Grow lights for consumer use often do not have an energy label. Professional grow lights also do not have an energy label, depending on the manufacturer, they meet technical requirements regarding energy efficiency.
by Jille Kuipers
What is an energy label for lamps?
Most lamps must have an energy label. The energy label indicates how energy efficient a lamp is compared to other lamps.
Are energy labels the same everywhere and always?
Energy labels apply within the European Union. In America the ENERGY STAR labeling applies. In addition, the labels can be updated. In the EU, energy labels have gradually been replaced. The old energy labels ranged from A+ and A++. The new labels go from A to G. For example, a lamp with an A label may receive an F label in the new label. This does not mean that your old lamp suddenly consumes much more energy. It means more that there are many improvements, and that the energy label no longer keeps up with the innovations. In the new system, label A is reserved for future innovations.
Do grow lights also have an energy label?
Grow lights for consumers usually do not have an energy label. HortiPower lamps do have this. However, this energy label concerns energy efficiency of a lamp for the human eye. This energy label assesses how efficiently a lamp emits lumens (lumens is an amount of light that the human eye can perceive). However, plant-focused lamps are designed for effective light output for plants, or photosynthetic light.
Lumens are therefore less relevant for plants. For plants, we measure light in the unit micromole (or μmol). There are professional guidelines, such as those of the DLC (Design Lighting Consortium). They state that a lamp must emit at least 1.9 μmol/J. At HortiPower, all our grow lights meet this requirement. You can also calculate this yourself. You divide the number of micromole by the number of watts and then you have the μmol/J. This μmol/J is more important to HortiPower lamps than the EU energy labelling.
What is an energy efficient lighting plan for plants?
A lighting plan for plants calculates the right light intensity for plants and not only looks at efficient lamps, but also at how efficiently the light is used. For example, you can use a very efficient lamp, but if it has to be hung too high because the light intensity is too strong, a lot of light will remain in the air. For growing indoors and on racks, it is often useful to use lamps with a wide beam angle so that the space is used optimally. A wide beam angle gives a large surface. However, the lamps must then be installed relatively close to the plant. The advantage is that little light and space is wasted. The HortiPower lamps are designed precisely for this application.
In summary:
Energy labels are important, but they focus on visual light. For Plant-directed light, μmol/J is important. The HortiPower lamps do have a European energy label. The lamps meet efficiency requirements of, for example, DLC (efficiency requirement of more than 1.9 μmol/J). In addition, HortiPower lamps are designed for efficient indoor cultivation.