Lighting Especificaciones

How to Read a Lighting Specification Sheet Without Getting Burned

A lighting spec sheet is a marketing document wrapped around a technical core. The core is five numbers; everything else supports or spins them. Read in this order:

1. System efficacy (lm/W) — must be fixture-level (photometry-verified), not bare-LED. A “160 lm/W” claim based on die performance becomes 110–120 lm/W after driver and optic losses; the fixture-level number is the only one that predicts energy cost.
2. Maintained illuminance basis — whether the photometric tables assume LLD (lumen depreciation) and LDD (dirt depreciation). Spec sheets that quote initial lux flatter themselves 15–25%.
3. L90 life at stated case temperature — the temperature qualifier is the whole claim. L90@50,000 h at Tc 65°C is a normal industrial claim; the same life “at 25°C” is a laboratory number your ceiling will never deliver.
4. UGR and glare data — UGR tables computed per CIE 117, with room reflectances stated. “Low glare” without the table is unverifiable.
5. Driver and surge specs — input range, surge rating (kV, IEC 61000-4-5), PF ≥ 0.9, THD ≤ 20%, and flicker index or PstLM for camera-adjacent spaces.

Specification Snapshots by Application Family

Red Flags in Spec Sheets

• Life claims without a temperature qualifier or standard reference (L70 vs L90 matters — see the LM-80 lifetime guide)
• “CRI 80+” with no R9 value — R9 (deep red) is the first bin to be sacrificed; ask for it explicitly where color matters
• Warranty length that exceeds the published test data behind it
• No photometric file available on request — if the IES file cannot be produced, the performance tables were not lab-derived

Family-specific parameter tables are maintained in the four specification guides: industrial, horticulture, commercial, and solar & outdoor.