Lighting installationin Stevenage and Hertfordshire

Cable choice depends on the circuit load and route: typically twin and earth for standard lighting circuits, sized to the number and wattage of fittings on each circuit. Fire-rated downlights are used wherever the ceiling forms a fire barrier, such as between a house and an integral garage, or above a habitable room below a loft.

Fittings covered by loft insulation need an IC-F (insulation contact, fire-rated) rating so the heat generated doesn't build up under the insulation. Bathroom and outdoor fittings need an appropriate IP rating for the zone they sit in: higher near water, lower further away.

LED drivers and dimmer switches need to match the load and dimming curve of the fittings chosen. Mismatched components are one of the most common causes of flickering, buzzing, or early failure.

Cable is run either through accessible routes, lofts, voids, under floors, or chased into walls and plastered back where no other route exists. Chasing is kept to a minimum where possible and surfaces are made good before we leave.

Circuits are designed so no single lighting circuit is overloaded, splitting larger rooms or whole floors across more than one circuit where needed. Switch wiring is planned to support two-way, intermediate or smart control from the start, rather than retrofitting it later.

Once fittings are in, every circuit is tested with insulation resistance, earth continuity, polarity and RCD checks before the job is signed off.

A straightforward swap, replacing an existing pendant or switch like-for-like, is usually a short job, often quoted from a photo. Adding downlights to an existing room involves more planning: circuit capacity, fire and insulation ratings, and cutting ceiling holes without hitting joists or pipework.

A full lighting rewire, replacing all the circuits in a house, often alongside a wider rewire, is a bigger project needing a site visit, a proper design, and typically a 10% deposit on larger jobs. Smart lighting and scene control add complexity around neutral wiring at switches and compatible dimmer modules.

New-build owners often find gaps left by the developer: rooms with a single central pendant and nothing else, or switching that doesn't make sense for how the room is used. Kitchen and bathroom renovations almost always need new lighting circuits designed around the new layout, with IP-rated fittings over sinks, showers and baths.

Landlords upgrading between tenancies often replace ageing fittings with LED downlights to cut running costs and reduce bulb-replacement call-outs. Outdated flats with old wiring sometimes need the lighting circuit assessed on its own before new fittings are added, particularly where the existing cabling looks original to the building.

Domestic lighting is mostly about look and feel: downlights, feature pendants, dimming, and matching fittings to the room's use. Circuits are smaller and fitting choice is driven by the client as much as by the electrics.

Commercial lighting, offices, warehouses, retail units, is driven more by layout, switching zones, and circuit capacity across larger floor areas. Linehan's team has worked on jobs ranging from domestic fit-outs to larger commercial premises, scaling the crew up for bigger projects where needed.