Energy Star Lighting
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The ENERGY STAR is awarded to select fixture types that meet strict efficiency, quality, and lifetime criteria.
Because LEDs lights are relatively new, there are not many that are Energy Star approved yet.
However LED lighting is an intrinsically efficient lighting technology that is rapidly evolving and improving. LEDs produce light in a new way and many LED lights are already rated higher for quality and efficiency compared with existing lighting technologies, such as fluorescent and incandescent lights.
ENERGY STAR Qualified LED Lighting:
- Reduces energy costs — uses at least 75% less energy than incandescent lighting, saving on operating expenses.
- Reduces maintenance costs — an LED lamp lasts 35 to 50 times longer than incandescent lighting and between 2 to 5 times longer than fluorescent lighting.
- LED lamps reduce cooling costs because they produce very little heat.
- Comes with a minimum three-year warranty — far beyond the prevailing industry standard.
Overall Energy Star qualified products are becoming the standard on which a number of energy efficient “Green” standards are built. Energy Star qualified lighting is required for inclusion in Energy Star Homes and to meet National Green Building Standards.
These standards continue to mature and will continue to increase the demand for Energy Star qualified lighting, especially as energy costs continue to increase.
What Does Energy Star Qualified Mean On A LED (Solid State Lighting) Fixture?
The Energy Star logo is one of the most recognizable symbols of quality and performance. Energy Star qualification of LED lighting means the following key features and measurements
General Requirements
To qualify for ENERGY STAR, LED lighting products must pass a variety of tests to prove that the products will display the following characteristics:
- Brightness is equal to or greater than existing lighting technologies i.e. incandescent or fluorescent and the light is well distributed over the area lighted by the fixture.
- Light output remains constant over time, only decreasing towards the end of the rated lifetime (at least 25,000 hours for residential indoor and 35,000 hours for commercial lighting or 12 years based on use of 8 hours per day).
- Excellent color quality. The shade of white light appears clear and consistent over time.
- Efficiency is as good as or better than fluorescent lighting.
- Light comes on instantly when turned on.
- No flicker when dimmed.
- No off-state power draw. The fixture does not use power when it is turned off, with the exception of external controls, whose power should not exceed 0.5 watts in the off state.
- In addition to the tolerance, maximum temperature variances over its lifespan and viewing angle are defined.
- Color Rendering Index – (CRI) shall be a minimum of 75.
Downloads:
Excel list of Energy_Star_Approved_Residential_Fixtures_List_Aug11.xls
PDF list of Energy_Star_Approved_Residential_Fixtures_List_Aug11.pdf
LED Outdoor Lights For Low Running Costs
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LED lights have several benefits when used for garden and landscape lighting, including:
- they are low voltage and energy efficient. In other words they throw out a lot of light for not much electricity in.
- they are versatile and so can be used for a variety of outdoor lighting solutions.
The good news is that the purchase costs of LED outdoor lights are starting to drop quite fast now. This is excellent news because they are also very energy efficient so the overall cost of ownership is falling.
LED lights can be used for ambient lighting, floodlighting, walkways in fact for most applications. Other LED outdoor lighting lighting applications include:
- BBQs & Tables
- Artworks
- Day Beds
- Water Features
- Paths/Decks/Stairs
- Trees & Plants
- Pool Landscapes
The benefits of LED landscape lighting include:
- You can reduce your energy bills with up to 90% savings and lower the amount of C02 emissions being emitted into the environment
- They are low voltage lights, typically running at 12 volts so there is NO SHOCK HAZARD
- They have a long life with no changing of globes for several years - LED light life is approx. 15 - 22 years
- Because LED light is cool, there is no more burning of foliage, pets, fingers, timber structures etc
- LEDs have low installation costs due to the reduced number of transformers required and ability to use lower cost cable
- LED lighting works well with solar installations.