Track Lighting

Track lighting is popular not only for new homes but also for renovations and replacing outdated existing light installations. The versatility and power of track lighting allows you to direct light to where it is needed as and when it is needed. Mounted on tracks that contain electrical conductors, the lights can be moved along the whole track without each position having to be wired individually. This makes track lighting ideal for existing homes and renovations as well as new homes - they're easy to install from any existing light fitting in a ceiling or wall.

Track lighting is usually manufactured in one of three standard tracks: H, L and J tracks. These letters come from the three manufacturers that first started marketing tracks in the USA - Halo, Lightolier and Juno. Many light fittings are compatible with only one of these standards, but manufacturers will often offer a version of each fitting for each standard. Be sure to check that the fitting you are buying is compatible with the track that you're planning on installing.

The tracks to mount the fittings to come in a varying range of shapes and fit together easily - much like the meccano set many of us played with as kids. The track design is very much up to the individual, but there are some common variations - a straight run (just a straight line), H shape, T shape and a grid layout. Newer track systems can also be curved and bent for more individual designs and you can even hang fixtures down with extensions.

• Accent lighting, e.g. to light specific areas of interest in a room
• Task lighting to provide movable lights for different areas in a room. For example: kitchen workbenches in a kitchen

• When you have low ceilings
• For general lighting in a room. Although this can work, generally the light provided is quite focused and perhaps not the best way to light an entire room