Lighting Installation in Los Angeles

What does recessed lighting installation cost in Los Angeles?

Recessed lighting installation in Los Angeles typically runs $150 to $350 per can. And a full kitchen package lands between $900 and $3,000. The price per can depends on ceiling access, insulation, and whether we can reach an existing circuit. A+ Electric & Plumbing quotes the exact number before we start, so the figure you approve is the figure you pay.

Attic access drives the price more than anything else. Most single-story ranch homes in Van Nuys, Northridge, and Reseda have open attics. So we fish wire from above and each can stays near the low end. Second-story rooms in Studio City or Woodland Hills usually need a few small drywall openings instead, which pushes each can toward $350.

Older wiring changes the plan too. For example, pre-1950 homes with knob and tube wiring need those circuits replaced before new cans tie in. And our home rewiring crew handles that under the same roof and the same invoice. No second contractor, and no finger-pointing when schedules slip.

Recessed lighting installation cost by room, typical range for the Los Angeles market

These are typical Los Angeles ranges for orientation, not a quote. Every job is priced by its own conditions, so your exact number comes from a free on-site look. Get a free estimate in minutes, or call (818) 421-5290.

Is switching to LED lighting worth it in Los Angeles?

Yes, in most cases LED pays for itself within 2 to 3 years. A 60-watt incandescent bulb and its 10-watt LED replacement produce the same light. But the LED uses about 83% less power. Multiply that across 20 fixtures running 3 hours a night at LADWP rates. And the savings show up on every bill.

The wattage math is easy to check against your own LADWP bill. For example, take a 6-can kitchen that runs 4 hours every evening:

• Six 65-watt incandescent floods draw 390 watts, about 47 kWh per month
• Six 10-watt LED trims draw 60 watts, about 7 kWh per month
• Same brightness, roughly 85% less lighting energy

Lifespan is the quieter half of the argument. A quality LED fixture is rated for 25,000 to 50,000 hours. Meanwhile, an incandescent bulb manages about 1,000. So you skip 20 years of ladder trips at 3 hours of use a day. Also, LADWP runs efficiency rebate programs that change during the year. So check current offers at ladwp.com before you buy fixtures.

LED lighting installation in Los Angeles has one more quiet payoff: heat. Incandescent bulbs turn roughly 90% of their energy into heat instead of light. And in an Encino August your air conditioner pays to remove every bit of it.

Do I need an electrician to hang a chandelier or ceiling fan?

For a chandelier over about 50 pounds, yes, and for any ceiling fan too. Standard plastic ceiling boxes are rated for light fixtures only, so a heavy chandelier needs a box or hook rated for the load, not the builder-grade plastic ring the old fixture hung from. Typical range for the Los Angeles market: $150 to $400 to hang a chandelier, plus $100 to $250 for vaulted ceilings.

Ceiling fans are a different job. A fan shakes its mounting loose over time, so it needs a fan-rated box plus the right downrod length for the room. We cover fan mounting, sizing, wiring, and wobble fixes in full on our ceiling fan installation page.

Vaulted ceilings raise the stakes and the price. The 14-foot living rooms common in Sherman Oaks and Tarzana need tall ladders or scaffolding, which is exactly what the $100 to $250 vaulted surcharge covers. Once we are up there, we also set the downrod length so the fan sits at the right height for airflow.

Why do LED lights flicker, and which dimmer fixes it?

LED flicker almost always comes from an old incandescent dimmer trying to control a low-wattage LED load. The fix is an LED-rated dimmer matched to your bulbs, typically $120 to $300 installed for a dimmer or smart switch in the Los Angeles market. Once the pairing is right, the flicker, buzz, and dead low-end dimming disappear.

Here is the plain-language version of why it happens. An old dimmer chops household power in a pattern built for a glowing filament. But an LED driver (the small converter inside every LED fixture) reads that chopped pattern as an on-off command, so the light stutters. An LED-rated dimmer chops the wave where drivers expect it, and the light dims smoothly down to about 5% brightness.

Smart switches add schedules, vacation mode, and voice control for the same $120 to $300 installed range as a quality dimmer. However, many 1950s Valley switch boxes have no neutral wire, which most smart switches require. We either pull a neutral to the box or spec a no-neutral model. And we tell you which before you buy anything.

What does landscape lighting installation cost in Los Angeles?

A professionally installed landscape lighting system typically costs $2,000 to $6,000 in the Los Angeles market. That covers a transformer, low voltage cable, and roughly 8 to 15 fixtures for paths, trees, and the front of the house. Small add-on zones cost less, while large hillside lots in Encino or Woodland Hills trend toward the top of the range.

Most yards want low voltage. It runs on 12 volts through a small transformer. So the cable buries shallow, fixtures move easily as plants grow. And a cut wire is a repair rather than a hazard. Line voltage (standard 120 volts) earns its place for tall trees, long driveways, and bright security floods. But it needs conduit, deeper trenching, and a permit.

Low voltage vs line voltage landscape lighting

Security is usually the real goal, and layered light beats one glaring flood. So we pair soft path and wall fixtures with motion floods on the dark sides of the house, which removes hiding spots without lighting up your bedroom. Keep in mind that a new 120-volt circuit needs panel space. And the Zinsco and Federal Pacific panels in many 1960s and 70s Valley homes have none to spare. Our panel upgrade service fixes that first.

Is under cabinet lighting worth it in a Valley kitchen?

Yes. Under cabinet lighting costs $300 to $900 installed, the typical range for the Los Angeles market. And it fixes the one shadow every overhead layout leaves: the counter where you actually work. We hardwire low-profile LED strips or puck lights to a switch or dimmer. So there are no dangling cords or stick-on battery pucks.

Good under cabinet lighting is mostly about hiding the hardware. We mount slim LED strips at the front edge of the upper cabinets, wire them to their own switch or dimmer. And match the color temperature to the rest of the kitchen (2700K to 3000K reads warm, 4000K reads like a workshop). As a result, you see lit countertop instead of a glowing strip in your eyes.

Better yet, a kitchen project is where one team for two trades saves real days. While we wire lighting above the counter, the same licensed company can swap the garbage disposal or hook up the dishwasher below it. One call, one schedule, one invoice.

Do commercial LED retrofits pay off in Los Angeles?

Usually yes, and faster than owners expect. A commercial LED retrofit cuts lighting energy use by 50 to 70% when it replaces fluorescent tubes or metal halide fixtures. And maintenance drops because rated lamp life triples or better. For a Valley shop or office running lights 60 hours a week, payback commonly lands in 1 to 3 years.

Our commercial and industrial electrician team retrofits offices, retail, restaurants, and warehouse high-bays across Burbank, Glendale, and North Hollywood, usually after hours so you never close. A typical job: we count and photograph every fixture, quote the retrofit per fixture in writing, then swap fluorescent troffers to LED panels over one or two nights.

Utility money improves the math further, because LADWP offers commercial efficiency programs alongside its residential rebates. In short, if your ceiling still hums with fluorescent ballasts, you are buying light you could get at half the wattage.

How does a lighting installation appointment work?

Every lighting installation starts with a free on-site walkthrough and a written price. And most single-room jobs finish the same day they start. A+ Electric & Plumbing, a licensed electrician and plumber serving Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, handles your lighting installation with one licensed crew from quote to cleanup, so nothing gets lost between visits.

1. Walkthrough and written quote30 to 60 minutes

   We measure rooms, check attic or ceiling access, and confirm your panel can carry the new load. Then you get one exact price in writing, free, before we start.

2. Layout on the ceilingabout 30 minutes

   Next, we tape every can, switch, and fixture location so you see the pattern at full scale. Nothing gets cut until you approve it.

3. Rough-in and wiring2 to 4 hours for a 6-can room

   Then we cut openings, fish cable, and set housings, using IC-rated cans wherever insulation touches. Drop cloths go down first, and openings stay as small as the trim allows.

4. Trims, dimmers, and aimingabout 1 hour

   After that, we install trims, set color temperature, fit LED-rated dimmers, and aim any adjustable cans at art or counters.

5. Test, label, and clean upabout 30 minutes

   Finally, we test every switch and dimmer, label any new breakers in the panel. And vacuum before we load the truck.

Lighting is one branch of our full range of electrician services. So the same visit can absorb small extras like a dead outlet or a new smoke detector. Call (818) 421-5290 to schedule, or Get a Free Estimate through our contact page and we will call you back.

Does Title 24 apply to lighting installation in Los Angeles?

Yes. Title 24 is California's energy code, and it applies to most permanent lighting installation in Los Angeles, including remodels. In practice it requires high-efficacy fixtures (LED qualifies), plus dimmers or vacancy sensors in certain rooms. We handle this for you: the fixtures we quote already comply, so inspection day is boring, which is the goal.

Permits follow the same logic. New circuits, new recessed layouts, and 120-volt landscape runs in the City of Los Angeles get permitted through LADBS. Meanwhile, Burbank and Glendale operate their own building departments with their own fees. We pull the correct permit for your address and fold it into the written quote before we start.

Like-for-like swaps stay simple. Replacing an existing fixture with a similar one usually needs no permit. And in most cases neither does trading a switch for a dimmer. Still, ask during your free estimate, because the answer depends on your city and your scope. And getting it right costs you nothing.

Frequently asked questions