Shed Lighting

Shed lighting options: solar, battery or mains

There are three ways to light a garden shed, and the right one depends on how often you use it and how far it sits from the house.

• Solar. A solar panel on the roof, a wall or a post stores free energy during the day and runs the light at night. No wiring from the house, no energy bills and no outdoor cable across the garden. Every product on this page is solar.
• Battery. Stick-on or hanging LED lighting that runs on AA cells or a rechargeable pack. Cheap and quick, but dim, and you keep swapping cells.
• Mains. A proper circuit from the house with switches, LED batten ceiling lights and sockets. The brightest option and the only one that will run power tools, but it costs the most and needs a qualified installer.

For most plastic sheds, storage sheds and bike stores, solar is the sensible middle ground: bright enough to find things and work by, energy efficient, and fitted in an afternoon. If you plan to run a table saw or a heater, go for mains.

Solar shed lights and lighting kits compared

Here is every light on this page, with the figures from the Shedstore listings. Prices move often, so they are shown as rough bands; the grid above has today's price.

The Hubi Work kits come with a choice of round LED bulbs or flat LED strips at the same price. A bulb throws light all round the room from the ceiling; a strip spreads it along a roof beam or over a bench, which suits a long, narrow shed.

SolarTec Hubi Work: a solar shed light for storage and workshops

The Hubi Work range is lighting built for working sheds, garages and log cabins. A high efficiency crystalline solar panel feeds a lithium battery hub on a 2.5m cable, and a 5m cable runs on to the lights, so the panel can sit on the sunny side while the hub stays inside, dry and off the floor, with no mains wiring at all. Each bulb or strip gives 300 lumen, and a battery level indicator shows how much charge is left.

Pick the size by floor area. The Hubi Work 16 lights 4m x 4m, more than enough lighting for an 8x6 or 10x8 plastic garden shed. The Hubi Work 32 has two lights and covers 8m x 4m, and the Hubi Work 64 covers 64 square metres with four bulbs or two strips for a big workshop or a double garage, the largest area in the range. A daisy chain lets you add extra LEDs to the same hub later.

The hub is a power bank too. Two USB ports charge a phone or tablet, and the 12v port runs a radio or a fan with a car-style plug. The solar panel is covered for 10 years and the hub for 2. Shedstore lists the kits as exempt from Part P building regulations, and fitting takes 10 to 15 minutes.

SolarTec Premium shed solar lighting kits for summerhouses and gazebos

The Premium kits are about atmosphere rather than work light. They use 3.5w vintage-style bulbs, each one about as bright as a 350 lumen mains bulb, in pendants that hang from the ceiling, floor lamps or a table lamp. They run for up to 5 hours every evening and carry a 2-year guarantee. Kits 1 and 2 have a 5w panel and a 2Ah battery; Kits 3 to 8 move up to a 10Ah lithium battery, and Kits 5, 7 and 8 get a bigger 10w panel. Lamp shades are not included, so pick your own to suit the room.

Each Premium kit is matched to a size of building:

• Kit 3 is the shed kit: two 3w LED strips for apex sheds up to 4m x 3.5m (14ft x 12ft).
• Kits 1, 4 and 5 hang one, two or three pendants in gazebos up to 3m x 3m, 4m x 4m and 5m x 4m.
• Kits 2, 6, 7 and 8 use floor and table lamps for summerhouses and garden rooms from 2.5m x 2.5m up to 5m x 4m.

Shedstore's own garden building installation service does not fit these kits, so plan to put them up yourself; it is a screwdriver job and needs no wiring.

Outdoor lighting: a motion sensor light for the shed door

Inside light helps you work; outdoor lighting helps you get there and adds security. A motion sensor light over the door switches on as you walk up with your hands full, and it is one of the cheapest ways to put off a thief who would rather work in the dark.

The Forest Garden shed light on this page is a compact, weatherproof solar LED wall light. Its sensor picks up movement 6 to 8m away across a 270 degree range, brightness is adjustable, the batteries are included and it takes about 5 hours of sun to charge. Fix it high on the side of the garden shed that gets the most sun, where it lights the door and the outdoor path. For alarms and locks to go with it, see our shed security page.

How bright should shed lighting be?

Look at lumens, not watts. Lumens measure the light you actually get; an LED needs far fewer watts than an old bulb to give the same amount. Lighting suppliers suggest roughly 10 to 20 lumens per square foot for general light and two or three times that over a workbench.

• 6x4 or 8x6 storage shed (24 to 48 sq ft): one 300 lumen light is plenty for finding tools and bikes.
• 10x8 shed or small workshop (80 sq ft): two lights, such as the Hubi Work 32, or one strip over the bench and one bulb by the door.
• Large shed, garage or cabin: the Hubi Work 64, or solar for general lighting plus mains or a rechargeable work lamp for close work.
• Summerhouse or gazebo: softer light is fine, so ceiling pendants or floor lamps from the Premium range.

Colour matters too. Warm white (around 2700K to 3000K) feels cosy in a summerhouse; cool white or daylight (4000K and up) shows colours and detail better at a bench. Placement counts as much as brightness: put task lighting over the bench rather than behind you, so your own shadow does not fall on the work, and keep one light near the door so the whole area is lit as you walk in.

Do solar shed lights work in winter?

Yes, but for fewer hours. A UK December day gives a fraction of the sun of a June one, which is why the Hubi Work listings quote 2 to 7 hours of light a day depending on the time of year. Plan for the short end in winter and you will not be caught out. To get the most from a solar lighting kit:

1. Fit the panel facing south, or as close as you can, tilted towards the sky.
2. Keep it clear of shade from trees, fences and the house, especially in the low winter sun.
3. Wipe leaves, dust and bird droppings off the panel every few weeks.
4. Switch lights off when you leave, and check the charge level before you top up a phone from the hub on a dull day.
5. On a big building, choose a kit with a 10w panel and a 10Ah hub for more stored energy.

Fitting lights in a plastic shed

Plastic and resin sheds are well suited to a solar lighting solution. The walls are too thin to hold a mains back box or switch firmly, and nobody wants an outdoor extension lead trailing across the lawn. The kits on this page screw to the ceiling frame or beams, and the leads clip along the inside of the structure.

• Panel: on a plastic roof, fix the panel to the shed wall, a fence or a sturdy post with its bracket, rather than drilling the roof panels.
• Cable entry: run the lead in under the eaves or through one small hole, then seal it with outdoor silicone so rain cannot get in.
• Fixings: use short screws into the frame, or a timber batten screwed to the frame, so nothing pokes through the outer skin.
• Hub: mount it on a wall or a shelf, out of the way of doors and away from damp. Our shed shelving page has units that make a handy spot.
• Daylight: a skylight roof or windows cut the need for lights in the day. The Palram Canopia sheds have polycarbonate panels that let light in.

Mains wiring for garden shed lighting: what the rules say

If you want mains power in the shed, the electrical supply will need a new circuit from the house. Under Approved Document P, adding a new circuit is notifiable building work in England, so either Building Control inspects it or it is done by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, who certifies it for you. The supply needs protecting on its run down the garden, and Electrical Safety First advises RCD protection for all outdoor electrics.

For a sturdy shed that will become a workshop or garden office, mains with IP65 LED batten lights can be worth it. For storage, bikes and the odd evening job, solar is the better lighting solution for a fraction of the cost, and it adds security lighting too.

Shed lights FAQs

Do I need an electrician to fit solar shed lights?

No. Solar kits run on low voltage from their own battery, and Shedstore lists the Hubi Work kits as exempt from Part P. Mains wiring is different and needs a registered electrician.

How long do solar shed lights last each night?

The Hubi Work kits give 2 to 7 hours a day depending on the season, and the Premium kits up to 5 hours each evening. Expect the lower figure in midwinter, when there is less daylight.

Bulb or strip: which is better?

A bulb on the ceiling lights a square room evenly. A strip spreads light along a beam, so it suits a long shed or a workshop with a work surface on one wall.

Can I charge my phone from a solar shed light?

Yes. Every SolarTec kit here has charging from the hub. The Hubi Work kits have two USB ports and a 12v port, and Premium Kits 4 to 8 will also run a 12v TV or a laptop with a 12v adaptor.

What is the best light for a plastic shed?

For an 8x6 or 10x8 plastic shed, the Hubi Work 16 or the Premium Kit 3 strips, plus a motion sensor light outside. For bigger buildings see our large plastic sheds and heavy duty plastic sheds, and for a bike store the plastic bike sheds.