June 19th, 2010
The rapid growth of LEDs has resulted in an increasing number of new products on the market. While these products save energy, last longer, have low heat output, and do not emit harmful UV light, with all the choices it’s often difficult to determine which LED is the right one for your application. To help consumers decide amongst LEDs, Solid-State Lighting Quality Advocates, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy, has developed the Lighting Facts label to encourage manufacturers to simplify information about LED products for consumers set to hit U.S. light bulb packaging in mid-2011.
The new Lighting Facts labels have a graphic on the front of bulb packages displaying the amount of lumens each bulb delivers, and the back of the package will have additional information on wattage, color temperature, etc. This label is designed to educate people on watts as a measure of energy consumed and lumens as a measure of light output. As more energy efficient lighting options, like LEDs, are made available at stores, consumers will not be able to judge the brightness of a bulb based on watts alone.
The Lighting Facts label includes:
Light Output/Lumens: Measures light output. The higher the number, the more light is emitted. Reported as “Total Integrated Flux (Lumens)” on LM-79 test report.
Watts: Measures energy required to light the product. The lower the wattage, the less energy used. Reported as “Input Power (Watts)” on LM-79 report.
Lumens per Watt/Efficacy: Measures efficiency. The higher the number, the more efficient the product. Reported as “Efficacy” on LM-79 test report.
Color Rendering Index (CRI): Measures color accuracy. Color rendition is the effect of the lamp's light spectrum on the color appearance of objects.
Correlated Color Temperature (CCT): Measures light color. “Cool” colors have higher Kelvin temperatures (3600–5500 K); “Warm” colors have lower color temperatures (2700–3500 K).
IESNA LM-79-2008: Industry standardized test procedure that measures performance qualities of LED luminaires and integral lamps. It allows for a true comparison of luminaires regardless of the light source.
If you have any questions or want more information on LEDs and their applications, please contact Bulbtronics’ LED Department at
1-800-654-8542 x438.