IAEEL newsletter 3-4/97
EU lamp label finally approved
EU lamp label finally approved
After years of discussions between the European Commission and European lamp makers, the European mandatory efficiency label for lamps was expected to be approved finally by the commission in January 1998. However, the transition period will be long, and the label will not be mandatory on all lamp packages until year 2001.
The lamp label will have the same design as other efficiency labels for refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, etc., with seven classes from A to G, A being the most efficient. Since lamps are bought much more often than appliances, it is hoped that the lamp label will help to increase public awareness of the labelıs existence. People would then, hopefully, be more inclined to look for the label when it comes time to buy an appliance.
Years of discussions
To come up with the efficiency label took years of discussions with various parties, including European consumer organizations and the Federation of European Lighting Industries (ELC), as well as members of the European Union's Regulatory Committee. One of the problems has been to get industry to accept the seven-class labeling system, but since the other labels are divided into seven classes, so must the lamp label, the Commission argued. It has also taken time to define the efficiency classification. It is not as simple as just stating lumen-per-watt ratios for various light sources since that would fail to take the differences between light sources with ballasts and those without into account, and it would also automatically give high-power light sources good ratings over low-power lamps of similar types. CENELEC, the European standards organization, is presently defining a testing protocol for the efficiency classification. The classification is based on an energy efficiency index (Ei). This index is calculated as the input wattage of the lamp divided by a reference wattage, reached by using a formula taking the lumen package and ballast losses (if applicable) into account.
Technology neutral label
The proposal presents a mandatory labeling scheme for most of the incandescent lamps, including mains- and low-voltage halogen lamps, and for screw-base and most modular compact fluorescent lamps. Linear fluorescent lamps are also included since they are also used in residential applications. Speciality lamps that have little effect on overall energy use, such as automotive lamps and very low voltage lamps (e.g., car and bicycle lamps), are exempt from the label. The commission states that the label is technology neutral; that is, the formula alone determines how a lamp will be classified. Based on the formula, todayıs lamp technologies would roughly be classified as follows:
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A: Tri-phosphor fluorescent lamps, both linear full-size and pin-based CFLs. Integral CFLs with electronic ballasts. B: Halo-phosphate fluorescent lamps, both linear full-size and pin-based CFLs. Integral CFLs with magnetic ballasts. C: Efficient halogen lamps, such as those with infrared coating. D: Other halogen lamps. E-F: Standard GLS lamps G: Very poor incandescent lamps.
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The approved label comes in both black-and-white and color versions and it must be printed on or attached to the package. It may be restricted to the efficiency class if the other relevant product information, like the wattage and the luminous flux, are printed elsewhere on the package.
Like other EU-labeling schemes, there will be no independent certification; manufacturers are allowed to certify their own products. If consumer organizations or competitors have reason to believe that the lamps do not perform as labeled, national governments can intervene. However, in this respect it has been debated whether the testing procedure is strict enough. Some observers argue that the batch of tested lamps specified in the standard is too small, a fact that would give less serious manufacturers some leeway to play around with small margins. The results of a test could always be questioned if the tested batch is too small, these observers argue. Other people, however, have argued that manufacturers will be closely watched by consumer organizations in many countries as well as by competitors. According to that line of reasoning, no manufacturer that cares about its reputation will take the risk of marketing lamps that donıt perform in accordance with the label.
The lamps directive should be adopted by the Commission before the end of January 1998. It formally comes into force on 1 July 1999, but there are transitional arrangements, meaning it will not be compulsory before January 1, 2001. However, the first labeled product (from Osram) already appeared in late 1997.
The full EU directive, including all formulas and definitions, will be published on the IAEEL web site as soon as the text is adopted as EU legislation and final edited copies are available (www.stem.se/iaeel).
Nils Borg