Evalutating LED Manufacturers
LED’s are dramatically changing the lighting landscape and generating a lot of excitement in the lighting industry. As the technology continues to improve, they will become increasingly more common. But, there are drawbacks that you need consider when evaluating LEDS. First and foremost, LED’s are solid state electronics, and many of the manufacturers entering the market have electronics experience but virtually no lighting experience.
Caution and due diligence should be the priority when looking at LED. What good is a product that costs 4x what you are paying today if 2 years after install your lumens have depreciated by 50%? Or, if you have wide swings in color temp or CRI?
When evaluating LED’s, one of the best pieces of information to ask for is the product LM-79 and LM-80 reports. These are reports done by accredited and independent testing laboratories and are used to support the manufacturer's performance claims on their marketing literature (cut sheets, brochures, etc).
The LM79 tests the light fixture performance, measuring input wattage, lumen output, efficacy (lumens/watt), CRI, and color temp. The LM80 tests are a thermal test to measure lumen depreciation. LED’s are solid-state electronics and proper heat dissipation is a must to indicate the product will have adequate light output at stated end of useful life (typically 50,000 hrs).
All reputable manufacturers will have these reports readily available.
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