The level of complaint which now exists in relation to overheating and damage caused by downlighters has reached a level where serious consideration has to be given to having this type of lighting banned completely.
On a regular basis we hear of lights overheating, scorching of adjacent ceilings, and other potentially hazardous occurrences. Downlighters in their own right may not be inherently dangerous, but the problem arises when the downlighters are fitted, and the householder subsequently decides, in the interests of energy conservation, to blow, or pump, insulation into every available cavity in floor and roof spaces, with no regard for the fact that they are smothering downlighters in the insulation material.
The problem is that when the downlighter overheats and causes a fire, as it naturally will do if covered up in this manner, the first person who gets blamed is the unfortunate electrical contractor who fitted the downlighter, notwithstanding the fact that at the time when he fitted the lights and left the job, there was no insulation in place, or no proposals to put it in place.
Contractors should make every effort at the planning stage to discourage the use of downlighters and, if the client insists on fitting them, it should be made very clear that if there is any subsequent addition of insulating material over and above that which is known at the time of the installation, the electrical contractor will be excluded from any liability for loss or damage.