In modern UK properties, the lighting circuits are distinct from the ring main circuit. Houses should generally have two lighting circuits that are protected by either a 5A fuse or 6A trip located in the consumer unit.
The lighting circuit differs from the ring main in that it does not create a returning loop to the consumer unit. Instead, the consumer unit connects to the first light, which connects to the second light, and it continues.
For domestic lighting, the cable is earth rated for up to 12A, and contains live, neutral, and earth wires inside its PVC sheath. The cable leads from the consumer unit to the lighting locations on ceilings or walls. The power for the lights is either connected at the switch, or directly on the light itself.
If the light switch is wall mounted, the box can either be affixed sunk into the wall, or as a surface-mounted fixture. If you wish to minimise the number of wall switches in a single room a multi-switch unit can be installed, allowing more than one light to be operated from one point. Different commercial electrical contractor in North Miami, FL are available and the selection of the right one is done with skills. The charges of the services should be less to get the right results. The information about the working should be available with the individual for the hiring.
To install the lights themselves, the wiring will either to a ceiling rose or a junction box. If it is a ceiling fixture, all the connections at the ceiling rose point. This does eliminate the need for one junction box per light/lamp, but it is a trickier task for a home installer to undertake.
With older lighting installations, the cable is passed through the junction box particular to that light. The junction box itself will be located under floorboards or between joists in the ceiling close to the switch. Like fluorescent lights, lighting systems that do not use a ceiling rose must have junction box connections.
Here are some of the different lighting types that you may consider for domestic or commercial installation:
Fluorescent –
In a fluorescent light, the electricity passes through mercury vapour in a glass tube. This gives off invisible light that interacts with the coating in the glass, and this in turn emits visible light.
The benefits of fluorescent light include its high energy efficiency, as well as the fact that it produces a lot of light. Newer models can fit more easily into domestic properties, although most fluorescent lights cannot be dimmed.
Incandescent –
The electrical current passes through the metal filament until it becomes incandescent, giving off light and heat. This standard light is cheap and can be dimmed, although it is not energy efficient and gives off a lot of heat.
Halogen –
Halogen lighting is similar to incandescent, except that there is a measure of halogen gas inside the glass insert.
Halogen bulbs can become very hot, though they will require less changing than standard incandescent bulbs. You should refrain from touching a halogen bulb when possible, as this will shorten its lifespan.
LED –
The current passes through electric components called diodes, which emit light and then become Light Emitting Diodes. LED lights are energy and space-efficient, and give off little heat. They tend to be long lasting and are cheaper to use, though the initial cost is more expensive. LED lights cannot be dimmed.
Xenon –
Xenon bulbs are comparable to incandescent and halogen, except that a small measure of xenon gas is present inside the glass insert. Xenon lights are longer lasting than incandescents are also dimmable. However, they do give off some heat and are not particularly energy efficient.
Dimmer Switches
Dimmer switches are becoming a popular feature in modern homes, due to the flexibility that they allow with lighting. For a romantic dinner, the lighting can dimmed to an almost candle effect.
Dimmer switches reduce the consumption of electricity, and as such are both energy efficient and cost efficient. There use also increases the lifespan of the bulb that they supply.
Dimmers work due to the triac, an electrical component that turns the light on and off rapidly; around 120 times per second. The human eye however, perceives the light as a steady dimmed flow. For a brighter light effect, the light flicks to ‘on’ longer than ‘off’, and for a dimmed effect the converse is true.
There are different dimmers to suit different lights and transformers, and so it is important to fit the correct one. Some dimmers control 120 volt incandescent lights, while others are designed for xenon or halogen lights at a low voltage of 12-24 volts. Some low voltage lights use an electronic transformer, and others use a magnetic transformer.
