Guides
Proposing an ‘equal and approved’ downlight alternative
What ‘equal and approved’ actually asks
On a UK commercial job, the schedule names a fitting, and the consultant approves any change to it. ‘Equal and approved’ is their shorthand for a substitute that does the same job in the same ceiling, with every difference stated and owned.
The phrase is not a grade. A fitting is not equal because the datasheet looks similar. It is equal when the checks that protect the ceiling and the scheme still pass, and when the remaining gaps are written down before anyone finds them for you.
Three checks rule a fitting out outright
Score everything else later. These three are pass or fail, and a substitute that fails one is not an alternative at all.
Cut-out
The ceiling has a hole of a fixed size, already cut or already lined. A 90 mm fitting does not cover a 75 mm hole, and a 75 mm fitting looks lost in a 90 mm one.
IP rating
A bathroom or zone fitting carries its rating for a reason. Going below the specified IP rating, for example IP44 to IP20, is a rejection on its own.
Fire rating
Where the schedule says fire rated, the alternative must carry the same rating. There is no partial credit and nothing to argue about.
Then compare the numbers, with the unit on each
A substitute that clears the three hard checks still has to survive the comparison. Put the specified fitting and the alternative side by side, and state each difference as a signed, unit-bearing number — 200 lm lower, UGR 3 higher — rather than as a word like ‘similar’.
Lumens
State the gap with the unit, such as 200 lm lower. A small shortfall can pass with justification; an unnamed one never does.
Colour temperature
3000 K against 3000 K is fine. A 4000 K fitting in a 3000 K scheme is the kind of difference the client notices before the consultant does.
CRI
CRI 90 against CRI 80 matters in retail and healthcare. Name it either way.
UGR
UGR 22 against UGR 19 is 3 higher. In offices, the specified UGR is usually on the drawing for a reason.
Wattage and dimming
Note the load difference, and whether DALI or phase dimming is lost. A fitting that cannot dim on the existing control gear is a rewire in waiting.
Emergency
If the schedule says emergency, the alternative needs the emergency pack or a matching self-test version.
Why alternatives get bounced
Most rejections are not stubbornness. The submission compared only the headline lumens, or left the cut-out to be discovered on site, or quietly dropped from IP44 to IP20. The consultant rejects what they cannot verify, and every missing number reads as a hidden one.
The fix is unglamorous: one page, both fittings, every difference in plain numbers, and the failures excluded before the sheet is sent. A brand-neutral table also helps. A rep’s comparison earns the suspicion its brand deserves; a plain one does not.
Where FixtureMatch fits
FixtureMatch runs this exact order of checks. Start from the specified fitting, and it excludes any alternative that misses the cut-out or lowers the IP or fire rating, then scores what is left and states every remaining difference in plain numbers. The sample match shows what the output looks like before you spend a search.
The free tier gives 3 searches a month. Pro is £29/month for unlimited searches and a one-page substitution sheet you can send to the consultant as-is.
FixtureMatch is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp, which is how the checking rules on this page stay the rules the tool applies.
Written 6 October 2026.