Lights vs. Power Installation

Lights vs. power installations in common types of buildings and rooms. The table below can be used as a guide to installed light power in some common types of buildings and rooms.

Type of Building/RoomLight Power (watts/Sq.Ft.)
Apartments1.0 - 4.0
Banks2.0 - 5.0
Bars1.5 - 2.0
Cafeterias1.5 - 2.5
Churches1.0 - 3.0
Clubhouses1.5 - 2.0
Cocktail Lounges1.5 - 2.0
Computer Rooms1.5 - 5.0
Court Houses2.0 - 5.0
Dental Centers1.5 - 2.5
Department Stores1.0 - 3.0
Dining Halls1.5 - 2.5
Drug Store1.0 - 3.0
Fire Stations2.0 - 3.0
Hospitals, General Areas1.5 - 2.5
Hotels Public Spaces1.5 - 3.0
Kindergarten1.0 - 3.0
Kitchens1.5 - 3.0
Jail1.0 - 2.5
Libraries1.0 - 3.0
Luncheonettes1.5 - 2.5
Lunch Rooms1.5 - 2.5
Malls1.0 - 3.0
Medical Centers1.5 - 2.5
Motels Public Areas1.5 - 3.0
Motels Guest Rooms1.0 - 3.0
Municipal Buildings2.0 - 5.0
Museums1.0 - 3.0
Nightclubs1.5 - 2.0
Nursing Home Patient Rooms2.0 - 3.0
Police Stations2.0 - 3.0
Post Offices2.0 - 3.0
Precision Manufacturing2.0 - 3.0
Residential1.0 - 4.0
Retail Stores2.0 - 6.0
Restaurants1.5 - 3.0
School Classrooms2.0 - 6.0
Shops1.0 - 3.0
Supermarkets1.0 - 3.0
Taverns1.5 - 2.0
Town Halls2.0 - 5.0

Conversion Factors

  • 1 ft² = 0.0929 m² = 144 in² = 0.1111 yd²
  • 1 watts/ft² = 10.8 watts/m²