2016 Lighting Market Update

10 Feb 2016

A Look at Trends and What to Expect for the Year to Come

2015 was the international year of light and light-based technologies, and throughout the year, we saw changes in the industry drive new ways to certify lighting products and new standards and regulations.  additionally, led and oled technology has led to rapid changes in the lighting industry in the last five years. as the lighting industry continues to evolve in 2016, new voluntary and regulatory changes will impact the marketplace as well.

this year should be an exciting year for the lighting industry. here is a look at some of the new trends we anticipate:

• zhaga expansion: in 2015, we saw new zhaga books related to circular led modules (book 11) and electronic control gear (book 13). additional new books are expected in 2016. one of the most actively involved will be the new book focused on interchangeability of rectangular led arrays with circular les which includes chip-on-board (cob) designs.
• class p led driver program: class p certification allows the led drivers to be listed, as opposed to recognized, enabling manufacturers to replace a listed class p led driver with another of equivalent rating by any manufacturer, without retesting or reviewing drivers and certification reports each time. it helps to bring led drivers to an almost equal platform with fluorescent ballasts. in 2015, we saw the latest version of the can/csa c22.2 no. 250.13 standard include new requirements for class p led drivers. it is anticipated that in 2016 we will see continued expansion of this program as luminaire manufacturers start to leverage the full benefits of this type of certification.
• energy efficiency regulations: in 2015 the epa energy star program issued the “luminaires 2.0” specification which became mandatory for all new luminaire certification as of december 1, 2015. they also released the “lamps 2.0” specification, with an effective date of january 2, 2017. similarly, the cec issued their 2016 edition of “title 24” with an effective date of january 1, 2017, which includes additional testing requirements for noise and flicker. other pending proposals include: minimum performance requirements for led lamps in california and dlc requirements for networked lighting. it is anticipated that, once finalized, the new dlc networked lighting control system specification will accelerate the adoption of smart lighting in north america.
• we are also closely monitoring developments in lighting for healthcare & medical environments, led technology (including leds, led packages, and led arrays), and horticultural & agricultural lighting.

although we have seen a rapid growth of the adoption of led lighting products in 2015, the changes in products, technology, and regulatory requirements all point to further changes in 2016. these changes will help with faster adoption of led and oled lighting in north america and throughout the world.