Energy Star Lighting Verification Program

The Program for the Evaluation and Analysis of Residential Lighting (PEARL) is a watchdog program. It was created in response to complaints received by utility program managers about the performance of certain Energy Star lighting products being promoted within their service territories and the lack of a self-policing mechanism within the lighting industry that would ensure the reliability of these products and their compliance with ENERGY STAR specifications. To remedy these problems, PEARL purchases and tests products that are available to the consumers in the marketplace. The Lighting Research Center (LRC) tests the selected products against the corresponding Energy Star specifications. This report includes the experimental procedure and results of Cycle Seven and Cycle Eight of PEARL program during the period of October 2006 to March 2007, along with the description of apparatus used, equipment calibration process, experimental methodology, and research findings from the testing. LRC finished performing the sphere testing for all CFL models in Cycle Seven at 40% of their rated life. LRC also performed re-test of Rapid Cycle Stress Test, under the request of DOE, for five CFL models that failed the Rapid Cycle Stress Test in Cycle Seven. From January 2007 to March 2007, LRC coordinated the procuring efforts for the CFL models that were selected for Cycle Eight