LED Lighting Certifications: What They Mean and How They Work

Are you a consumer in the market for LED lighting, or a business owner upgrading your office, warehouse, or facility with LED lights? Maybe you’re a home remodeling contractor trying to stay up-to-date on the latest lighting technologies.

Despite being known as the preferred alternative to traditional fluorescent or halogen lighting options, many consumers are still learning about LED lighting technology. Luckily, there are a number of recognized standards that consumers can rely upon if they have questions about safety, or environmental and performance standards.

The Certifications Lighting Manufacturers Care About that You Need To Know…

• DLC: The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) is a certification issued for commercial LED lights based on their color rendering capabilities, lumen maintenance, longevity, light distribution and output, and the duration of the warranty period. This certification is commonly used for retrofit kits, industrial-grade and commercial lighting panels.
• CEE: The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) has its own list of performance and operational safety and efficacy guidelines for a range of products including lamps and ballasts. These guidelines are regularly updated for the latest energy-efficient reduced wattage lighting fixtures that hit the market.
• Title 24 (California): Several jurisdictions across the US have formulated their own regulations that have to be followed by business owners inside the state limits. For example, California has Title 24, which helps business owners find out the lighting devices on the market that are most energy-efficient.
• ENERGY STAR: This is one of the most well-known certifications for electrical appliances and fixtures. ENERGY STAR-certified lighting devices use almost a quarter of energy less than conventional lamps, which can save you money in the long run.
• Lighting Facts: The high performance and longevity of CFLs and LED lights encourage many business owners to install these lighting devices within their businesses. The Lighting Facts certification makes it mandatory that manufacturers display the lumens value on the packaging instead of watts.
• Dark Sky: The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is “engaged in research and development work on the issues of light pollution and how to restore the natural night environment”. The IDA issues the Dark Sky certificate to outdoor lighting fixtures that lessen glare and light trespass.

Lighting Companies Setting Industry Standards

UL Listed – Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an American safety and consulting company offering services in 104 countries worldwide. UL “drafted safety standards for electrical devices and components as the rise of residential electricity transmission made electronics ubiquitous in American households”. If a product is “UL Listed”, it means that UL has tested representative samples of the product and determined it meets UL’s requirements based on its published Standards for Safety.

CE Marking – The CE mark is mandated for certain products sold in the European Economic Area. This marking means the manufactured product meets EU safety, health and environmental standards that have been stipulated by legislation. Products demarcated with CE are not necessarily produced in Europe, but the marking means they can legally be sold there.

CSA Group – The CSA (Compliance, Standards, and Accountability) Group is a Canadian standards development organization that accredits products to a wide range of standards certification from many different organizations. “CSA marks in lighting can provide product evaluation, energy efficiency verification, test and certification, and quality standards certification for the lighting industry.”

RoHS Compliant – RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances and sets standards for electrical and electronic products. All products sold in the EU must be RoHS compliant. According to their website, “Consumers who see the RoHS marking can be confident that their LED lights don’t contain unacceptable levels of mercury, lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers).

Where to Find Out if Products Meet Industry Standards

There are several places you can look up products to determine if that product has been evaluated for certain lighting certifications. The CSA Group has a product look-up on their website, as does ENERGY STAR. You can find all the information you need for shopping for certified products here, and learn more about how you can save money.

Trust RP Lighting + Fans as Your Preferred Lighting Manufacturer

At RP Lighting, we have quality products value-priced to meet your lighting upgrade needs. We also have knowledgeable associates who can assist you in choosing the appropriate products for your specific application. Check out our 2019 product catalog for more information! Click the link on our homepage to download the newest catalog.