Application of ecodesign policy and energy labelling to improve energy efficiency and quality of LED light sources

Ecodesign, which provides for measures to reduce negative impacts on the environment and increase the functionality of LED light sources, is one of the priority areas of the energy saving policy. The paper presents the results of a study of commercial samples of non-directional LED lamps of various brands for compliance with the Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 on establishing the requirements for the ecodesign of light sources and the Declared Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2015 on the energy labelling, which came into force in 2021. It is shown that the light output of the tested batches of lamps with a power of 5–12 W is in the range of 90–120 lm/W, which corresponds to the energy efficiency classes, according to the new rating scale of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2015, F and E. Over the past decades, the light output of the lamps entering Ukraine has increased by more than 30%. Quality indicators of light have also been improved: all tested lamps have a general colour rendering index of Ra > 80; in five of eight batches of lamps, the colour unevenness does not exceed the 3-degree McAdam ellipses; and only in one batch, individual lamps exceed the 6-degree ellipse. All tested lamps meet the requirements for the level of flickering (PstLM < 1) and the level of visibility of the stroboscopic effect (SVM < 0.4). Individual non-compliances of the lamps with the established requirements were also noted, in particular, lamps with a power of 11 and 12 W do not meet the power factor cos φ1 – some manufacturers do not fully declare the characteristics of their products. Most of the lamps have a low special colour rendering index R9. Conclusions about the effectiveness of the ecodesign policy and energy labelling in increasing the energy efficiency, quality and safety of LED lamps have been made.