The draft 2 specification and the accompanying cover letter can both be viewed on the Energy Star Luminaires website.
Comments should be sent to [email protected] by Friday, October 29, 2010.
EPA anticipates finalizing the Luminaires v1.0 specification in November 2010, and is proposing an effective date of September 1, 2011. The Agency will publish a final draft prior to finalizing the specification.
Draft 1 of the Energy Star Luminaires v1.0 specification was released by EPA on May 10, 2010.. It’s important to note that the Residential Light Fixtures (RLF v4.2) and Solid State Lighting (SSL v1.1) specifications remain in effect until the Luminaires specification is finalized and becomes effective.
Comments on draft 1 have been published on the Energy Star Luminaires website. EPA also held a webinar providing further detail on the rationale behind the first draft, including a Q&A session (slides from the webinar are also available on the Luminaires web page), and has also met with industry representatives to discuss key topics in greater detail.
Important modifications from draft 1 to draft 2 include:
- The specification scope and luminaire classification system has been further refined, with some additional luminaire types added. Ceiling and ventilation fan light kits are now included in this specification, as new versions of those specifications will refer to the Luminaires specification for all lighting requirements.
- The efficacy requirement for non-directional luminaires has been revised to 65 lm/W, with a planned increase to 70 lm/W scheduled to take effect two years later. The change was made to include what is expected to be broadly accessible and cost effective as of this specification’s effective date in 2011.
- Requirements for and the definition of inseparable SSL luminaires have been revised to distinguish these luminaires from those featuring a replaceable LED light engine, and to distinguish from those directional luminaire types for which performance requirements are otherwise detailed in the specification.
- Throughout the specification, requirements for high intensity discharge sources have been revised to allow for qualification of indoor luminaires using these source types so long as they are capable of meeting the performance requirements. With this change EPA seeks to ensure that the Energy Star specification does not present a barrier to technological innovation which may make one or more of these technologies more attractive to consumers. In some instances the specification does not recognize industry established performance standards, as they are inconsistent with Energy Star performance requirements.
- Solid-state lumen maintenance requirements have retained both options 1 and 2 until such time as an industry standard is available for luminaire lumen maintenance measurement and projection, and until industry has developed more experience with this method of measurement.
- Correlated color temperature values have been expanded to allow 5000 Kelvin for commercial luminaire types only. EPA is concerned that with the increased efficacy requirements, allowing CCTs above the 4100 Kelvin residential limit may lead manufacturers to shift residential products towards high CCTs which more easily achieve compliance with efficacy requirements, but are generally less preferred by consumers.
- Color maintenance requirements for SSL have been revised, with the requirement now pertaining to only the 6,000 hours of testing as required by IES LM-80-08 (rather than a lifetime requirement). Passing test requirements have also been revised.
- The photosensor requirement for outdoor luminaires has been removed, except for halogen incandescent luminaires which derive the bulk of their energy savings potential from luminaire-level time-limiting devices. In addition, language inadvertently missing from Draft 1 regarding motion sensor manual override features has been inserted, with reactivation requirements set for 6 hours, based on revisions made to California Title 24 in 2008.
- Power factor requirements have been entered specifically for commercial fluorescent luminaires. Requirements for residential fluorescent luminaires remain unchanged based on review of laboratory and field studies conducted around the world which have not demonstrated detrimental effects resulting from the use of low power factor CFLs. Further details – including literature references – are included in the specification note box.
- Ballast/Driver Replaceability Requirements have been revised based on stakeholder feedback from Draft 1. EPA seeks industry input on specific solid state directional luminaire types which could not reasonably meet this requirement.
- The NEMA/ALA lamp and ballast matrices and the EPA Platform Database will be discontinued in favor of a next-generation system for third-party certification of luminaire subcomponents, including lamps, ballasts, and lamp-ballast platforms. The system will fully conform to the Energy Star program’s Enhanced Testing and Verification requirements, requiring testing and certification of subcomponents by EPA-recognized laboratories and certification bodies.
- Requirements specific to GU24 lamps (Appendix A) have been removed. Manufacturers of GU24 lamps should consider the applicable performance requirements within the specification for purposes of lamps to be used by luminaire manufacturers seeking to meet this specification. Soon, EPA will begin development of the Energy Star Lamps specification, which will encompass lamps with ANSI bases, including GU24.
Recently, EPA has been engaged in the revision of Energy Star Program Requirements for all product categories in preparation for the planned December 31, 2010 implementation of Energy Star Enhanced Testing and Verification. Several important changes have been made to the style and formatting of the Luminaires specification as a result of this program-wide effort.
The new draft specification is certain to be a central subject for discussion at this week’s Energy Star 2010 Partner Meeting, which is being held in Denver, CO on October 4 -7, 2010, and includes a substantial program on Lighting (one of four tracks at the event).
