A visitor to the LuxLive 2013 lighting show asked this question of Voltimum’s Lighting Expert Panel about the sensitivity of LED lighting systems to voltage drop, and whether the 17th Edition Wiring Regulations’ voltage drop limit could be a problem if exceeded. It was answered by Giuliano Digilio, Head of Technical Services, ECA (Theme – Lighting):
This Q & A is one of thousands posted in our Technical Expertise area, and answered on a daily basis by our Voltimum Experts.
Question: The Wiring Regulations provide voltage drop specifications, but how sensitive is LED lighting to voltage drop? For example, is the Wiring Regulations’ 3% limit flexible, or will this cause a problem with LEDs that work outside that parameter?
Answer: LEDs are actually very tolerant of voltage changes and with high quality LEDs, this voltage drop issue is not actually a problem. However, it might be an issue with lower quality LED lamps.
In any case, the new standards that are coming in 2014 will make the LED voltage drop tolerance bands clear.
Note that a new Code of Practice for the Application of LED lighting systems will be published in 2014 by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
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