New LED Lighting Guidelines A Landmark for Retailers

A new LED Checklist will help retailers objectively assess the quality, efficiency and robustness of white LED luminaires according to Siobhan O’Dwyer, VP and General Manager for Retail Lighting with Nualight. The new guidelines, compiled by German organisation EHI Retail Institute, were based on the findings from a working group that met between March and November 2012 and comprised a network of reputable European retailers and manufacturers, including Nualight.  The group produced a set of measurable benchmarks that allows retailers to ensure the solution comes up to the required standards and also facilitates comparisons between one manufacturer and another. Nualight was the expert contributor on standards that are required for high quality LED lighting in refrigerated cabinets. “For the first time, retailers and purchasers of LED lighting will have a simple checklist to protect their investment,” said Siobhan O’Dwyer from Nualight. “EHI represents the retail industry in Germany and was in an ideal position to use its network and expertise to produce these guidelines, which have European-wide application.  Nualight was delighted to contribute to the process alongside a small group of other notable LED lighting manufacturers.  LED is rapidly becoming the preferred lighting technology in retail but the industry is dangerously lacking in standards. This potentially exposes retailers to poor lighting performance or solutions that do not live up to their lifetime and maintenance claims.  This new checklist will facilitate better understanding of the critical issues that buyers should explore carefully with potential supplier.” Moderator of the working group and executive director of Essen-based company start.design, Ralph Kensmann, said the new guidelines would support the growing recognition of the value of LED technology. “The market for LEDs is growing fast.  However, it is also flooded with products that do not always meet safety and quality requirements. This has given rise to considerable uncertainty.  This checklist is the first of its kind and provides retailers with important, clearly defined screening criteria for objectively assessing the quality, efficiency and robustness of a white LED luminaire and permits real comparison between products and between suppliers.” The checklist is broken down into two categories for white LED lighting, quality & efficiency and robustness. The quality and efficiency criteria include:

The robustness criteria include: