Skip to main content

Report finds LED replacement lamps don’t meet criteria

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been conducting evaluations of LED replacement lamps, most recently those with a mogul base. Its report on phase 1 of the project, Mogul based LED replacement lamps, provides details of the market characterisation and pilot photometric testing of 18 representative mogul base LED lamps alone and in luminaires. LRC found that only four of the 18 lamps met the minimum DesignLights Consortium Qualified Products List criteria for retro
January 13, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been conducting evaluations of LED replacement lamps, most recently those with a mogul base. Its report on phase 1 of the project, Mogul based LED replacement lamps, provides details of the market characterisation and pilot photometric testing of 18 representative mogul base LED lamps alone and in luminaires.

LRC found that only four of the 18 lamps met the minimum DesignLights Consortium Qualified Products List criteria for retrofit kits when the lamps were placed in area lighting and roadway luminaires. The lamps tested in wall pack and high bay luminaires did not meet the applicable minimum efficacy criteria for retrofit kits.

LRC also conducted a comprehensive survey of specifiers to identify key considerations for lamp selection and relevant luminaire performance characteristics for various lighting applications, such as light output, intensity distribution, size, to support the development of a performance testing plan, the results of which are also included in the report.

Phase 2 is now underway, consisting of additional performance testing of mogul base LED lamps in representative luminaire types. The results of Phase 2 testing will be released as they become available.

The report was funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as an assessment of the state of technology development and the potential for emerging technologies to increase the efficiency of electricity use. BPA is undertaking a multi-year effort to identify, assess and develop emerging technologies with significant potential for contributing to efficient use of electric power resources in the Northwest.

“The market is changing so rapidly—and with any new product, it’s important to understand the full range of quality and performance available to consumers,” said John Wilson, Commercial and Industrial Lighting program manager at the Bonneville Power Administration. “This research will help utilities in the Pacific Northwest to make smart and reliable investments in energy efficiency.”

Related Content

  • June 13, 2014
    Lighting Research Center – ‘not all lighting systems perform equally well’
    The rapid development of lighting technologies, particularly solid-state systems using light emitting diodes (LEDs), has opened a universe of new possibilities as well as new questions about roadway lighting in the US, which for decades has been dominated by the use of high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps. Other light source technologies have also been angling for roadway market share. In response to a need for objective technical information about new types of roadway lighting among transportation agencies
  • February 25, 2015
    Substantial savings from smarter street lighting
    As authorities strive to reduce expenditure and carbon emissions, Colin Sowman looks at some of the smart ways of managing street lighting while containing costs and maintaining safety. Street lighting can account for 40% of an authority’s energy consumption. So, faced with the need to reduce outgoings, some authorities are looking for smart ways of managing street lighting or even turning off swathes of street lights in the small hours. Back in 2008 the E-street Initiative report concluded that authorities
  • June 26, 2015
    LRC evaluates headlight systems to improve night driving
    Through its Transportation Lighting and Safety program, the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is evaluating the potential for new lighting technologies and approaches to improve driving safety at night, including new car headlight systems. For the study, vehicle manufacturer Audi AG has provided the LRC with an A7 equipped with adaptive high beam ‘matrix lights’ that allow drivers to benefit from using high beams all the time while selectively dimming a portion of the bea
  • September 25, 2014
    Denver International upgrades to LED lighting
    Power management company Eaton’s Cooper Lighting division converting the parking garage lighting systems at Denver International Airport (DIA) with light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires. Replacing more than 5,400 parking garage fixtures, the DIA conversion will include almost 5,000 McGraw-Edison Valet LED luminaires, helping the airport to save approximately US$327,000 annually or US$6.5 million over 20 years. By making the parking garages brighter and more uniformly lit, the new luminaires will increase