Lamps light up without electricity
Is your lamp still on even though you have switched it off? 

No lamp shines without electricity

One thing should be clear – no light shines without electricity. Conversely, this means that electricity flows through the cable, even if only a small amount. Many people counter this by saying that the old light did not shine, but the new one does. The reason for this is quite simple. New LED lights are much more efficient than old ones, especially old halogen lights or lamps with old transformers. These simply consumed the residual electricity or the so-called base load, and you didn't notice the problem.

Where does the residual electricity on the line come from?

The residual current can have three causes:

You are using a dimmer switch that sends a so-called base load into the circuit. There is a reason for this base load of a few watts. Dimmer manufacturers load the line to determine whether there is a faulty device. Unfortunately, in most cases this information is not needed and this detection technology is not used, so this base load is useless and therefore undesirable. Unfortunately, dimmer manufacturers do not yet offer the option of deactivating this base load, not even for expensive actuators for KNX systems.

The second cause is a minor installation error in the line. This may have to do with the earth, but in most cases it is due to incorrect or twisted wiring of the neutral conductor and phase.

In both cases, electricity flows through the cable 24/7/365. In the former case, the dimmers may recognise that this wear and tear is occurring and go into standby mode. In any case there is a permanent consumption that affects your wallet. This constant wear and tear can cost as much as £100 at the end of the year.

The third cause can be an induction load, which is created by a surrounding cable, cable conduit or strong radiation. These basic loads can be eliminated in the primary area with an extinguishing element. In the secondary circuit, this is usually done via the ballast and the earth. We do not provide precise instructions for this, as common solutions cannot be applied across the board and are usually only approved for high-quality ballasts. This means that not every ballast supports the simplest of all solutions -> connecting the earth to the V-secondary current. Caution, at your own risk! Please read the operating instructions or installation instructions for the ballast beforehand. We accept no responsibility for failures.

How can the problem of afterglow be solved?

In the best case scenario, elements that cause this base load are omitted during installation of the system. If the problem is only discovered after installation, it would still be better to replace such parts immediately. In the event of a fault in the system (twisted cables), the only clean solution is to look for the cause in the electrical system and correct the connections.

Is there a simpler solution?

The pragmatic, simple solution to the problem of lighting continuing to glow "without power" is to consume the base load. Simple capacitors or so-called extinguishing elements can be connected upstream for this purpose. These consume the few watts.

This solution works, but is not particularly elegant. The base load remains unchanged.

Why does one lamp light up and another not?

There are many reasons for this, but they all boil down to the same thing. Afterglow speaks in favour of the lamp rather than against it. It means that the lamp shines even with very little electricity and is therefore efficient. Basically, it can also be said that lamp manufacturers are keen to achieve the best possible EEC (energy efficiency class). This is related to the efficiency of the components used. In order to achieve the highest EECs, manufacturers must avoid base loads in the lights at all costs.

Why are base loads not already integrated into the lighting?

As explained in the paragraph above, integrating a cut-off element or base load element into a light fixture would always and inevitably result in a loss of efficiency. If, for example, a recessed spotlight had a base load element installed, it would consume additional electricity and thus generate 0 light. If a spotlight has 150 lumens per watt, for example, it already produces 600 lm with 4W. If it has a base load element installed that consumes 3 W, it would suddenly only produce 600 lumens with 7W. Its EEK would drop from A++ to A or even lower, and consumers with a properly installed system would have 3W of pointless consumption per spotlight. If you have 20 spotlights, the pointless consumption multiplies to a total of 60W.

Conclusion:

If lamps continue to burn without electricity or even when switched off, this is not due to the light fixture but to the system. The reasons described above are the most common. The problem can be easily solved with a suppressor (e.g. Eltako suppressor, approx. £7 from specialist retailers). However, the power consumption remains the same. We therefore recommend looking for and solving the problem directly in the system. This involves more effort and may also require the replacement of a dimmer, but it will soon pay for itself due to the lack of constant power consumption.

Exceptions:

There are exceptional cases. In these cases, lights suddenly glow in the evening (like small flashes in the light), pulsate or continue to glow for a short time after being switched off. These cases also have little to do with the lights themselves, but rather with environmental influences. Strong radio waves (e.g. from amateur radio equipment, government radio equipment or fire brigade radio, etc.) can release so much energy that highly efficient lights are powered "from the air", so to speak. The cables in the ceiling act as antennas and collect this energy, which reaches the light and causes it to glow very, very slightly. This can be disturbing in a bedroom, for example. In this case, the problem can only be solved by avoiding or shielding the radio waves, or by using a less efficient light. In any case, you should ask yourself whether you want to have such radio waves in your bedroom all the time.

Does the base load cost anything?

One would assume that continuously flowing electricity costs something. However, this type of base load will not appear on your electricity bill. There is a technical reason for this.

Does the base load damage the lighting fixtures?

We are often asked whether lighting fixtures are damaged by afterglow. Strictly speaking, this depends on the light, but most lighting fixtures that are designed to continue glowing are not damaged by this. Minimal wear and tear will certainly always occur. Some customers even find the afterglow (e.g. in corridors) pleasant and accept it.

Where can you get extinguishing links?

Fuse links are available from electrical retailers or simply online. We use two common models: 

• Extinguishing element with earth - here, earth is also placed on top, which only makes sense if the base load comes via the earth
• Extinguishing element without earth- only the neutral conductor and phase are short-circuited here