Analysis on the Differences of LED Market Access Requirements in North America and Europe

LED products as a new generation of green lighting gradually rose to a global scale applications, but also with the global economic situation and China's LED industry, China's semiconductor lighting industry continues to grow, including LED general lighting is still the most important market development driving force. China's exports of LED lighting products show overseas markets everywhere, exports more balanced regional structure. Among them, the North American and EU markets to become China's largest LED products in the two regions, but the LED lights in the two regions of the regulatory requirements are different degrees of varying degrees, how to comply with regulatory requirements and market demand has become China's manufacturing Business concerns.

 

1, the United States, Canada access requirements

 

Exported to the North American market, LED lighting products also need to comply with US regulatory requirements for electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility, energy efficiency and chemical testing requirements; but these requirements and the requirements of the EU directive there are different degrees of difference:

 

Electrical safety testing

 

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements of the US Department of Labor, products used in the workplace must be tested and certified by the National Accreditation Laboratory (NRTL) to ensure the safety of the user, so most of the electrical products The US market must meet the NRTL mark, and OSHA authorized the international certification body as an NRTL certification body in accordance with the applicable standards for product testing and certification; for the Canadian market, sales in Canada or imported electrical products to Canada must be verified, Testing must be performed by a laboratory accredited by the Canadian Standards Council (SCC).

 

North American lighting standards and the European Union IEC is quite different, and North American electrical safety testing does not need to consider the EMF requirements. North American lighting standards are usually in accordance with the installation and use of the premises to determine the scope of the standard.

 

For example: fixed installation of the ceiling lamp, embedded ceiling and other applicable standards are ANSI / UL 1598 and CAN / CSA C22.2 No.250.0, if these lamps are used LED light source, the certification of the time to consider the additional ANSI / UL 8750 and CSA C22.2 No.250.13; LED lamps with built-in electronic power supply, in addition to lighting standards through the series of tests, the built-in electronic power supply lines must also meet UL1310 or UL60950-1 requirements.

 

B. Energy efficiency testing

 

The United States in some areas of the ENERGY STAR or DLC certified lighting products also provide different levels of financial subsidies; the United States current LED light bulbs and lighting energy efficiency testing focused on the LED lighting energy star and DLC, Lighting Factslabel they are Voluntary requirements, the US federal minimum energy efficiency requirements (DOE) has not yet LED bulbs and LED lamps into the scope of control. However, in the United States, California, mobile LED lamps must meet the special requirements of California energy consumption.

 

ENERGYSTAR energy efficiency certification

 

ENERGY STAR The ENERGY STAR logo was created by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, but is voluntary. Currently for the LED light bulb products, Energy Star Lampsprogram V1.1 and the latest version V2.0 can be adopted, but January 20, 2017, must be Lampsprogram V2.0; for LED lighting products, Energy Star test requirements version Luminaire program V2.0 has officially entered into force on June 1, 2016. Applicable LED bulbs are mainly three kinds: non-directional lights, directional lights and non-standard lights. ENERGY STAR has strict requirements on the relevant optoelectronic parameters of the LED bulb, flash and lumen maintenance and life, the test method references LM-79, LM-80 two standards. In the new Energy Star light bulb LampV2.0 rules, a significant increase in the luminous efficiency requirements of the bulb, broaden the product performance and range, increasing the energy efficiency and performance classification level. EPA will continue to focus on power factor, dimming, flashing, accelerated aging programs and connectable products.

 

2) .Lighting Factslabel energy efficiency certification

 

It is the US Department of Energy (DoE) announced the implementation of the voluntary energy efficiency labeling project, currently only for LED lighting products, which introduced the intention is "Give them the Facts", is to make lighting products to achieve more specific and more reliable data From the five aspects of the disclosure of the product's real performance parameters: lumens lm, the initial luminous efficiency lm / W, input power W, the relevant color temperature CCT, color rendering index CRI. The scope of application of the project LED lighting products are: AC or DC power supply complete lamps and lanterns, low voltage 12V AC or DC lamps, separable power LED lamps, linear or modular products.

 

3). DLC energy efficiency certification

 

DLC stands for "The Design Lights Consortium". A voluntary energy efficiency certification program initiated by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP), the DLC certified product catalogs are used for high-performance, high-performance, energy-efficient, and energy-efficient products that have not yet been covered by the ENERGYSTAR standard throughout the United States LED lamps and lanterns promotion. The current version of the DLC technical requirements form is September 1, 2016 from the implementation of the V4.0 version, which involves the lighting products are mainly concentrated in the outdoor commercial and industrial construction with LED lamps, such as outdoor wall lamp, garage lights, mining Lamps, outdoor LED lamps and LED lighting, and other lighting products. Its main performance requirements: total luminous flux, ring light flux, light efficiency, color temperature, color rendering index, luminous maintenance rate, power factor, harmonic distortion. DLC certification requires that products be tested and reported by a third party laboratory accredited by NVLAP.

 

4) .FTC energy efficiency labeling

 

According to the US Federal Trade Commission FTC Act, LED lights into the US market need to paste in the box and light body energy labels to the public disclosure of the product's annual power consumption, life and other information, FTC energy efficiency labels and the above The Lighting Facts Label label is similar, but the FTC energy efficiency label is mandatory. See FTCenergyguidelabel requirements regulations: 16CFR305.

 

5). California energy efficiency requirements

 

In order to improve the efficiency of electricity products, the California Energy Commission (California Energy Commission)) in December 30, 2005 according to the implementation of the electrical energy efficiency regulations (Appliance Efficiency Regulation). A total of more than 20 kinds of products into the United States California must comply with the energy efficiency and efficiency of the regulatory requirements. The latest requirements are the CEC regulations promulgated in October 2015. For lighting products, the energy efficiency of portable LED fixtures must meet the CEC energy efficiency requirements to enter the California area sales, and testing must be completed in the CEC-approved laboratories.

 

6). Canadian energy efficiency testing requirements

 

For lighting products, the current mandatory energy efficiency requirements of Canada NRCan has control of the general fluorescent lamps, general incandescent reflector lamps, general lighting products, LED lighting products currently no mandatory energy efficiency requirements.

 

C.FCC / ICES testing requirements

 

The FCC is a compulsory certification of the limits of the characteristics of the radio disturbance (EMI) of a telex video product, but does not cover EMS (Radio Interference Immunity) testing requirements. The FCC certification test of LED lamps and the European Union CE Of the EMC certification test has a greater difference.

 

FCC certification methods are divided into Verification (self-certification), DeclarationofConformity (announcement) and Certification (certification) three modes, the use of certification methods, depending on the product type, such as LED panel lamp FCC test standards FCC 47 CFR part 15B, and the authentication type is Verification. It should be noted that the FCC certification of LED lamps is divided into Class A (LED lamps for industrial and commercial environments) and Class B (LED lamps for residential use). The two types of test limits are totally different. In the radio harassment test limit is only one standard, FCC Class B limits and similar, more than a 9k-30MHz electromagnetic field radiation test.

 

Canada has also developed a mandatory electromagnetic compatibility requirements for electrical products, referred to as ICES, the Canadian Industry (Industry Canada) a mandatory certification, LED lights products ICES-005 standard, the basic requirements and FCCpart15B consistent, but the radiation Test extended to 1000MHz. From December 1, 2016, ICES-005Issue4 officially implemented, Canada no longer accept ICES005.

 

2, the EU regulatory requirements

 

In Europe, due to the prohibition of the sale of incandescent policy, LED lighting is expected to gradually increase the demand. In addition, a variety of areas, including automotive, outdoor and decorative applications, as well as LED lighting in the indoor use of demand will surge in line with EU regulatory requirements will become the Chinese manufacturers to face the challenge.

 

According to the European Commission Act, lamps and similar products sold in Europe must be affixed CE certification label, then the product needs to be marked with CE mark, must comply with the European Union on the lighting products, electrical safety, EMC, chemical substances, energy efficiency and energy efficiency labels are as follows Requirements:

 

Electrical safety testing

 

The Low Voltage Directive (LVD) establishes the overall safety requirements for all low voltage products entering the EU. Semiconductor lighting products are low voltage products as defined by them, and therefore must comply with the Low Voltage Directive. LED lamp products corresponding to different test standards are different, as follows:

 

B. Electromagnetic compatibility testing

 

According to the requirements of the EU Directive 2014/30 / EU, battery compatibility testing includes two aspects: electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic resistance (EMS), the former mainly for conduction interference and radiation interference, while the latter mainly consider products such as electrostatic discharge, Radiation, burst, surge, conducted interference tolerance, that is, anti-jamming test. The main test standards are: EN55015; EN61547 and EN61000-3-2 power harmonic requirements, EN61000-3-3 power supply flicker requirements.

 

C.ERP instruction

 

For LED light products, ERP instructions LED lights and control devices need to meet the following requirements:

 

Energy requirements: EEI maximum energy efficiency index; control device no-load power, standby power, and load efficiency;

 

LED lamp function test requirements: 6000h lamp survival rate and lumen maintenance rate; failure before the number of switches; start time; 95% lumens rise time; premature failure rate; color rendering index; color tolerance (color consistency requirements ); Power factor PF. But the current EU ERP LED flash and did not make the request;

 

Product information signs and energy efficiency labeling requirements: marking luminous flux, nominal life, color temperature and so on. Please refer to the Implementation Rules (EUNO.1194 / 2012; NO.874 / 2012) for detailed requirements.

 

LED lighting products to meet the above electrical safety, EMC, ERP, chemical Rosh, Reach, and electronic recycling requirements can be marked CE mark, the other LED bulbs and lamps also need to follow the energy efficiency label, according to the measured energy consumption data paste the energy efficiency Stickers.

 

3, Conclusion

 

In the LED product testing, in addition to common electrical, energy efficiency, electromagnetic compatibility testing and other mandatory requirements, both the EU or the North American market, more and more buyers to LED lighting products, some voluntary certification and performance testing, such as the European market recognized GS Certificate, the United States DLC (Design Lights Consortium), Lighting Facts test certification column names. In addition, the specific optical properties of certain LED products are more and more attention to buyers, such as stroboscopic verification, spectral measurement, color consistency, and color rendering index CRI, LED aging test, energy conversion efficiency, full luminous flux , Viewing angle range and other performance requirements. Therefore, the face of increasingly fierce competition in Europe and the United States market, in addition to complying with the mandatory certification test, the extra performance often makes its products in many similar products more easily stand out.

 

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