Lighting Facts Label Finds New Traction

January 20, 2010 - Last fall I wrote about final changes ENERGY STAR was making to its requirements for integral LED light bulbs (see: ENERGY STAR Continues Integral LED Light Bulb Spec Quest). The final version of the new requirements came out last month and, after taking another look at the new spec, I noticed something interesting. On page eight, one of the new packaging requirements for integral LEDs is that they include the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lighting Facts Label.

The Label has been around for a little over a year now, but the new ENERGY STAR requirement should give it some added importance.

The need for the label arose after testing showed that many products were not meeting reported performance claims. The DOE, along with the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance (NGLIA), began the SSL Quality Advocates initiative that then led to the creation of the label. The Lighting Facts Label was designed to meet the demand for more specific performance data and greater credibility, the idea being to establish a baseline whereby all products are judged equally.

For a complete description of the label
see lightingfacts.com.

In order for products to display the label, manufacturers must first take the Lighting Facts Pledge, assuring that they will be honest, submit to the prescribed testing, and properly display the label itself. Once a product is registered, it must undergo LM-79 testing in an independent laboratory accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP).

The Lighting Facts Label includes eight items. Of special interest to both manufacturers and consumers is the label's "Lumens per Watt (Efficacy)" listing. This denotes the effectiveness of the lamp for the amount of energy used.

Efficacy is a strong consideration for consumers when it comes to long-term cost savings and lighting design.

For manufacturers, since production using high performance diodes is very expensive, power supply efficiency is the key area to target for achieving the required lumens per Watt.

For more information see: http://www.lightingfacts.com