Intermatic Incorporated recently announced a comprehensive new testing approach the company implemented to help inform electrical contractors of the performance of its lighting control portfolio when LED lighting is used.
“Through our dialog with contractors and electrical distributors, we hear continual pleas for help in guiding them on what controls in the market are a fit for their LED projects,” said Liz Jacobs, Vice President of Marketing for Intermatic. “Contractors often see controls on the market labeled ‘LED Compatible,’ ‘Listed for LED’ or ‘Meets LED standards’ but those terms do not describe the actual performance of the control over the lifetime of the LED lighting. Intermatic has developed a testing methodology that will give contractors clearer data.”
“We’ve focused on developing and implementing a rigid, robust testing approach in our UL-recognized laboratory to give contractors and distributors the clarity they need,” said Jimmy Adjunta, Product Manager for Intermatic. “Since there is no single industry standard for testing controls used for LED lighting, we took the best information from NEMA 410 and UL standards, and combined these into a testing scenario for our products that could show true performance with electronic ballasts for LED. Based on these standards, we simulated actual field performance for the life of LED lamps under repeatable test case scenarios. Our testing will certify that Intermatic controls are not only LED-compatible, but that they mirror the life expectancy of electronic ballast-operated LED fixtures.”
Testing has been done across Intermatic’s entire line of control products to be used with LED lamps. The testing is conducted in the company’s laboratory in its Spring Grove, IL headquarters.
According to Jennifer Pritchard, Intermatic Test Lab Manager, the test simulates in-rush of electric current into electronic ballasts with the goal of providing performance clarity around Intermatic’s lighting control portfolio.
As a result, contractors and distributors can consult with Intermatic sales and technical support teams to get real data about the company’s portfolio of products in LED lamp applications.
“Certainly there continue to be variables in LED lighting applications such as the quality of an LED driver or the execution of a lighting installation, but we believe our testing approach can at least give assurance to contractors, distributors and specifying engineers that our controls are matched for LED lighting loads over the life of that lamp,” said Jacobs. “We go beyond labels such as ‘compatible’ or ‘LED listed’ and can provide consultation on performance metrics.”
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