How to Price a Downlight Job: A Quoting Guide for Electricians
A line-by-line method for pricing downlight installs: survey questions, labour, materials, void uplifts, certification and a worked example you can adapt to your own rates.
Downlight jobs look simple and lose money quietly. The fittings are cheap, so people price on the fitting count, then spend half a day in a loft with 200mm of insulation, a hidden joist run and a lighting circuit that's already near its limit. This guide walks through building the quote line by line, from the survey questions to the certificate, so the price covers the job you'll actually do.
The figures below are worked assumptions for illustration, not market rates. Swap in your own labour rate, supplier prices and overheads.
Ask these questions before you price
Most of the variation in a downlight job is decided by things you can't see from the customer's photo. A ten-minute survey (or a few questions by message) saves you eating the difference.
• Ceiling void access. Is there a loft above, a room above, or a flat roof? Floorboards up in a bedroom above is a different job from a loft hatch.
• Void depth. Shallow voids limit which fittings fit. Check the fitting's required clearance against the real depth.
• Insulation. Is there loft insulation to work around or lift? Fittings must be selected and installed so they don't create an overheating or fire risk. Check the manufacturer's instructions for the fitting you've chosen, and allow time to lift and relay insulation properly.
• Joist direction and spacing. This decides where fittings can go and how much cable routing you'll do. Ask for a rough layout wish before you promise a grid.
• Fire rating. Is the ceiling part of a fire-separating floor (flat above, or a ceiling protecting a floor structure)? If so, you need fire-rated fittings, or hoods, and an installation method that keeps the rating. If you're unsure of the construction, say so and check before quoting.
• Existing wiring. What's there: lighting circuit cable type, a loop-in at the ceiling roses, any signs of old rubber or deteriorated cable? Anything doubtful changes the scope.
• Circuit capacity. How many existing lights are on the circuit, and what is the protective device? LED loads are small, but you still need to confirm the existing circuit is suitable, that its test results are satisfactory, and whether it has RCD protection.
• Switching. Single switch, two-way, or dimmer? Dimmers must suit the LED fittings and their drivers.
If you can't answer fire rating or wiring condition from a survey, put an assumption in writing on the quote. Something like: "Price assumes standard plasterboard ceiling with accessible loft above and existing wiring in serviceable condition. Any defects found will be quoted separately."
Build the quote in four parts
1. Labour per fitting and per room
Two methods work. Pick one and stay consistent.
Per fitting. Set a time per fitting for cutting, wiring, connecting and fitting, based on your own experience in an accessible void. Then add a separate line per room for the things that don't scale with the count: cable runs to the switch, dust protection, moving furniture, and lifting boards or insulation.
Per room. Quote a fixed price for the room with a stated number of fittings, and a price for each extra fitting. Customers like it because it's easy to compare, and the extra-fitting price protects you when they say "could we add two more?"
Either way, add a first-fix and second-fix split in your head even if the customer doesn't see it. If the job needs two visits (cutting and wiring, then fitting after plastering or decorating), count the travel and setup twice.
2. Materials
• Fire-rated or standard fittings, as the ceiling requires. Fire-rated fittings cost noticeably more, so don't quote standard ones and swap later.
• Cable, usually 1.0mm or 1.5mm twin and earth to suit the circuit, plus connectors or junction boxes (maintenance-free where they'll be buried or inaccessible).
• Dimmer or switch, if included. Check the dimmer's minimum load against the total LED wattage.
• Consumables: cable clips, saddles, fire hoods, tape, hole saw wear, dust sheets.
• Making good: a small allowance, and a clear note on who redecorates.
Add your normal materials mark-up. Show materials as a line, not a hidden figure, if the customer wants quantities. You can choose in Zappy Pro Tools whether the client sees quantities and item prices.
3. Margin for awkward voids
Don't spread risk invisibly. Decide your uplift and state the condition it relates to. As a working assumption (adjust to your own experience):
| Condition | Suggested uplift on labour | |---|---| | Open loft, clear access, no insulation issue | 0% | | Insulation to lift and relay | 10-15% | | Tight or shallow void, restricted access | 15-25% | | Boards up in a room above, making good needed | 20-30% | | Unknown wiring condition | Quote a survey or investigation first |
Those are planning figures, not industry standards. If a void is truly unknown, a fixed price is a gamble. Either price a paid survey, or quote with a clear exclusion and a day-rate for variations.
4. Testing and certification
Every new fitting is an alteration or addition, so the paperwork is part of the job and needs to be on the quote.
• Minor Works certificate: suits adding downlights to an existing lighting circuit that doesn't involve a new circuit. That covers a lot of straightforward jobs.
• EIC: needed when you install a new circuit, for example a new lighting circuit for a big kitchen refit, or when the work includes a consumer unit change.
Allow time for dead tests (continuity, insulation resistance, polarity) and live tests (earth fault loop impedance, RCD where relevant) on the affected circuit. Our guide to EIC vs Minor Works certificate sets out which fits which job. Also check whether the work is notifiable: adding fittings to an existing lighting circuit in a dwelling generally isn't, but a new circuit or work in a special location is, so check the current rules and see our building control notification guide if unsure.
Put certification on the quote as its own line so it isn't treated as an optional extra.
Worked example: kitchen and living room
These are fictional assumptions for demonstration only. Rates and prices are illustrative.
Assumptions
• Two-storey house, loft above both rooms, accessible by hatch.
• Kitchen: 6 fire-rated downlights replacing a single pendant. Ceiling is plasterboard, loft insulation 200mm to lift and relay.
• Living room: 4 standard downlights on a separate switch, loft above, same insulation.
• Both rooms on the existing lighting circuit, wiring in serviceable condition, no RCD concerns found at survey.
• Your labour rate: £50 an hour. Time per fitting: 45 minutes in open void. Fitting cost: £9 each standard, £16 each fire-rated.
| Line | Calculation | Price | |---|---|---| | Kitchen labour | 6 x 0.75 hr x £50 | £225 | | Kitchen insulation uplift | 15% of labour | £34 | | Kitchen switch and cable run | 1.5 hr x £50 | £75 | | Kitchen fittings | 6 x £16 | £96 | | Living room labour | 4 x 0.75 hr x £50 | £150 | | Living room insulation uplift | 15% of labour | £23 | | Living room switch and cable run | 1 hr x £50 | £50 | | Living room fittings | 4 x £9 | £36 | | Cable, connectors, consumables | allowance | £45 | | Testing and Minor Works certificate | 1 hr x £50 | £50 | | Subtotal | | £784 |
Add your materials mark-up and any VAT if you're registered. Optional extras might be a dimmer in the living room (£30 supply, 0.5 hr fit, so about £55) and two extra fittings in the kitchen (each about £46 with labour and fitting).
The assumptions are the important part. If the kitchen ceiling turns out to be a fire-separating floor above a flat, or the circuit fails its tests, the price changes and the customer has already read why.
Quote it in Zappy Pro Tools
The quote editor puts the whole job on one page. A practical way to set up the example:
• Pick the client, then add a Section heading for "Kitchen" and another for "Living room". The rows you add beneath each stay grouped for the client.
• Build each room's price as rows: labour, fittings, cable run. Use a Text row for the assumptions, such as "Price assumes accessible loft and serviceable existing wiring".
• Open a row's ⋯ menu and choose Make optional for the dimmer and the extra fittings. Your client ticks the extras they want and the total updates as they go. Recommended extras start ticked. You can add a photo to any row from the same menu, handy for showing the dimmer you suggest.
• Add your saved Terms, and a private note for yourself (such as "check void depth on survey day"), which the client never sees.
• Send it by email, or by text if you're on Zappy Pro.
The client opens a quote page showing the items and extras, and accepts by typing their full name to sign. Zappy keeps a record of the version, the lines, the extras they chose and the total. If they ask for changes, you're notified and Revise quote opens with their request beside you. Every send is saved as a version, and an accepted quote is locked. If you've asked for a deposit, it follows the extras the client chose.
What to put in writing every time
Downlight quote checklist
• Number of fittings per room, and the price for each extra
• Fitting type, including whether fire-rated
• Access and insulation assumptions
• Existing wiring and circuit assumptions
• Switching, including dimmer compatibility
• Testing and the certificate type (Minor Works or EIC)
• Making good and who redecorates
• Exclusions and how variations are priced
• Validity period and deposit terms
For more on presentation, deposits and follow-up, see how to write electrical quotes that win jobs. Zappy sells Zappy Pro Tools, so treat our tool suggestions with that in mind. The pricing method above works with any quoting system, or a spreadsheet.
FAQ
Should I quote per fitting or per room? Either works. Per room with a stated fitting count and a price for each extra is easiest for customers to compare and protects you from creeping additions.
Do I need a certificate for adding downlights? You need to certify the work. A Minor Works certificate usually covers adding fittings to an existing circuit, and an EIC covers a new circuit. Check the specific job against the wiring regulations and your scheme's guidance.
What if I can't check the ceiling construction before quoting? State your assumption in writing and say how a different finding would change the price. For fire-separating ceilings, confirm the construction before you commit to a fixed price.
How do I handle customers who add fittings on the day? Quote a clear price per extra fitting. In Zappy Pro Tools you can also offer them as optional extras up front, so the client ticks them before accepting.
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