Know Your Lighting Labels

Lighting Facts, a labeling program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is designed to ensure that the LED lighting products you’re purchasing meet your expectations for performance.

Participating manufacturers pledge to report their products’ performance results, which are included on the DOE Lighting Facts label that appears on the product’s packaging or enclosed literature. 

The Lighting Facts label lets you compare products to manufacturer claims and to similar products, and provides a quick summary of product performance in five areas:

• Lumens, which measure light output
• Lumens per watt (lm/W), which measures efficacy
• Watts, which measure the energy required to light the product
• Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), which measures light according to color—“cool” colors have higher Kelvin temperatures (36000-5500 K) while “warm” colors have lower color temperatures (2700-3000 K)
• Color Rendering Index (CRI), which measures the effect of the lamp’s light spectrum on the color appearance of objects

The Federal Trade Commission announced that starting January 1, all packaging for medium screw base bulbs will have to include a new Lighting Facts label that includes prominent information on the lumen output. The label does not endorse any particular bulb, but will help you choose the right one for your lighting needs while removing reliance on wattage as the lone means for selecting a bulb. The label may include the ENERGY STAR logo if the bulb meets the standards of the DOE’s program.

For more energy-saving lighting ideas, check out the 2012 NHSaves catalog of products.