Philips Lumileds has launched a free online tool that makes it easier for manufacturers of LED-based luminaires to show compliance with ENERGY STAR® standards. The tool is available from both the Philips Lumileds and Future Lighting Solutions web sites.

The new tool addresses the requirements of the “Chromaticity and Spatial Uniformity” test in the ENERGY STAR® specification for LED lighting that requires the beam of light to appear the same color to the human eye, regardless of which area of the beam the viewer looks at or where they are at in relation to the light source.

To show compliance with these requirements, the lighting manufacturer must have their product tested by an independent laboratory. The lab tests will produce a data set showing the color of the light output under a wide variety of conditions. In many cases, the lighting manufacturer must undergo a difficult and time-consuming process to analyze the data set and perform complex calculations to demonstrate or determine compliance.

With the new tool, lighting manufacturers simply enter the data set from their test lab, as specified by IESNA LM79. The tool then automatically performs all necessary calculations and generates a report in a recognized format. This report shows whether the light complies with the Chromaticity and Spatial Uniformity specification, and if not, indicates where and how it fails.

“Our tool eliminates the learning curve and confusion by making a difficult process simple. Now you just plug in the data your lab gives you, and our tool does the rest,” said Rudi Hechfellner, Philips Lumileds’ Applications Manager. “Manufacturers can go into the compliance-testing process knowing that determining compliance will be quick and simple.”

Philips Lumileds is making the tool available free to any manufacturer of solid-state luminaires using LEDs from any vendor, including LUXEON LEDs from Philips Lumileds.

To use the tool, go to www.philipslumileds.com/energystar/.