Lighting Receiver Installation: Electrical Safety & Standards
ITC-BT-44: Lighting Receiver Installation
1. Purpose and Scope
This instruction applies to receiving facilities for lighting (luminaires). A receiver is defined as lighting equipment or a device that uses electrical energy for lighting indoors or outdoors.
2. Special Conditions for Lighting Components
2.1.1. Suspensions and Adjusting Devices
The mass of suspended luminaires with exceptionally flexible cables should not exceed 5 kg. The conductors, which must be able to support this weight, should not have intermediate joints, and strain relief must be applied to an element other than the terminal. The total nominal cross-section of the conductors of the suspended fixture shall be such that the maximum tensile stress on the conductors is less than 15 N/mm2.
2.1.2. Internal Wiring
The rated voltage of the cable used shall be at least that of the power supply and never less than 300/300 V.
2.1.3. External Wiring
When the lamp has a connection to the internal network, it is necessary that the external wiring entering it has appropriate electrical and thermal insulation.
2.1.4. Grounding Requirements
Accessible metal parts of luminaires that are not Class II or Class III must have a connecting element for grounding. Accessible parts are defined as those within the volume of accessibility specified in ITC-BT-24.
2.2. Lamp Specifications
The use of high-voltage gas discharge lamps (e.g., neon) is restricted within dwellings. Within shops and other buildings, their installation is permitted when their location is outside the volume of accessibility or when separating barriers or enclosures are installed.
2.3. Socket Connections
When lamps in the same facility must be supplied at different voltages, it is recommended that the respective sockets are different, depending on the circuit to which they must be connected. When using sockets with a central contact, it must be connected to the phase conductor or pole, and the neutral to the corresponding external contact.
3. Lighting Receiver Installation Conditions
In light fixtures with discharge lamps installed in premises where machines operate with fast reciprocating or rotary motion, measures must be taken to avoid accidents caused by optical illusion due to the stroboscopic effect. For receivers with discharge lamps, the minimum apparent power (in Volt-amperes) is 1.8 times the wattage of the lamps.
3.2. Specific Installation Conditions
However, low-voltage installations are considered to include those for discharge lamps or tubes, regardless of their operating voltages, provided they form a group or unit with power transformers and other components, do not expose more than low-voltage interconnections externally, and have barriers or enclosures with appropriate interlocking systems. The facility shall be provided with a single-pole cutoff switch, located on the low voltage side. A switch, circuit breaker, or similar device must be installed between the lamps and the feeding device.
4. Very Low Voltage Lighting Applications
In boilers, large metal tanks, ship hulls, and similar locations, portable lighting equipment must be supplied with a safety voltage not exceeding 24 V, unless fed through separate transformers. In installations with low-voltage lamps (e.g., 12 V), transformers must be used appropriately to ensure adequate thermal protection against overload and short circuits, and protection against electric shocks.
5. Luminous Signs and Labels
For neon signs and installations with rated output voltages between 1 kV and 10 kV, UNE-EN 50107 shall apply.