Don’t Burn Down Your House: Upgrade from Halogen to LED lights
“Old or poorly installed ceiling down lights are thought to cause at least one house fire every week in Western Australia” According to the DFES (Department of Fire & Emergency Safety) bulletin. Old halogen lights can set fire to dust and litter collected in roof insulation or timbers, these burn in the roof space above smoke alarms and go undetected.
Halogen lights generate very high temperatures which can get anywhere up to 370C making them a fire hazard.
Pictured here is a burnt-out halogen transformer we recently replaced showing just how hot they get.
The Guardian reported that both the Federal and State governments are looking at banning halogen lights by September 2020, which is great news. In the meantime, we highly recommend replacing halogen lights with LED lights as soon as possible*.
The safer option is LED lights!
The benefits are:
- LED’s produce 80% less heat,
- last 41 times longer,
- use less energy,
- save you money on electricity bills, and
- reduce greenhouse emissions.
If replacing your old lights is a plan for the future, take the following steps to reduce the risk of fire caused by halogen lights.
- Ensure that the lights and transformers are not covered by material or installed near structural timber beams.
- Check and maintain the lights to prevent a build up of wind blown debris, such as dust and leaves, in the roof cavity near the down-lights.
- Vermin often like to nest within roof and floor cavities. As the halogen lights and ceiling insulation provide heat for nesting, regularly check for damage caused by vermin activity that could potentially cause a fire.
Stay Safe!
Contact us for an obligation free quote on replacing all halogen lights with LED’s.
*Please note! Replacing the bulb only solves half the problem – the transformer attached to the fixture remains in place in your ceiling which heats up and continues to pose a fire risk.
