The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a new CALiPER Benchmark Report, presenting a comparison of T12 and T8 linear fluorescent lamps with commercially available LED linear replacement lamps.
CALiPER testing addressed a range of standard lighting measures, including power usage, luminous flux, photometric distribution, source and luminaire efficacy, correlated color temperature (CCT), and color-rendering index (CRI) for the lamps tested separately and in troffers.
Key findings are:
- The comparatively low light output of LED linear replacement lamps could result in unacceptably low illumination levels in retrofit applications.
- LED linear replacements achieved higher fixture efficiencies than benchmark fluorescent configurations in CALiPER testing; however, low lumen output and efficacy limited their overall performance to levels significantly below those of fluorescent systems.
- CALiPER testing at this time shows that LED technology is not yet ready to displace linear fluorescent lamps as replacement light sources in recessed troffers for general interior lighting.
