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Lighting Plan: What is better? Fewer holes or smaller holes?

Gooster
11 years ago

I'm having second thoughts on my lighting plan.

I must have a CA T24 compliant set up. My space is 12.33x26.5 feet, and at roughly 35 lumens per sq foot I need 11,500 lumens. The ceilings are only 100 inches, so I need a very wide flood.

My lighting specialist hooked me up with my utilities sponsored Halo 4" cans. The design has 16 4" 637 lumen fixtures spaced evenly with a gap for three incandescent fixtures (two rows of 6 on the outside, plus four and a gap on the inside). I'd draw a picture but I think a grid is pretty clear. This gives me in excess of 12,500 lumens of general lighting (plus UCL).

My original alternative was to use a Nora 5" can with an 800 lumen PAR30 bulb. I would need only 11 of these -- far fewer holes but a bigger diameter in each. Each can would be spaced further apart (4 on the outer perimeter, 3 down the center)

I now see there is a 4" module from Elco that provides 1000 lumens. I could get away with only 8 of these, but the resulting grid would potentially be spaced too far apart, even with a very wide flood. Total lumens would be only 10,400. This is also more expensive.

So the simple question is... what is better... more evenly spread smaller, less intense lights or fewer "swiss cheese" holes but with stronger lights?

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