Why Quality Testing Matters

Op-Ed in Electrical Contractor Magazine

Why Quality Testing Matters

All LED lighting isn’t tested equally.

Maybe you’ve been there. You get a call from your client, and she’s upset because the lighting you installed a couple months ago stopped working. Or worse, it flat-out broke. She’s been a customer for a while, but you can tell she’s starting to doubt your expertise.

But it isn’t your expertise that should be doubted. It’s the lighting manufacturers who make all kinds of claims about their products that just aren’t proven.

Let’s face it: replacing bad lighting costs time and money that you don’t have. And think of your clients; it could mean a stop in operations and productivity, especially in 24/7 operations like warehouses. Or it could mean less safety in parking lots or garages, which results in less customers.

Lighting must be tested – extensively – to make sure it operates the way it’s promised to.

It’s something many lighting retailers don’t do, which, in the end, means more money and stress on your shoulders.

High quality lighting should last tens of thousands of hours. To a fault. Once everything’s been properly tested and certified, it takes out all the guesswork. Meaning, you don’t have to worry about getting that call from your client, let alone your professional reputation.

How do you know if your lighting’s been tested? Look for the certifications, either on the product box or on their website. (If they don’t have a website, that’s Red Flag #1.)

Add these to your checklist:

1) Look for lighting with a UL logo on the packaging. That means that Underwriters Laboratories (the largest independent safety company in the world) decided that the product is, well, safe to use. No fires, no shocks, no surprises.

2) The DesignLights Consortium® (DLC). DLC is your go-to certification for commercial lighting; it’s all they do, which means they have very high standards, from quality to energy efficiency to warranty. If a product isn’t “DLC listed” or “DLC approved,” it means it either failed to meet their qualifications, or it just wasn’t sent in for testing at all.

Here’s the thing about certifications: each time you send in a product – and many lighting retailers have thousands – it’s expensive. How do many lighting retailers cover the extra costs? By marking up the prices of their products.

The solution? Look for the lighting retailers who have their own testing facilities on-site. They’re few and far between, but they do exist, and they’re usually the lighting companies who’ve been around for a long time. Since they don’t have to spend the extra money on testing costs, their final prices will be more honest.

Not to mention, testing takes time. Think about it: You make a product that might work, send it to UL for testing, then wait up to eight weeks for them to send it back. Make some tweaks, then ship it back to UL, wait another eight weeks, only to have it come back with more issues.

The longer a product takes to get to market, the more money a retailer loses in sales. Which could potentially mean they go out of business. And there goes your warranty.

A lighting retailer with a testing facility on-site cuts testing costs and time by about fifty percent. The result? Lower prices, more sales and stability, plus – most importantly – guaranteed honored warranties for you, the customer (and yours).

Bottom line: any lighting retailer worth its salt should put each lighting product through its paces. Here’s eight tests you want to make sure your LED lighting has survived:

1) Thermal

a. This kind of testing simulates high heat and humidity environments, making sure that lighting withstands the temperatures they’re promised to.

2) Photometry

a. Ensures light is directed where it’s supposed to go. This prevents any wasteful up-lighting in outdoor fixtures, which could hike up costs and burn out LEDs prematurely.

3) Rain

a. Makes sure products are so sealed so tightly that no water can seep inside and cause a hazard. It’s mostly used for outdoor lighting, to make sure it braves the elements.

4) Linear Vibration

a. Makes sure outdoor products on poles stay in place when exposed to vibration or movement.

5) Electrical input/Min. And Max. Voltages

a. Makes sure the voltage on the product is as-advertised. Also, it ensures the temperature of a product stays where it should.

6) Packaging (Vibration & Drop)

a. Testing the packaging/cardboard of a product to ensure products are delivered in a camera-ready state.

7) Reliability lab (indoor/outdoor)

a. Tracks performance over time to make sure everything’s up to standard.

So, remember those companies we mentioned earlier that have their own testing labs on-site? We’re proud to say that e-conolight is one of them. Because we complete our testing efficiently and without the extra costs involved, it’s one of the (many) reasons why our products are more affordable than the other guys’. Plus, we’re part of Cree, a world-class leader in lighting; our products go through the same rounds as theirs.

And if any product doesn’t pass one of our applicable tests in any stage of production, a) it never sees the light of day (if, by day, you mean our website); and b) you’ll never have to waste your time repairing and replacing it.

We know lighting is one of the many things on your plate each day. Which is why you can rest assured –tried and tested (literally) – that ours won’t let you down.