Selection Criteria Lamps

Methodology

Scope

Topten.eu presents the most energy efficient lamps. In addition to efficiency, all presented lamps meet ambitious criteria regarding life time and switching cycles. Presented categories:

LED classic lamps, lamp bases E27 and E14
LED special lamps, lamp bases B22, G9, G4 and E10
LED spots, lamp bases E27, E14, GU10 (230V) and GU5.3 (12V)
LED tubes, lamp bases T5 and T8
LED linear halogen lamps, lamp base R7S

Technical Criteria

All lamps on www.topten.eu (Best Products of Europe) meet the following criteria:

Energy efficiency:
- LED classic lamps (E14 & E27, non-dimmable): min. A++
- LED classic lamps (E14 & E27, dimmable): min. A+
- LED spots (E14, E27, GU 5.3, GU 10): min. A+
- LED tubes (T5 & T8) and linear halogen lamps (R7S): min. A+
- LED special lamps (B22, G9, G4, E10): min. A+
Luminous efficacy:
- LED classic lamps (E14 & E27, non-dimmable): min. 115 lm/W
- LED classic lamps (E14 & E27, dimmable): min. 100 lm/W
- LED spots (E14, E27, GU 5.3, GU 10): min. 75 lm/W
- LED tubes (T5 & T8) and linear halogen lamps (R7S): min. 105 lm/W
- LED special lamps (B22, G9, G4, E10): min. 100 lm/W
Life time: min. 15’000 hours
Switching cycles: min. 20'000

Manufacturers must provide product information compliant with EU regulations No 874/2012 and No 1194/2012.

Product Lists

	Luminous flux	Equivalent power (typical)
LED classic lamps
E27, less bright	200 - 400 lm	25 W
E27, medium	401 - 750 lm	40 W
E27, bright	751 - 900 lm	60 W
E27, very bright	901 - 1200 lm	75 -100 W
E14, classic shape	200 - 500 lm	25 -40 W
E14, candles, less bright	100 - 300 lm	25 W
E14, candles, medium/bright	301 - 806 lm	40 W
LED spots
E27 R
E27 R-PAR
GU10, medium	100 - 300 lm	35 W
GU10, bright	301 - 600 lm	50 W
GU5.3, medium	100 - 400 lm	35 W
GU5.3, bright	401 - 700 lm	50 W

Order of Presentation

Products are ranked according to their luminous efficacy. The order of presentation can be changed by clicking the tables’ headings.

Glossary

Brand and Model

Brand with link to website. When there are multiple models, they are listed in a separate row (e.g. dimmable or not, various wattages, various radiation angles).

Electricity costs

According to the following assumptions:

Product’s lifetime: 15 years
Energy consumption: On for 1'000 hours per year (2.7 hours daily)
Tariff of electricity: 0.30 €/kWh (this should be understood as order of magnitude as there can be large differences depending on country or electrical utility)

Lamp base (detail)

E27: Edison screw base with diameter 27 mm
E14: Edison screw base with diameter 14 mm
GU10: distance of pins 10 mm
GU5.3: distance of pins 5.3 mm

Energy class

Energy efficiency class according to EU Regulation No 874/2012. Most efficient is A++, least efficient is D. Class E products are banned.

Energy index non-directional	<0.11	0.11-0.17	0.17-0.24	0.24-0.60	0.60-0.80	0.80-0.95	>0.95
Energy index spots (directional)	<0.13	0.13-0.18	0.18-0.40	0.40-0.95	0.95-1.20	1.20-1.75	>1.75
Energy class	A++	A+	A	B	C	D	E

Luminous flux

The luminous flux is measured in lumens (lm). Nominal value.

Power

Electrical power in watts (W). Nominal value.

Lumens per watt

Luminous efficacy in lumens per watt (lm/W). Nominal values for LED classical lamps, rated values for LED spots.

Equivalent power

Claimed equivalent incandescent lamp power in watts (W) according to EU regulation No 1194/2012.

LED lamp:	136 lm	249 lm	470 lm	806 lm	1'055 lm	1'521 lm	2'452 lm	3'452 lm
Claimed equivalent incandescent lamp power:	15 W	25 W	40 W	60 W	75 W	100 W	150 W	200 W

Lamp life time

Lamp life time in hours (h). For domestic lighting 1'000 hours is considered one year of usage (2.7 hours per day).

Switching cycles

Switching cycles indicate the number of times the lamp can be switched on and off before failure (on average).

Colour temperature (detail)

The light colour of a lamp is defined in terms of its colour temperature in degrees Kelvin (K). There are three main colour groups: warm whites < 3300 K; neutral whites 3300 K - 5000 K and daylight whites > 5000 K.
Code 827 means: colour rendering index CRI is 80 (first digit) and colour temperature 2700 K (last two digits).

Length and Diameter (detail)

Dimensions of the lamp in millimeters (mm). LED lamps and spots are sometimes larger than the old incandescent lamps and may not fit in all installations / luminaires.

Infoplus

Publications

(German) Fachbuch: Licht im Haus - Energieeffiziente Beleuchtung. Herausgeberin: Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz – Institut Energie am Bau. Autoren: Stefan Gasser, Daniel Tschudy. Faktor Verlag, Zürich Dezember 2011. 180 Seiten, 250 Abbildungen und Tabellen.

Standards and Labels

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2019/2015 of 11 March 2019 supplementing Directive 874/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to energy labelling of electrical lamps and luminaires.
Amendment regarding Online Energy Labels: Regulation No. 518/2014
Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/1428 of 25 August 2015 amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 244/2009 with regard to Ecodesign requirements for non-directional household lamps and Commission Regulation (EC) No 245/2009 with regard to ecodesign requirements for fluorescent lamps without integrated ballast, for high intensity discharge lamps, and for ballasts and luminaires able to operate such lamps and repealing Directive 2000/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulation (EU) No 1194/2012 with regard to ecodesign requirements for directional lamps, light emitting diode lamps and related equipment.
Commission regulation (EU) No 1194/2012 of 12 December 2012 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for directional lamps, light emitting diode lamps and related equipment.
Commission regulation (EC) No 244/2009 of 18 March 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for non-directional household lamps.
Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.