What makes one downlight job dearer than another?
Two kitchens with six downlights each can be £150 apart in labour, and it is almost always down to what’s above the ceiling rather than the lights themselves.
Lath and plaster or plasterboard?
A lot of the houses we work in across Tottenham, Stoke Newington, Walthamstow and Crouch End are Victorian or Edwardian terraces with the original lath and plaster ceilings, sometimes with a layer of plasterboard screwed underneath. Cutting a clean 70mm hole in plasterboard takes seconds. Cutting one in old lath and plaster without cracking the ceiling around it takes care, the right cutter, and occasionally a bit of plaster repair. We’ll tell you before we start if we think a ceiling is too fragile to take downlights — sometimes the honest answer is a new plasterboard ceiling or surface-mounted lights instead.
Which way do the joists run?
If the joists run the same way as your row of lights, the cable slides along one joist bay and the job is quick. If they run across the row, every light is in a different bay and the cable has to be drilled through each joist, which means lifting floorboards upstairs or working through the holes from below with long drills and rods. In a flat with a neighbour above, lifting their floorboards isn’t an option, so the route matters even more.
Is there access from above?
A top-floor ceiling with a loft above is the easiest ceiling in the house: we can see every joist, lay the cable neatly and fit covers over the lights properly. A ground-floor ceiling in a house where the family doesn’t want the bedroom carpet up is the hardest. Tell us what’s above the ceiling when you ask for a quote.
Is the ceiling a fire separation?
In converted flats — very common in Haringey, Hackney and Islington — the ceiling between your flat and the one above is usually a compartment floor that has to hold back fire for a set time. Cutting holes in it for ordinary downlights punches straight through that protection. There the fittings must be fire-rated, and that’s not optional (more on this below).
Do downlights need to be fire-rated?
Where the ceiling forms part of a fire separation — between two flats, below a room with a separate escape route, or in many loft conversions — yes. Building Regulations Approved Document B expects the ceiling to keep its fire resistance, usually 30 or 60 minutes, and a plain 70mm hole doesn’t. A fire-rated downlight has an intumescent seal that swells in a fire and closes the hole. They cost a few pounds more than non-rated fittings and we fit them as standard in every ceiling, because most people don’t know which of their ceilings are fire-separating and a fitting that works in all of them removes the guesswork.
Two related points people miss:
- Insulation. Under a loft, the fitting sits in or near the insulation. Old halogen downlights ran hot enough to scorch timber and insulation; modern LED ones run much cooler but still need to be rated for contact with insulation, or have a proper cover over them. Pulling the insulation back and leaving a hole in it wastes heat and invites condensation.
- Acoustic. In flats, a hole in the ceiling also lets noise through. Good fire-rated fittings are often acoustic-rated too, which your downstairs neighbour will thank you for.
If you’re a landlord with halogen downlights in a converted flat or an HMO, replacing them with fire-rated LED fittings is one of the cheapest fire-safety improvements you can make — see our HMO EICR guide for the wider picture of what inspectors look at.
How many downlights do I need?
As a working rule for a London kitchen or living room with a standard 2.4m ceiling, one downlight per 1.2–1.5 square metres gives even light without a “runway” effect. A 3m × 4m kitchen typically takes six to eight lights; a small bathroom takes three or four. Beam angle matters more than people expect: a 36° beam gives pools of light, a 60° beam or wider gives a softer, more even wash, which is what most people want in a kitchen. We lay the lights out on the ceiling in pencil first, clear of joists, pipes and the extractor duct, and you approve the positions before we cut.
It’s worth asking whether downlights are the right answer at all. In a Victorian front room with a 3m ceiling and a plaster rose, a pendant and a couple of wall lights often look better and cost less than eight holes in an original ceiling. In a kitchen, under-cabinet LED strip does more for the worktop than extra downlights. For more on LED options, including dimming and colour temperature, see our LED lighting upgrade guide.
Why do LED downlights flicker on a dimmer?
This is the call-back we see most from other people’s installations. Most older dimmer switches are “leading-edge” types designed for the 50W halogens they were fitted with. Put six 5W LEDs on them and the total load is below the dimmer’s minimum, so the lights flicker, buzz, or won’t dim below about 40%. The fix is an LED-compatible trailing-edge dimmer matched to the total load, and dimmable fittings from the same range. We check this before we order the fittings, not after. If your existing lights already flicker, our guide to lights flickering covers the other causes, some of which need looking at quickly.
Do I need a certificate for new downlights?
Adding lights to an existing lighting circuit in a kitchen, living room or bedroom isn’t notifiable under Part P in England, but it still has to be done to BS 7671 and we issue a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for it. Two situations are notifiable, and we notify them to Building Control through our scheme at no extra cost:
- Bathrooms. New lights in a room with a bath or shower are special-location work. The fittings must carry the right IP rating for their zone — IP65 is the usual choice over a bath or shower — and the circuit must be RCD-protected. The rules are laid out in our bathroom electrical regulations guide.
- A new circuit. If the existing lighting circuit can’t take the new lights — it’s already carrying the whole floor, or it has no earth, or it isn’t RCD-protected on an old fuse board — a new circuit from the consumer unit is the right answer and it’s notifiable.
The current wiring regulations require 30mA RCD protection on domestic lighting circuits. If your board is an old rewireable-fuse type with no RCDs, we’ll point that out when we quote; we won’t refuse to fit a downlight because of it, but it’s worth knowing. A new consumer unit starts from £550 — see fuse board replacement in London. Landlords: new lighting work is something the next electrical safety report will look at, so it pays to have the certificate on file — prices are on the EICR cost guide.
How long does it take to fit downlights?
Replacing six existing downlights like-for-like takes one to two hours. Six new downlights in an existing kitchen ceiling with loft access above takes around half a day; the same job below a bedroom with the joists running the wrong way can take most of a day. Bathrooms are usually half a day including testing. We make good the holes we cut to fit the lights, but patching and repainting any plaster damage beyond that is decorating work, so plan a touch-up if the ceiling is old.
Can I just buy the downlights and have you fit them?
Yes. Because we price labour separately, it makes no difference to us who buys the fittings. Send us the product link before you order and we’ll check three things: that it’s fire-rated if the ceiling needs it, that the cut-out size suits your ceiling, and that the fittings will work with the dimmer you want. Cheap fittings without a proper driver or fire rating are the most common reason we suggest a swap. If you’d rather we supply them, we charge exactly what the wholesaler charged us.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to get downlights in London?
Put them in while the ceiling is open. During a kitchen refit, extension or rewire, downlights cost £40–£60 per light in labour because the cable goes in before the plasterboard. Cutting into a finished ceiling later costs more and risks cracks. If you’re only upgrading old halogen lamps, swapping the lamps for LED ones is often within the £108 minimum charge.
Can downlights go in a lath and plaster ceiling?
Usually, yes, if the ceiling is sound. We check it first by pressing on it and looking from above where we can. If it’s sagging or already cracked badly, cutting a row of holes can bring a section down, and we’ll say so and suggest over-boarding or surface lights instead.
Are LED downlights safe under insulation?
Only if the fitting is rated for contact with insulation or fitted with a proper cover. Many modern fire-rated LED fittings are designed to be covered; the product data will say so. We don’t fit unrated fittings under insulation.
How much does it cost to replace one downlight?
A single downlight replacement falls under our £108 inc VAT minimum charge, plus the fitting at cost. If you have several to do, the minimum covers the first two or three, so it’s worth doing them all in one visit.
Can you add downlights to a flat in a converted house?
Yes — it’s much of what we do across N15, N16, N4 and E17. The fittings will be fire-rated because the ceiling almost always separates you from the flat above, and cable routing is planned around not disturbing your neighbour’s floor. If you’re a leaseholder, check your lease for alterations consent before we cut into the ceiling.
Do you cover my area?
We cover North and North-East London from Tottenham: Haringey, Hackney, Islington, Enfield, Waltham Forest, Camden, Barnet, Newham, Tower Hamlets and central London. See all the areas we cover.
Get a downlight quote
WhatsApp or text us a photo of the ceiling, the room size, what’s above it, and where you want the lights, and we’ll come back with a fixed labour price. Downlights from £35 per light for a like-for-like swap, £55–£85 per new light, all subject to our £108 inc VAT minimum charge, with fittings at cost. Call 07407 627542. More guides like this are in our electrical guides.