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New Approach Finds the Top Ten LED Reflector Lamps
WASHINGTON – Using an innovative approach that factors in energy efficiency, light quality, cost, and consumer appeal, three energy efficiency leaders—IEE, TopTen USA, and Ecova--have teamed up to provide consumers with a list of the top ten PAR 30 and PAR 38 LED (light emitting diode) reflector light bulbs on the market today.
The top-ranked bulb (i.e., lamp) in the PAR30 category was from Ecosmart: model ECS R30 WW V2 FL 120. In the PAR38 category, the top rated LED lamp was the Technical Consumer Products (TCP) model LED17E26P3830KNFL. Lamps from ATG Electronics, GreenLite, Lighting Science Group, LightKiwi, NaturaLED, NuVue, Philips, Toshiba, Utilitech, and Verbatim also made the rankings.
“Our goal was to make it easy for consumers to find the best LED reflector lamps,” said IEE Executive Director Lisa Wood, “and by best, we mean the most efficient, cost-effective, as well as consumer-friendly available.”
Vicki Campbell, Director, Energy Efficiency, DTE Energy said, “We intend to use IEE’s findings to structure our LED lighting program decisions and customer education efforts. While the ultimate goal of lighting efficiency programs is to save energy, the path to those savings is to highlight high quality, efficient products that everyday consumers will enjoy using and readily adopt.”
The study focused on LED PAR38 and PAR30 lamps (PAR stands for parabolic aluminized reflector) because of their large potential for energy savings. With approximately 150 million older incandescent or halogen lamps of this type in use in U.S. households, the potential energy savings in switching to long-lasting LED reflector lamps is vast.
LED reflector lamps are typically 360 percent more energy efficient than halogen reflector lamps. LED reflector lamps also offer a longer operating life—typically in excess of 30,000 hours versus 2,000 hours for a long-life halogen lamp. And the light that LEDs cast can be just as warm, focused, and dimmable. But with hundreds of LED products to choose from, finding the best products is a challenge. Now, consumers have a guide to the top performing LED lamps.
“Working to find the largest energy savings possible through consumer adoption of new technologies that meet consumer needs is one of the many ways Ecova’s research contributes to energy efficiency improvements,” said Chris Calwell, Senior Research Fellow at Ecova, which conducted the research.
The researchers started with the full list of ENERGY STAR-qualified PAR38 and PAR30 LED reflector lamps, and then put them through a rigorous series of laboratory and human tests. These sought to measure not only an LED reflector lamp’s energy-related qualities—its energy efficiency, payback period, and lifetime cost savings—but also how it compared with a halogen reflector lamp in both its light quality (warmth) and ease of dimming.
Norman Dean, president of TopTen USA, which published the results for consumers on its website, www.TopTenUSA.org, said, “For consumers, energy efficiency is just the starting point. What they really want is light that makes their homes look great. With these bulbs, we can confidently say that we’re helping people to put themselves in the best light.”
Testing protocol and results are available in the full report, Evaluation of Best-in-Class LED Reflector Lamps- January 2013, at: http://www.edisonfoundation.net/iee/Documents/IEE_Evaluation%20of%20Best-in-Class%20LED_Final.pdf
About IEE
IEE is an Institute of the Edison Foundation focused on advancing the adoption of innovative and efficient technologies among electric utilities and their technology partners that will transform the power grid. IEE promotes the sharing of information, ideas, and experiences among regulators, policymakers, technology companies, thought leaders, and the electric power industry. IEE also identifies policies that support the business case for adoption of cost-effective technologies. IEE’s members are committed to an affordable, reliable, secure, and clean energy future. For more information, please visit: www.edisonfoundation.net/iee
About Ecova
Ecova is the total energy and sustainability management company whose sole purpose is to see more, save more, and sustain more for its clients. Using insights based on consumption, cost and carbon footprint data spanning thousands of utilities, hundreds of thousands of business sites and millions of households, Ecova provides fully managed, technology-optimized solutions for saving resources, which in turn increase returns, lower risks, and enhance reputations. Ecova is the largest non-regulated subsidiary of Avista Corp (NYSE: AVA). www.avistacorp.com. For more information, visit the company’s website at ecova.com, on LinkedIn at http://linkd.in/EcovaInc, or follow Ecova on Twitter at @ecovainc.
About TopTen USA
TopTen is a nonprofit dedicated to helping consumers find and buy the most energy-efficient products on the market. It provides regularly updated rankings of common products. For more information, please visit: www.toptenusa.org.
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