Wiring spotlights in parallel: the setup that holds up
This article is also available in French: Brancher spot en parallele
Connect each spotlight to the previous one, live to live, neutral to neutral, earth to earth, and continue to the next from the terminal block. The setup holds up even if one point fails. Allow a dedicated 16 A breaker for eight points: the limit is the number of points, not the wattage of an LED spotlight.
How do you wire spotlights in parallel?
Run the power supply from the consumer unit to the first spotlight, then connect from terminal block to terminal block up to the last one. Each point receives the same voltage: none is dimmer than the others. The connection is made in the junction box or in the spotlight's terminal block, never on a bare wire left hanging.
Models with an accessible terminal block make this work easier. In a survey of 249 references from our LED spotlight range as of 28 September 2026, 96% state an LED base and 96% an IP20 rating, two markers that are enough for a ceiling in a dry room.
Diagram: how to wire several spotlights together
The diagram follows a line: supply, spotlight 1, spotlight 2, spotlight 3. Three conductors run from one point to the next, and each terminal takes two wires, the one coming in and the one going out.
For the details of a single point, before chaining the next ones, our guide to wiring a single spotlight covers the same steps, connection by connection.
Wiring a 220 V recessed spotlight in parallel
A 220 V recessed spotlight is connected like a track spotlight, with the cut-out as an extra step. Leave about twenty centimetres of slack in the cable so you can pull the fitting out of its housing without pulling on the connections.
In the same survey, 82% of the references are track-mounted and 18% recessed. If you are installing this second family, our advice for installing recessed spotlights covers the cut-out, cable routing and ceiling finishing.
Do you need a transformer for a GU10 LED spotlight?
No. A GU10 runs on 230 V and connects directly to the mains. A 12 V spotlight, on the other hand, requires a driver per point or a transformer rated for the total power. In that case, the daisy-chaining is done on the 230 V side, and the low-voltage cable matters as much as the transformer.
Daisy-chaining decides whether it is feasible, the model decides the look. It is when choosing that the fitting takes over, pendants and ceiling lights included, on the same circuit as your spotlights.
| Criterion | Series wiring | Parallel wiring |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage at each spotlight | divided between the points | identical for all |
| Failure of one point | the circuit goes out | the others stay on |
| Wiring | wire-to-wire chain | terminal-to-terminal connection |
| Domestic use | rare, low voltage | standard at 230 V |
Should spotlights be wired in series or in parallel?
In parallel. Series wiring adds up the voltages and goes out as a whole at the first faulty point. On a 230 V domestic circuit, parallel is the only option that keeps each spotlight independent, whatever the failure.
Series wiring retains an interest in low voltage, on a string of lights or a decorative setup. Our article on wiring spotlights in series details these cases.
What are the drawbacks of parallel wiring?
They relate to the wiring, not the light: more conductors to run, loaded terminal blocks, marking to be done carefully.
- Three conductors between each point, against two on a low-voltage setup.
- Loaded terminal blocks: two wires per terminal, watch out for loose connections.
- Number of points: beyond eight, a junction box per zone avoids stacking.
- Dimmer: a module at the head of the circuit requires compatible bulbs.
It all depends on the dimmer's minimum load. Our page on dimmable LED explains how to check it before buying.
In the survey of 249 LED spotlight references as of 28 September 2026, 96% state a 5-year warranty. This detail matters when you close up a ceiling you will not reopen every year.
What happens if you wire an LED the wrong way round?
On 230 V alternating current, nothing: it lights up, the current changes direction fifty times per second. Polarity only matters in direct current, on a 12 V setup, where a reversed LED stays off without being destroyed.
Marking the plus and minus on the pins remains useful for a strip or a low-voltage spotlight. The guide to wiring an LED covers these cases one by one.
How many spotlights per m² and per breaker?
Allow one spotlight every 1.5 to 2 m² for general lighting, and up to one per square metre above a worktop. On the protection side, a dedicated 16 A breaker commonly supplies eight points: the constraint is the number of points, not the wattage of an LED spotlight.
How many spotlights per m2
Density follows use. A hallway supports one spotlight every 2 m², a living room one every 1.5 m², a kitchen one per square metre over the worktop. Multiply the surface area by these markers, then align the points with the furniture rather than a regular grid.
In a kitchen, reserve the spotlights for the worktop and keep the kitchen pendant for the island, with its own switching points. The detailed calculation, room by room, is in our article on how many spotlights per m².
How many spotlights per breaker
A 16 A breaker supplies eight lighting points, spotlights, wall lights or ceiling lights combined. An 8 W LED spotlight changes nothing about this ceiling: it is the points that count, not the power drawn.
If eight points are not enough, add a dedicated circuit rather than mixing with the sockets. And for a room where a central point is enough, an LED ceiling light replaces the whole network.
How do you protect spotlights from glass wool?
Clear a volume around the body and never pack the insulation against the fitting. An LED spotlight heats less than a halogen, but the heat stays trapped under the wool, and the terminal block does not like that.
Choose a model whose data sheet allows contact with insulation, and keep the junction box accessible. Ceiling installation, step by step, is described in our tutorial for installing ceiling spotlights.
LED spotlights to daisy-chain in parallel
If you are hesitating between six and ten spotlights for your room, you can send us your plan: we will answer on the number of points and the circuit to plan.
Which spotlight will you wire in parallel?
How do you wire several lamps on a single power supply or on a switch?
A single supply is enough: connect from lamp to lamp, exactly as for spotlights. The switch cuts the live upstream of the first point, the neutral and earth remain continuous along the whole line. You then control as many lamps as the circuit accepts.
The principle applies to a dining room chandelier, wall lights or a string of spotlights: everything is connected terminal to terminal from a single supply. Our method for wiring several lamps on a single supply details the choice of cable cross-section.
One-way switching: wiring several lamps on a switch
In one-way switching, the switch cuts only one conductor, the live. It is placed at the head of the circuit, then each lamp is connected in parallel downstream. Beyond eight points, divide the circuit rather than lengthening the line.
The switch wiring, terminals and marking, is described in our tutorial for wiring several lamps on a switch.
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