Lighting Council NZ MoU

December 2006

The international performance specification of energy saving lamps, or CFLs, and other lighting products is about to come under the spotlight.

That will be the focus when Lighting Council New Zealand (LCNZ) signs a memorandum of understanding with similar industry groups from Australia and China early next year.

LCNZ has agreed to cooperate with the lighting industry associations of Australia and China to further promote and develop the lighting industry in their respective countries.

Lighting Council New Zealand Chairman Rob Tomkies says the three organisations will cooperate with each other in a range of activities, including:

o Encouraging the exchange of member visits and encouraging members to join together in mutually beneficial activities
o Fostering business relationships among member companies
o Supporting the adoption of a harmonised international testing methodology and performance specification for lighting products, in particular on CFLs, and
o Supporting the adoption of international standards and conformity assessment procedures designed to enhance trade in high quality lighting products.

“The agreement will help draw a line between importers to New Zealand of non-complying lighting products, and those who import products made to a mutually agreed, and internationally harmonised, acceptable level.

“Under the memorandum, all future lighting exports from China and Australia will be required to meet the new standard,” he says.

Rob Tomkies says it is important that there is international harmonisation of CFLs.

“The power factor (PF) of CFLs varies from country to country, and it is important for manufacturers and consumers that there is a level playing field.

“If low power factor lamps are installed, energy savings are not as great. That is because a power meter records on the bursts, whereas steady consumption records as a lower consumption of energy.

“To ensure public confidence in CFLs they should all be of equal quality, meaning lamp life, light output, starting time, power factor and illuminance.

“China is the largest manufacturer of CFLs and by having an international standard, poor quality products will be readily identifiable and will have increasing difficulty finding sales in international markets, he says.

The memorandum of understanding between the three organisations is expected to be signed around April 2007.

ENDS