Lit shelves, illuminated logos, backlit graphics, lit cash wrap fronts and display cases are now standard in many stores. Integrated lighting also adds electrical parts to a piece of millwork, and those need planning for colour, heat, access and approval. Most problems with lit fixtures come from treating the lighting as an add-on once the design is fixed. Here is what to decide early.
On most fixture projects the lighting itself is supplied by the client, the brand or the project’s electrical contractor. The fixture maker builds the provisions for it: routed channels or grooves, wiring paths, a driver compartment with access and ventilation, and a planned point where power enters the fixture. Supply, installation, connection and approval of the lighting then sit with the client, general contractor or electrical contractor, unless they are specifically included in the fixture maker’s scope. Settle that split in writing before shop drawings, because it decides what goes on the drawings and who answers for the electrical side.
Most lighting in store fixtures and millwork uses LED tape or LED modules running at low voltage, commonly 12 or 24 volts DC. A driver (power supply) converts line voltage to that low voltage. Drivers rated as Class 2 limit the voltage and power on the output side, which reduces fire and shock risk and simplifies the low-voltage wiring inside the fixture. The LEDs sit in aluminium channels or routed grooves with a diffuser that hides the individual dots and spreads the light. Wiring runs through the fixture to the driver, and the driver connects to building power, by plug or by hard wiring, depending on the fixture and the site.
That gives three parts to design: the light itself, the path for the wiring, and the driver and its connection to power.
Drivers are the part most likely to fail, so they need to be reachable without taking the fixture apart. Plan a removable panel, a ventilated compartment or a remote location, and note it on the shop drawings. LEDs and drivers produce heat. Aluminium channels help carry heat away from the LEDs, and drivers need airflow and should not be buried in insulation or sealed boxes. Heat shortens LED life and can discolour finishes and diffusers nearby.
Wiring needs a planned route: grooves, grommets and channels inside the fixture, and a clear path to the power source. On fixtures built in sections, plan where connectors join between sections so they can be separated for shipping and reconnected on site.
Lit fixtures need power where they stand. Wall fixtures need outlets or junction boxes in the right place, and floor fixtures and cash wraps need floor boxes or poke-through fittings that match the fixture layout. Decide early which fixtures plug in and which are hard wired, because in Ontario hard wiring has to be done by a licensed electrical contractor, which affects the installation schedule and scope. On a rollout, the power requirements for each fixture should be part of each store’s readiness check. See our store fixture installation checklist.
In Ontario, an electrical product must be approved before it is used, sold, displayed or advertised for sale. Approval means it carries the mark of an accredited certification body, such as CSA, UL or Intertek, or a field evaluation label from a recognized field evaluation agency. The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) administers these rules under the Product Safety Regulation (O. Reg. 438/07) and the Ontario Electrical Safety Code.
Two points catch fixture projects:
Other provinces and US states have their own requirements, so brands rolling out across borders should confirm what each jurisdiction accepts. Settle early who supplies the lighting and who is responsible for its approval, and get the answer in writing.
On multi-store programs, standardize the LED product, colour temperature, driver and connector types, so replacements are interchangeable across stores. Keep a spare-parts list and a wiring diagram for each fixture type, and label drivers and connections. A first article of each lit fixture confirms appearance, heat and access before production. See rollout programs for how multi-store fixture work is planned.
We build the provisions for lighting into store fixtures and millwork at our Vaughan plant, alongside the cutting, edgebanding, finishing and assembly of the fixtures themselves: routed channels, wiring paths, accessible space for remote drivers with ventilation, and power entry. They are shown on the shop drawings our drafting team issues for review, which is the place to confirm lighting positions, wiring routes and driver access before production. Lighting components, installation and final electrical connections are by others unless specifically included in our project scope, and the approval route for lit fixtures should be agreed at the start. See illuminated display fixtures for examples, or send us your drawings.
Not unless it is specifically included in our project scope. We build the provisions for it into the fixture: channels, wiring paths, accessible driver locations and power entry. Lighting components, installation and final electrical connections are by the client, general contractor or electrical contractor unless included in our scope.
Yes. In Ontario an electrical product must be approved before it is used, sold or displayed, which means it carries the mark of an accredited certification body or a field evaluation label from a recognized agency. The Electrical Safety Authority administers these rules.
Not automatically. ESA does not accept component recognition marks on complete end-use products, so a fixture assembled from recognized components may still need approval as a whole. Confirm the approach with the certifier or inspector before production.
Somewhere ventilated and reachable without dismantling the fixture, such as a removable panel, an access compartment or a remote location. Drivers are the part most likely to need replacing and they produce heat.
Specify one LED product and colour temperature with tight colour binning, use the same driver and connector types everywhere, and approve a first article before production.
It depends on the fixture, the load and the site. Plug-in fixtures are simpler to install and move; hard-wired fixtures need a licensed electrical contractor on site. Decide early so outlets, junction boxes or floor boxes are in the right place.
