EECA research on LED lamp performance
EECA commissioned a study that tested 20 different models of LED lamps against the proposed Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) for LED lamps in New Zealand. Of the 20 models tested, only 3 models met all the requirements of the proposed MEPS.
Testing indicates that 11 models would need to be withdrawn from the market if the MEPS were in place. The remaining 6 models could remain on the market subject to meeting the lamp marking and packaging labelling requirements.
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Proposed LED standards for New Zealand
Under the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) programme, New Zealand and Australia regulate the energy efficiency of products in both countries. The Regulations cover products for home, commercial and industrial use.
Products regulated under E3 must meet Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS). In 2019, a regulation for LED MEPS was proposed and authorised. Testing was commissioned ahead of implementation. Australia will implement the same MEPS from May 2026.
At that point, LED manufacturers, importers and retailers will have to comply with the MEPS and labelling requirements. We undertook these tests to understand the performance of products prior to regulation.
Summary of the LED lamp testing
EECA selected and purchased three samples of each LED lamp model (60 items in total). All selected models were standard, non-colour changing bayonet or Edison screw style bulbs.
The testing was done according to methods of AS/NZS 5341:2021 – LED lamps – Test methods – Energy and functional performance.
The testing was done in four main phases:
- Assessment of the packaging and bulb labelling against the requirements in the proposed LED MEPS.
- An initial round of performance testing to the standard. On top of minimum energy performance requirements, the testing standard for LED bulbs includes requirements for colour, displacement factor and human health requirements (flicker, stroboscopic, UV and blue light hazard).
- An endurance test that combines the endurance of the LED light source itself, with the ability to withstand repeated switching on and off. The testing comprises with 4 switching events every hour (a total of 12,000 on/off cycles). This testing lasts for 3000 hours.
- A final round of performance testing to the standard, for LED lamps that are still functional after the endurance test. This test round is otherwise identical to the initial round of performance standard.
Results of the testing
Initial testing of energy usage was positive where all models passed. However, the colour rendering, displacement factor and human health requirements reduced the total pass rate for the testing down to 11 out of 20 in the first performance testing phase.
Seventeen models did not pass phase 1 assessment of packaging and bulb labelling.
In phase 2 testing, all models met the proposed MEPS requirements. However, there were subsequent performance testing failures in colour, displacement factor and human health requirements.
Table 1: Results of initial performance testing
| Compliance type | Products that met requirement | Products that did not meet requirement |
| GEMS level requirements – MEPS requirements | 20 | 0 |
| Performance requirements – colour | 18 | 2 |
| Performance requirements – displacement factor | 16 | 4 |
| Performance requirements – human health requirements | 11 | 9 |
| Total for test set 2 | 11 | 9 |
18 of 20 models passed the endurance phase of testing. The two models that failed endurance testing were not tested in phase 4.
Of the remaining 18 models, 9 meet the proposed MEPS requirements in the final phase of post-endurance testing.
Table 2: Results of final performance testing
| Compliance type | Products that met requirement | Products that did not meet requirement | Change in number of failures |
| GEMS level requirements – MEPS requirements | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| Performance requirements – colour | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Performance requirements – displacement factor | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| Performance requirements – human health requirements | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| Total for test set 4 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
What the results mean for the LED lamp market
The results indicate that adopting the proposed LED MEPS in New Zealand could have a substantial impact on the LED lamp market in New Zealand. EECA’s testing of a small proportion of the market indicates that 11 out of 20 models would need to be removed from the market, with a further 6 requiring changes to bulb labelling and packaging to continue to be sold.