Standards and regulations

Back in the commercial world, a lack of standards is presenting another obstacle to the widespread adoption of LED technology.

For Douglas Bryan, CEO of Lighting Council Australia, the many LED products flooding a lightly-regulated market is a cause for concern.

"There are some very good products available, but there are lots of products that fail to meet the claims of suppliers in terms of longevity and other aspects of performance like colour characteristics and efficacy," Bryan told Electronics News. "Quality issues on the market are undermining consumer confidence in the product to justify the major outlay for LEDs."

As the first step toward improving consumer confidence in LED lights, Lighting Council Australia introduced a labelling-based quality program called the Solid State Lighting (SSL) quality scheme.

A voluntary industry scheme, it relies on third-party test reports of the products provided by the supplier for critical parameters like luminaire efficacy, light output, measured input power, correlated colour temperature and the colour rendering index.

Once verified and paid for, a label is issued for use on the product and in product literature for a period of three years.

The scheme, being entirely voluntary, is far from being a standard or regulation, and presents little, if any obstacle to rogue importers. According to Bryan, Australian regulators are awaiting the introduction of international standards and the outcome of more testing around the world.

As with other products, the US, Europe and Asia are expected to have different standards and regulations. Currently, the most advanced is the U.S. Department of Energy's Solid State Lighting Energy Star standard.

The U.S. standard is based around the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) LM-79 "Electrical and Photometric Measurements of Solid-State Lighting Products" and LM-80 "Measuring Lumen Maintenance of LED Light Sources" test methods.

Together, these two methods cover the luminaire and the LED package, arrays and modules, and LM-80 in particular is rigorous enough to eliminate most of the unsubstantiated claims made about LED lifetime.

It is hard to imagine what Thomas Edison and the other scientists behind the incandescent light bulb would have thought of today's world, as their invention is superceded by ever more efficient technologies in quick succession.

But perhaps Edison, that consummate capitalist, would recognise the immense potential surrounding LEDs – the opportunity for brighter and near-ubiquitous lighting, without the heavy environmental cost; the opportunity for Australia to play a bigger part in the global electronics supply chain, and for quality electronics designers to make big profits from their expertise and hard work.

However, even as consumers and manufacturers around the world start to take notice of LEDs, there are threats to the widespread adoption of the technology. Already, many early adopters, stung by the flood of inferior products, perceive LEDs as being overpriced and of variable quality.

Green Tips: Lightbulbs away from saving money

Yesterday, driving home from work I was awestruck by the magnificent blue and orange hues of a few neighborhood solar lit garden art sculptures and stake lights. It was dark and cool, and inspiring to see how well these lights were still brilliantly illuminating gardens where flowers had faded. And so cost effectively! No need to water. No cost to light, even on cooler, darker days.

Improving lighting efficiency outside your house, or in, is one of the easiest ways to cut your energy costs. An average household dedicates at least 10 percent of its energy budget to lighting. The National Energy Development Project, a Virginia-based energy education non-profit organization, estimates that it’s more like 38 percent for businesses and schools. Even more exciting: using new lighting technologies can reduce energy use in your home by 50-75 percent that can save you a corresponding dollar amount on your utility bill.

Tips:

1. Buy fluorescent. Fluorescent bulbs last 6 to 12 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. Use fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs where possible. They may cost a little more in the check out line, but in the long run, will save you money.

2. Try LED (light emitting diode). LEDs are starting to become more available for more types of lighting fixtures and are even more efficient than CFLs. Again, they will cost more but can save more.

3. Think ENERGY STAR. According to the U.S. Department of Energy Savers Booklet, buying ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs will save you about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime. Energy Star is a national standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States in 1990 with the passage of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act. Fixtures and appliances carrying the Energy Star logo generally use 20%–30% less energy than required by federal standards.

4. Conduct an energy audit. It will help you quickly assess where you can save money in lighting and other energy areas. Your utility or Chamber of Commerce can recommend an energy auditor near you.

5. Consider solar. Whole house solar electric and hot water requires an investment of time of money. Start with outdoor solar lights. NH Saves Online Catalog and local retailers offer many options. If you’re motivated to do more, research your options carefully. 

6. Stay current on federal, state and your utility’s energy efficiency programs. There’s currently a bi-partisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011, co-sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, being presented in Washington; plus federal, state and utility-administered energy efficiency rebate opportunities are always changing. Study up. You can learn much online on government and utility websites and may be able to save on the purchase of energy efficient and solar systems.