Household Automation shares some LED lighting experiences both good and bad.

The light emitting diode LED has been around for years but it is only recently with the compulsory demise of the 150W and 100W traditional tungsten bulbs and the building regulations requirement of 75% energy efficient light fittings in new build that the industry has begun to get its act together and produce LED lamps and bulbs for the mass market.

Its worthwhile mentioning the regulations at this point, the paper work trail of what is actually required is not easy to find. Part L of the building regs in the UK www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADL1A_2010.pdf refers to the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide… www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/domestic_building_compliance_guide_2010.pdf which is where on page 122-124 the 75% comes from!

The lighting industry is certainly undergoing some changes with the regard to energy efficiency. I think the pros and cons of LED versus other technology is well documented and for us that fact that you can now put a down lighter in the ceiling without fear that it may reach some temperature that encourages combustion must be the way forward. That combined with low energy consumption, superb aesthetic light quality that is instant on and dimmable makes the LED a sensible option in many residential installations both new and retrofit.


For us the big question mark is dimming. Because of the low power requirement many dimmers will not give optimum performance. What do I mean by optimum performance well:

a) There is no flickering either on start or during the dimming cycle or at any set point

b) The lamp will dim down to 0% - a large number of LED dimmers will only dim down to a certain level (determined by I suspect the minimum load capability).

For us the only sure way to achieve a and b above is to provide 0-10V dimming which in itself may be more expensive as you then need a relay to actually switch the circuit on and off. So if you are fitting LED lighting with lighting control systems then set up a test rig first in our experience no two setup have behaved in the same way unless they are 0-10 circuits.

CAUTION –We recently had a call from a customer who’s LED stair lights we had installed a couple of years ago. Five of the ten fitments were not working –I phoned the manufacturer to see what could be done. "You are selling LED's with a life expectancy of 30,000 hours and I have a customer that has faulty LED's that are less than 2 years old” (even if they were on continuously that's only 17,500 hrs). I was firstly told that I should go back to the supplier and then presented with the argument that it was the LED (the actual Light Emitting Diode) that had the 30,000 life and not the LED fitment. So our advice: if you are fitting LED lighting – the cheaper ones are cheap for a reason, go for the well reputed brands that offer 5year + guarantees and make SURE you fill in and send off the guarantee!

Household Automation has ongoing projects involving the installation of a variety of different LED lighting and associated control.

For advice on the best way to integrate your home go to www.household-automation.co.uk or contact us direct. Tel: 0844 8266 556 or e-mail: info@household-automation.co.uk