After releasing three draft editions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the final ENERGY STAR Eligibility Criteria for integral LED lamps on December 4, 2009. The new Energy Star criteria will go into effect as of August 31, 2010.

 

These ENERGY STAR program requirements were published one month earlier than its scheduled date in December, 2009; this, noted LEDinside, indicates that DOE hopes to establish a uniform standard in the LED lighting industry to prevent the LED makers from repeating the previous misstep in the promotion of CFL. During the initial promotion of CFL, standards had not been established in time; hence, inconsistent product qualities led to unsatisfactory user experience, and hampered its subsequent promotion.

 

With the ENERY STAR criteria already released in the U.S., we also expect other countries to follow suit in establishing their own standards soon. Such establishment accelerates the adoption of LED lighting, which helps the lighting industry achieve the objectives of saving energy and reducing carbon emission.