EnergySafe Magazine Spring 2014, issue 37 | Page 12

12

Electrical
news

Installing LED globes safely
By Bronwyn Hellings, ESV Customer
Service Technical Officer
There is a misconception that anyone
can change a downlight and associated
transformers installed in an electrical
installation. ESV provides the following
advice.
Light fittings are sometimes reinstalled in a
way that causes the cables and the transformers
to be too close to the metal housing of the fitting,
resulting in over-heating of the transformer and
potentially a fire.
A competent person is permitted to change
a light globe in a light fitting without an electrical
licence provided they are not disturbing the
electrical cabling or using a tool to remove
covers or guards.
The removal of a light fitting for any
reason, however, is considered electrical
installation work and it is required to be
performed by a licensed electrician who is
then required to verify the compliance of the
installation work and provide a Certificate of
Electrical Safety (COES).
Removal of a light fitting, including taking it
down to inspect the transformer to establish if it
will be suitable for LED conversion, is effectively
an alteration to the configuration of the electrical
circuit by changing the location of the cables,
fittings and transformers.
To meet the requirements of the Electricity
Safety Act 1998 and the Electricity Safety
(Installations) Regulations 2009 in relation to
the alteration, addition or repair of downlights,
clause 4.5.2.3.2 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 Wiring
Rules (amendment 2) requires the installation of
a warning sign at the access point to any ceiling
indicating the presence of downlights installed
within the ceiling.
Other downlight requirements
When extra low voltage (ELV) dichroic
luminaires started to become popular as
decorative lighting in the mid 1980s, the

luminaires were required to be provided with a
protective earthing conductor at the transformer
or plug base.
The requirement for providing a protective
earthing conductor at each lighting point was
introduced in the 1976 version of AS 3000. All LV
dichroic downlights with exposed metallic parts
are required to be earthed.
Before 1976, the wiring rules allowed the
installation of luminaires without the provision
of a protective earth conductor, when that
luminaire had:
»» no exposed metallic parts; or
»» double insulation; or
»» was installed in a location where contact
with both the exposed metallic parts of the
luminaire and a conductive medium that could
make a circuit to earth (earthed situation) were
not possible.
In all other locations the exposed metallic
parts of luminaires were required to be earthed.
The likelihood of a zone not being an
“earthed situation” is highly unlikely. Since the
introduction of the 1976 wiring rules all earth
contacts of socket outlets were required to
be connected to earth and where an earth or
conductive building medium was introduced
into a non-earthed situation, all existing
electrical equipment with exposed metallic
parts was also required to be connected
to earth (reference 1 and 2).
Replacement of dichroic downlights
In August 2009, the EL 001 committee
provided a ruling, Frequently Asked Question
(FAQ) 003, stating that the replacement of a
luminaire is considered a repair. Prior to the
publication of this FAQ the Wiring Rules stated
only an identical replacement part was considered
a repair—an alteration was deemed to be new
work and all relevant provisions of the current
standard applied.
In cases where it can be established that
the installation of the dichroic downlight was
compliant with the requirements of the Wiring

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Rules when installed, the replacement of the
dichroic downlight with a LED downlight can
be performed without the installation of a
protective earth conductor, otherwise a
protective earth conductor at the plug base,
LV transformer or luminaire shall be installed.
The replacement of semi-enclosed rewireable
fuses, where installed, is recommended but not
mandatory.
The installation of RCD protection to the
circuit is recommended but not mandatory.
Due to safety concerns with insulation
in ceiling spaces, warning signs required by
Clause 5.2.3.2 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 shall
be installed in all cases.
Legislative framework
All electrical installation work must comply
in all respects to the Electricity Safety Act 1998
and the Electricity Safety (Installations)
Regulations 2009.
The current version of AS/NZS 3000 the
Australian and New Zealand Wiring Rules and
associated Standards becomes a legislative
requirement for electrical installation work
through the Electricity Safety (Installations)
Regulations 2009.
Clause 1.4.72 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 defines
a point (in wiring) as a “termination of installation
wiring, intended for the connection of current
using equipment”.
Clause 1.9.3 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 states
the repairs can be effected using the methods
that were acceptable when the part of the
electrical installation was originally installed
providing the methods used complied with
the basic safety principles of section 1 of
AS/NZS 3000:2007.
Clause 5.4.1 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 requires
exposed metallic parts of electrical equipment
to be earthed.
Clause 5.4.3 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 requires
the earth to be provided at the LV transformer and
exempts the earthing of exposed metallic parts
for luminaires that operate at ELV.