How do I determine the amount of wattage I need in a fixture?

For Ambient Lighting: For gentle light throughout a room, you are going to multiply the room dimensions by each other and then multiply that total (the square footage of the room) by 1.5 for the amount of watts necessary. Example: Room length: 15 feet Room width: 13 feet Step 1: 15*13= 195 square feet Step 2: 195*1.5= 292.5 watts needed In this scenario, a chandelier with eight 40-watt bulbs would suffice or a floor lamp at 150 watts and two 80-watt table lamps would provide more than enough light.

For Task Lighting:

To illuminate a workspace, such as a desk, multiply square footage of the space by 2.5.

Example: Desk length: 4 feet Desk width: 1.5 feet Step 1: 4*1.5= 6 square feet Step 2: 6*2.5= 15 watts needed

In this case you would only need a small table lamp to provide sufficient illumination.

-M. Wood