Even with my in-depth LED knowledge, I’m still a little unsure when researching LED products like LED troffers or LED wall packs for a new lighting project. Thankfully, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has a solution for that!
With so many LED products on the market, it can be difficult to determine how a specific product will perform. What color will the light be? Is it bright enough? Is the company exaggerating the performance? To clear up confusion and increase consumer adoption of new technologies, the DOE created the LED lighting facts program so consumers know exactly what they’re getting.
The LED Lighting Facts program showcases LED products for general illumination from lighting manufacturers who test products and report performance results according to industry standards. The LED Lighting Facts label provides consumers, lighting designers and energy efficiency programs with the essential information to evaluate a solid-state lighting product. The data is measured by the industry standard for testing photometric performance, IES LM-79.
The Lighting Facts label requires five metrics:
- Lumens
- Watts
- Efficacy
- Color Rendering Index (CRI)
- Correlated Color Temperature
Two additional metrics are optional:
- Lumen maintenance
- Warranty
LED Lighting Facts is NOT a qualification program and does not maintain minimum performance criteria.
BEWARE! Not all labels are legitimate LED Lighting Facts label. To verify whether the label is legitimate, use the Product List at www.lightingfacts.com/products.
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