Disadvantages Of Low Voltage Lighting

Although low voltage indoor lighting can offer a homeowner many advantages, there are also disadvantages that come from using this type of lighting technology.

In this article, we shall have a look at some of these disadvantages so that you may be aware of the limitations of using energy efficient lights, such as fluorescent, halogen and LED lighting, inside or outside of your home.

Knowing the limitations of energy saving lighting technology can help you to better prepare for installing lighting equipment inside your home and making effective use of that equipment.

Of course, low voltage lighting does have its advantages too, and if you are interested in learning about the possible benefits energy efficient lights can bring, then you may want to see this article.

Lets now have a look at some of the main disadvantages of using low voltage lighting.

Life Span Sensitivity Of Energy Saver Light Bulbs

Fluorescent lights are currently the most commonly used form of low voltage lighting. They can come in two varieties: long tubes or small compact fluorescent bulbs.

However, regardless of the type of fluorescent light that you use, they all have one thing in common and that is that they are sensitive to being turned on and off within a short period of time. The technical term for this is rapid on-off cycling sensitivity.

What this means is that if you tend to use your fluorescent lights for short periods, such as a few minutes, you will drastically reduce their potential lifespan.

If left on for long periods however, fluorescent bulbs can be extremely long lasting. Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) for example, can last for over 1 year of continual usage, whilst the larger fluorescent tubes can last for over 2 years.

Under ideal usage conditions, your energy saving light bulbs could therefore potentially last you for many years before they need to be replaced.

But the trouble is that most people do not use their lights under “ideal conditions” but rather just switch on the light switch when they need light and switch it back off again when they don’t.

As a result, the actual lifespan of energy efficient fluorescent lighting is usually a lot less than how long they are advertised as lasting for.

You can help to maximise the lifespan of your fluorescent lights by ensuring that you only use them in areas of the home that you know will require illumination for extended periods of time.

For example, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and hallways are all good places to use fluorescent lights. But in places where you will only require lighting for short periods of time, such as underneath the stairs or in a cupboard, you may want to consider using other types of lighting such as halogen, LED or incandescent bulb lights as these are not affected by how often they are turned on and off.

For more information about how long you can expect the different types of low voltage lighting to last, please see this article.

Low Voltage Lighting Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Fluorescent lighting contains mercury which is extremely toxic and can create a severe health hazard if the bulb or tube is accidentally broken within the home.

If this occurs, it is recommended to ventilate the room for at least 15 minutes before re-entering.

In addition to the home hazards fluorescent lights present, there are also environmental concerns regarding how fluorescent lights are disposed of.

Mercury can contaminate the environment polluting both land and water, which ultimately, may enter our food supply.

There is already concerned about certain types of marine animals, such as tuna fish, being contaminated by mercury. So the threat of more mercury contaminating our environment is a very real concern considering the widespread popularity of fluorescent home lighting.

To protect yourself and the environment, do not smash or otherwise destroy fluorescent light bulbs or tubes which have reached the end of their life. Instead, see if there is a way to dispose of these bulbs safely and in an environmentally friendly manner in the region in which you live.

It is also advisable to keep young children away from fluorescent lighting, as if they were to smash a bulb or tube they could very easily inhale toxic mercury vapour which potentially could lead to their death.

Lack Of Lighting Control

Not all forms of low voltage lighting are compatible with standard lighting control equipment such as timers or dimmers. However, some newer models are compatible, although they are generally more expensive.

As a result, if you already have lighting control equipment in your home that you previously used for your incandescent light bulbs, you may have to upgrade your existing equipment in order to be able to have control over any energy efficient lighting that you install.

This of course, will come at an added expense which then increases the start up cost of using low powered lighting and thus delays your return on investment via the savings you get from your reduced electricity usage.

Another disadvantage, especially with fluorescent lighting, is size. Fluorescent tubes tend to be very large and thus may detract from the overall appearance of a room.

Large tubes also limit where you can put them, and so they tend not to be very suitable for home usage unless they are being used as grow lights or lights for aquariums.

Some compact fluorescent bulbs may be physically too large to fit in some lighting holders which were originally designed to accommodate incandescent bulbs.

As a result, it is not uncommon for homeowners to have to purchase new light fittings such as chandeliers, ceiling lights, wall lights and table lamps in order to accommodate their new energy saving bulbs.

If energy saving bulbs are used with existing light fittings, they may look odd and out of place as regular compact fluorescent bulbs tend to stick out of light fittings that were originally designed with smaller bulbs in mind.

The good news however, is that energy saving bulbs have come a long way from the first generation of ugly bulky bulbs. It is now possible to get smaller and more regularly shaped bulbs, although these do tend to come with a higher price tag.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs Need Time To Warm Up

Low voltage fluorescent lighting is notorious for its slow flickering start-up, and gradual warming before it reaches maximum brightness.

In addition, some people do not like the colour of the light emitted by fluorescent bulbs which on the earlier models tended to be of a dull yellowish colour.

However, it should be pointed out that there are newer fluorescent bulbs which provide a variety of light colour, do not flicker and achieve full brightness very quickly. But these are generally more expensive than the regular low energy fluorescent bulbs and so are not as widely used.

So for people who do use the less expensive versions, they can take some getting used to if you have been previously used to the instant light that incandescent bulbs offer and the colour of the light that they emit.

Limitations

Not all forms of low voltage lighting are suitable for all lighting needs. For example, fluorescent lighting is best suited for general lighting, whereas LED and halogen-tungsten bulbs are best suited for task or specific lighting.

However, recent developments in LED and halogen-tungsten light design are now enabling these energy efficient lights to also be used for general lighting.

The downside to this though, is that LED and halogen lights tend to be quite small bulbs. So in order for them to be used effectively to provide general lighting, such as in a kitchen or bedroom, multiple lights will be required to provide enough illumination for the room.

Once you start to have multiple lights installed, such as spotlights in the ceiling, you also have to have a transformer to drive those lights.

A transformer is necessary due to the low power requirements of bulbs such as LEDs and halogen lights. Halogen bulbs for example, operate at 12 volts and so they require a transformer to step down the current before it reaches the bulb.

There are two main disadvantages to using a transformer. The first is the additional cost it entails which again increases your start up costs, and the second is the need to find a suitable location for your transformer so that it is hidden out of view.

Furthermore, as halogen lights being fed by a transformer require an equal voltage to be distributed between all lights in your lighting array, if one light burns out, then this can disrupt the voltage going to the other lights. If the dead bulb is not replaced within a short period of time, the lifespan of your remaining lights will eventually be decreased due to the disruption in voltage regularity.

Finally, it is worth noting that low voltage lighting is still in its relative infancy. Although some types of low power lighting, such as fluorescent tube lighting, have been out for quite some time, it has only been until relatively recently that such technologies are being developed to become more energy efficient and produce better quality light.

The quality of light emitted by low voltage lights has been a common complaint for both fluorescent and LED lights. But as the technology improves, so does the quality of the light such devices emit. But we are still far away from having the perfect light bulb that uses minimal power.

Cost Of Energy Efficient Home Lighting

At the moment, the cheapest forms of low voltage indoor lighting are fluorescent and halogen-tungsten lights. Although newer models of these which incorporate the latest generation technologies can still be quite expensive.

LED lighting is the most energy efficient form of low voltage lighting, however, it is still relatively expensive in comparison to other types of low voltage lights.

Due to the high cost of LED lights, they are currently not a cost effective low voltage lighting solution for homeowners to install as the money spent on the bulb will be more than the savings you would get from the reduction in your energy usage and electricity bills.

Of course, once LEDs do start to drop in price, they will become a very cost effective low voltage indoor lighting solution and could potentially save you a lot of money each year on your electricity bills.