How much does it cost to upgrade my garage lighting to LED in Ottawa?

Upgrading garage lighting to LED in Ottawa typically costs between $300 and $1,200 depending on the size of your garage, the number of fixtures, and whether you are doing a simple bulb swap or a full fixture replacement with improved layout.

The simplest upgrade is replacing existing fluorescent tubes or incandescent bulbs with LED equivalents. If your garage has standard fixtures, you can swap in LED tubes or screw-in LED bulbs for $10 to $30 per fixture in materials. For a two-car garage with four to six existing fixtures, the materials run $60 to $150 and most homeowners handle this themselves with no permit required since you are not modifying any wiring.

A more significant upgrade involves replacing old fixtures entirely with modern LED shop lights or integrated LED panels. A quality 4-foot LED shop light producing 4,000 to 5,000 lumens costs $30 to $60 each, and a typical two-car garage needs four to eight fixtures for good coverage. Installed by an electrician, including removing old fixtures and wiring new ones, the total for a full fixture replacement runs $500 to $1,000 for a standard two-car garage.

For a premium workshop or hobby garage, Ottawa homeowners sometimes invest in LED panel lights or high-bay fixtures that deliver 10,000 lumens or more per fixture. These cost $80 to $150 each and provide shadow-free lighting that makes detailed work much easier. A high-end lighting upgrade with six to eight premium fixtures, dedicated task lighting over a workbench, and a dimmer switch for flexibility runs $800 to $1,200 installed.

The energy savings from LED lighting are substantial. A typical garage running four 4-foot fluorescent fixtures at 128 watts total for three hours per day costs about $55 per year with Ottawa Hydro rates. The same light output from LEDs draws roughly 80 watts total, dropping that annual cost to about $35. The bigger savings come from bulb longevity since LED shop lights last 50,000 hours compared to 20,000 for fluorescent tubes, so you stop buying replacement tubes and ballasts.

Choosing the Right Colour Temperature

For garage use, a colour temperature between 4000K and 5000K works best. The 4000K range gives a neutral white that is comfortable for general use, while 5000K provides a daylight tone that is excellent for detail work and colour matching. Avoid going above 5000K as it creates a harsh, clinical feel that causes eye fatigue during longer sessions.

One thing to consider is that if you are adding new fixture locations rather than just replacing existing ones, that constitutes new electrical work and requires an ESA permit. Adding a few extra fixtures to improve coverage is a common add-on during a lighting upgrade and usually adds $200 to $400 to the project for the additional wiring and permit.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The Ottawa Construction Network connects Ottawa homeowners with qualified professionals:

• 613Bins
• JC Carpentry
• Dreamwood Construction & Renovations
• Somar Contracting Inc.
• The Deck Store Inc