CBEA High-Efficiency Troffer Lighting Specifications
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- Read a fact sheet.
- Download the specification.
In 2011, a CBEA Project Team working to support the market introduction of high-efficiency troffers developed a specification that allowed for high-efficiency LED and fluorescent technologies, and addressed the 2'x2' category of troffer products. On February 15, 2012, Version 3.0 of the Specification was released, expanding the specification to address 1'x4' and 2'x4' product configurations. Potential savings from applying the specification range from 15-45% on a one-for-one basis and up to 75% with the use of controls. Fifty percent of all commercial fluorescent lighting fixtures are recessed troffers in 1'x4', 2'x2' and 2'x4' configurations, in operation for more than 10 hours a day on average and collectively consuming more than 87 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually.
CBEA members can benefit from this project in many ways, from being better informed of the potential of high-efficiency lighting troffers (from DOE research and reports from other members), to being among the first to hear about new and promising technologies, to participating in demonstration projects and purchasing products that meet the specification requirements.
The following table shows the benefits of high-efficiency lighting troffers, as defined in the CBEA specification.
| Product Feature | LED | Fluorescent |
|---|---|---|
| Efficacy | Less wattage is required to produce equivalent light levels. | |
| Controls | Inherently dimmable but compatibility should be verified prior to commitment. | Dimmable when mated with dimming ballasts and associated controls. |
| Environmental Impact | Contains no mercury. | Contains a very limited amount of mercury (less than the amount allowed in fish). Some lead in glass. |
| Longer Life/Lumen Maintenance | Expected long life of 50,000+ hours, but actual end-of-life performance depends on numerous factors. | Expected life of 24,000 to 52,000 hours. Actual value depends on ballast plus lamp pairing and controls. |
The following table highlights the performance parameters of the specification for the troffers.
| Performance Attribute | Specification | Notes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Luminaire Light Output (lumens) |
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Differing initial values are due to the high lumen maintenance of fluorescent lamps. | |||||||||||||
| Luminaire Efficacy |
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Measured according to IESNA LM-79-2008 (LED) or LM-41-1998 (Fluorescent) | |||||||||||||
| Minimum Lumen Maintenance/Rated Lamp Life | For LED-based Luminaires L70 ≥ 50,000 hours For Fluorescent-based Luminaires Rated Lamp Life ≥ 30,000 hours |
For LED-based Luminaires Based upon-L70 based upon IESNA LM-80, In-situ Temperature Measurement Test (ISTMT) and IESNA TM-21. For Fluorescent-based Luminaires Rated lamp life based upon rapid-start ballasts with 12-hour operating cycles.
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| Spacing Criteria (SC) |
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Spacing Criteria is the ratio of fixture spacing to mounting height and establishes the point at which uniform illumination occurs between fixtures at a given mounting height. | |||||||||||||
| Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) | Nominal CCTs and tolerances as defined by: For LED-based luminaires ANSI C78.377-2008 "Specifications for the Chromaticity of Solid State Lighting Products." For Fluorescent–based Luminaires ANSI C78.376-2001 "Specifications for the Chromaticity of Fluorescent Lamps is 94.1%. The requirement may also be met by LM-80 data intersection of the exponential decay function L70 = L100e-λt, where L = Luminance; λ is a constant; t = time = 35,000 hours. For Fluorescent-based. Nominal CCT |
Chromaticity tolerances defined by ANSI C78.376 and C78.377 correspond to 7-step MacAdam ellipses (approximated in the case of C78.377). In addition to the nominal CCTs defined for fluorescent sources, LED products add 4500K. | |||||||||||||
| LED-based 2700K 3000K 3500K 4000K 4500K 5000K |
Fluorescent-based 2700K 3000K 3500K 4000K 5000K |
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| Minimum Color Rendering Index (CRI) | Ra ≥ 80 and R9 > 0 | Equivalent to "800" series fluorescent lamps. | |||||||||||||
| Warranty | 3 years | ||||||||||||||