Technology watch: LED lighting

The next step in energy efficient lighting, light-emitting diode (LED) technology offers many benefits, including low power consumption, long life, compact size and reliable operation in cold temperatures. Focus on Energy has been tracking the development of LED technology closely, and while we have begun to offer financial incentives for certain LED-based products, there is still some way to go before LEDs are ready for general use.


Practical applications

Today, the best potential applications of LED fixtures are those in which directional light can be maximized to deliver light levels close to or better than incumbent technologies - for example, compact fluorescent downlights. Practical applications include task lighting, recessed downlights, parking lots and garages, and gas station canopy lighting.


Current market barriers

For all of LED’s promise, the technology is still young and has some hurdles to overcome. First, LEDs are expensive. They also produce heat (conducted through the back of the LED chip) which, if not controlled, can reduce the light output and rated life of the product. In addition, the wide variation in LED colors can be difficult to match in a multi-LED fixture. Finally, not all manufacturer data is reliable and testing procedures vary, making accurate product comparisons complicated.


Available Focus incentives

As with any technology, Focus wants to ensure that LED lighting is reliable and ready for market before we support it. For that reason, we have limited our prescriptive incentives for LED lighting to products that have proved through testing that they are practical for a specific application. These products include refrigerated case lighting for grocery stores and recessed downlights that meet U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) solid-state lighting (SSL) standards. Focus currently offers an incentive of $30 per fixture for downlights that replace incandescents - see our lighting incentive page for details.

Looking ahead, Focus is investigating the possibility of offering incentives for exterior roadway/street lights, area lights, petroleum canopies, parking structures, and tunnel and bridge lighting. Promising interior applications include retail display cases, cove lighting, under-shelf and task lighting, wall washing, spot lighting and dock lights.


Accelerating advancements in solid-state lighting

Focus is keeping a close eye on DOE’s testing and research to help us determine which products will be worth supporting in the marketplace. We’ve also partnered with DOE on the L*Prize design competition - the first government-sponsored technology competition designed to spur lighting manufacturers to develop high-quality, high-efficiency solid-state lighting products to replace the common light bulb. L*Prize aims to drive innovation and market adoption by substantially accelerating America's shift from dated, inefficient lighting products to innovative, high-performance products.


Selecting LEDs

While LEDs are available in many flavors, keep in mind that not all products are of equal quality. It’s important to know what your customer’s needs are, and to weigh the benefits of each product and have the manufacturer provide independent lab-test documentation of product performance. The reports for photometric performance (based on the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America’s LM79 test procedure), rated life (based on IESNA’s LM80 test procedure) and a description of the thermal management strategy used by the manufacturer to control heat in the product will help you compare products accurately. Typically, the best LED products are backed by objective test data that documents product performance meets DOE solid-state lighting (SSL) standards. Replacement lamps are the most commonly promoted product; however, they are typically backed by the least performance documentation.


More information about LEDs

For more information about LED technology, Focus on Energy recommends the U.S. Department of Energy - Solid-State Lighting website: www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/, where you can find fact sheets, objective product testing results through the CALiPER program, and standards for performance and testing of SSL products.

And of course, watch this newsletter for future updates on LED lighting as the technology matures and more reliable products become available in the marketplace.