The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled draft 2 of the Energy Star Lamps v1.0 specification. Stakeholders are encouraged to send comments to [email protected] no later than Friday, August 24, 2012.
Draft 1 of the Lamps specification was released in October 2011. The spec is intended to replace two existing specifications, namely Compact Fluorescent Lamps v4.3 and Integral LED Lamps v1.4.
Draft 1 of the specification, along with comments and other supporting materials, can be viewed at the Energy Star Lamps specification website.
To provide further details about new proposals and changes made in draft 2 (which are described below), EPA will hold a webinar on Wednesday, August 8, 2012.
Alex Baker, who ran the Energy Star lighting program at EPA for five years, has now taken the position of Global Standards Manager at LED maker Philips Lumileds Lighting Company. Baker’s role at EPA has been assumed by Taylor Jantz-Sell.
Changes and additions made in draft 2
• Minimum life requirements for LED lamps have been reverted to 15,000 and 25,000 hours depending on lamp type, to match the existing specification. The proposed increase to 10,000 hours for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) has been retained.
• The Elevated Temperature Life Test is now proposed only for all directional and semi-directional lamps, and omni-directional lamps greater than or equal to 10 watts. Decorative lamps, typically installed in applications with adequate air circulation and lower ambient temperatures, are exempt from this proposed requirement.
• A commercial-grade performance tier has been added to the specification. Elevated performance requirements have been proposed for lumen maintenance and reliability, power factor and warranty. In addition, commercial grade lamps are proposed to meet more stringent elevated temperature testing requirements, as applicable.
• MR-16 lamps, both low- and line-voltage versions, have been introduced to the specification scope. Consistent with data from the US Department of Energy (DOE) showing that the majority of low-voltage MR-16 lamps in the US are installed in commercial applications, the draft includes a proposal that these lamps meet the proposed new commercial tier requirements to earn the Energy Star.
• Lamp labeling and packaging requirements have been modified to eliminate any duplication of requirements of the Federal Trade Commission and safety listing organizations.
• Allowable product variations have been added to the specification to reduce testing burden and increase the number of certified models.
• Allowable correlated color temperatures now include 6500 Kelvin.
• Color consistency requirements have been reverted to 7-step MacAdam ellipses / ANSI quadrangles, matching the existing specifications, along with increased passing test requirements.
• The Rapid Cycle Stress Test requirements proposed in draft 1 have been maintained, but now include a maximum of 15,000 cycles. This adjustment is intended to balance the benefit to consumers with the associated testing burden, and in recognition of the fact that very long life lamps, particularly those employed in commercial applications, will be switched less frequently than shorter life lamps employed in residential applications.
• As first mentioned in draft 1, light output requirements for reflector lamps have been proposed, in alignment with rules issued by DOE, to ensure that performance matches consumer expectations set by the incandescent lamps being replaced.
• Also mentioned in draft 1, new luminous intensity distribution requirements for directional lamps have been proposed to ensure beam performance and quality consistent with the incandescent lamps to be replaced.
• Power factor requirements have been aligned with those appearing in the Energy Star Luminaires specification.
• Requirements have been proposed for “non-standard” lamps which fail to meet ANSI standard dimensional requirements and/or performance expected from those standardized lamp shapes. The requirements are proposed to ensure consumer understanding of performance shortcomings and/or advantages of such designs.
Contact detailsWebinar: Wednesday, August 8, 2012. Advanced registration is required by sending an email to [email protected] providing attendee name(s), company name, phone number(s) and email address(es). For proper routing please include “Lamps draft 2 Webinar” in the subject line of the email. For those unable to attend, the presentation will be recorded and posted to www.energystar.gov/lamps for subsequent review.
Draft 2 comments: Send to [email protected] no later than Friday, August 24, 2012. Please note that comments received will be posted to www.energystar.gov/lamps unless marked “Do Not Post.”
General contact: Taylor Jantz-Sell, Taylor Jantz-Sell or (202) 343-9042.