Honeycomb Lighting Power Load: What Each Configuration Draws
Published 2026-09-22
A honeycomb ceiling is quoted configuration by configuration, and each configuration carries its own rated power. Add the ratings of the configurations you are installing and you have the connected load for the ceiling. What you cannot do is scale a rating by ceiling area, because the range is not rated per square metre.
Rated power by configuration
These are the standard variants. Treat them as the starting point for a quotation, not as a universal figure for the size, for the reason set out in the next section:
| Configuration | Overall size | Rated power |
|---|---|---|
| 1 grid | 987 x 987 mm | 46 W |
| 11-Hex | 2315 x 3200 mm | 276 W |
| 14-Hex | 4070 x 2390 mm | 458 W |
| 14-Hex + Frame | 2410 x 4795 mm | 600 W |
Why one footprint can carry two ratings
This is the part that catches people out when they compare quotations. The same overall footprint can be built in more than one way, and the rated power changes with the build. In our own catalogue the 4070 x 2390 mm size appears at both 458 W and 520 W depending on the variant, and the 2410 x 4780 mm frame appears across a band from roughly 360 W to 632 W depending on how the cells are arranged inside it.
So a quotation that lists a size and a wattage without naming the variant is incomplete, in either direction. If you are comparing two suppliers on price per watt, check first that both are quoting the same variant of the same footprint. Ours is named on the quotation.
Adding a ceiling up
The arithmetic is a sum of the configuration ratings, not an estimate. Two examples using the standard variants above:
| Ceiling | Arithmetic | Connected load |
|---|---|---|
| Four bays, one 14-Hex each | 4 x 458 W | 1,832 W |
| One 11-Hex plus one 14-Hex | 276 W + 458 W | 734 W |
| Single small feature ceiling | 1 x 46 W | 46 W |
Two qualifications on those numbers. They are the connected load of the standard variants, so substitute the rating of the variant actually being quoted before you pass the figure on. And connected load is not circuit sizing: distribution, protection, cable selection and diversity belong to a qualified electrician working to the code in your market, and should be confirmed with them rather than taken from this page.
Do not scale a rating by area
It is tempting to take one rating, divide it by the footprint and apply the result to a different size. That will be wrong, because the range is not rated per square metre. The cell count, the arrangement of the cells and the presence of a perimeter frame all change what a layout draws, and the configuration list is deliberately not a continuous sequence either: it runs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 14, because the intermediate counts do not assemble cleanly from the standard tubes and connectors.
If you need a figure for a layout that is not on the list, ask for it. It is a specification question, not a calculation you should be doing from a table on a website.
What to send us with a layout
- Clear ceiling length and width, and ceiling height to the mounting surface
- The configuration or configurations you intend to install, and how many of each
- Whether a perimeter frame is part of the design
- Where the supply can physically be placed, if the design uses one
- Destination market, which settles the supply voltage question early
With those inputs the quoted figure is the rating of the configuration you are actually buying, rather than a rating for a size that resembles it.
How do I work out the total load for my ceiling?
Add the rated power of each configuration you are installing. For example four bays with one 14-Hex each gives 4 x 458 W, or 1,832 W on the standard variant. Confirm the rating of the variant being quoted before passing the figure on, and have a qualified electrician size the circuit.
Why does the same size have two different wattages?
Because the same overall footprint can be built more than one way, and the rated power changes with the build. The 4070 x 2390 mm size appears at both 458 W and 520 W in our catalogue, and the 2410 x 4780 mm frame carries a band of ratings depending on the cell arrangement.
Can I calculate the load from the ceiling area?
No. The range is not rated per square metre, and the cell arrangement and any perimeter frame change what a layout draws. Ask for the rating of the specific configuration instead.
Do these figures size my circuit?
No. They are connected load figures only. Distribution, protection, cable selection and diversity need a qualified electrician working to the code that applies in your market.