LED Buyer's Pocket Guide

Lighting Council Australia

Lighting Council Australia is the peak body for the lighting industry in Australia. Our goal is to encourage the use of environmentally appropriate, energy efficient, quality lighting systems.

Master Electricians Australia

Master Electricians Australia is the leading electrical industry body providing trusted advice and support to electrical contractors and consumers. Our number one goal is safety. We stand with Lighting Council Australia and recommend using only quality LED products that have been tested to meet Australian Standards. Always engage a Master Electrician to fit these - the safety of you and your loved ones should never be comprised.

The Hon Angus Taylor MP

Minister for Energy

“Over the last decade, the Australian Government has been working with the Australian lighting industry to reduce power bills, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Installing LED light bulbs is one of the least expensive and easiest ways that households and businesses can save energy and reduce power bills. Quality LED light bulbs can consume one tenth of the energy to produce the same light output and last 5 to 10 times longer than halogen light bulbs. I commend the Lighting Council on this great initiative.”

Save time, money & energy with the right LED purchase

LED lighting technology has evolved rapidly over the past decade and is quickly gaining popularity for all general lighting applications. LEDs represent up to 90% savings in electricity and there are excellent LED products available. However, the wide range of products available as well as variation in product quality means consumers should be well informed before purchasing.

The following tips are designed to help you purchase quality lighting products and avoid purchasing non-compliant lighting equipment.

Savings

Switching to LEDs is one of the easiest ways to cut your energy bills. Replacing six halogen lamps could save around $100 per year. Using dimmers and motion sensors will cut bills further. Savings depend on a number of factors, in particular usage patterns (e.g. hours/day or year), electricity prices, the type of lamp and its efficacy.

a comparison of energy used by different lighting technologies

As well as considerable energy savings, quality LED light bulbs typically last around 15,000 hours compared to 2000 hours for halogen light bulbs.

Finding the right product

Use the following guide to help purchase appropriate lighting products:

Check the type of lamp cap type and size that you need. Take an old lamp to compare with the new LED. Various lamp cap types are shown below.
Dimmable LEDs are available. Dimmable products are marked dimmable on the packaging.
Seek your LED supplier’s recommendations, consult with your electrician and test single LED replacements to determine compatibility with existing dimmers and transformers.

Lamp cap types

B22	E27
E14	B15
MR16	GU10

Brightness

LEDs use much less energy to produce the same amount of light as traditional products.

Use the following brightness comparison guide and purchase LEDs based on lumens and not wattage.

Lumens (Sometimes abbreviated as ‘lm’) represent the amount of light produced by a lamp.

Light Output (Lumens)	LED (Watts)	Compact Fluorescent (Watts)	Halogen (Watts)	Incandescent (Watts)
120 - 150	1 - 2	4 - 5	10 - 13	15
200 - 250	3 - 4	6 - 7	18	25
400 - 500	6	8 - 12	28	40
700 - 800	7 - 10	13 - 18	42	60
900 - 1100	11 - 13	18 - 22	65 - 70	75
1300 - 1500	14 -20	23 - 30	N/A	100

Colour rendering index (CRI)

This is the ability of a light source to render the colour of an object naturally and realistically. For indoor use, choose LEDs with a CRI of at least 80.

vegetables with a color rendering index 0f 90

CRI 90

vegetables with a color rendering index 0f 80

CRI 80

vegetables with a color rendering index 0f 60

CRI 60

Colour temperature

Based on your personal preference, choose between warm white (3000K), cool white (4000K) and daylight (5000+ K).

Warm white (2700K-3000k): This is the closest colour temperature to an incandescent/halogen lamp.

Cool white and daylight (4000k/5000k+):

Can improve alertness and clarity of vision
May adversely impact sleep
Cooler colour temprature lighting can wash out warmer finishes and tones
Best for commercial, industrial and household garage applications

2700 K

3000 K

4000 K

5000 K

an industrial yard with bright white lights

6000 K

Avoid purchasing inferior lighting products

Low quality and non-compliant LEDs may be unsafe, cause TV and radio interference, not provide sufficient light, flicker when dimmed, change colour over time, fail prematurely, or not fit into an existing fitting.

Purchase products from reputable companies such as authorised distributors, authorised professional suppliers and registered professionals.
Reputable manufacturers’ and suppliers’ claims are based on rigorous testing and are reliable.
Lighting Council Australia members agree to abide by a Code of Conduct and supply products that comply with Australian standards and regulations.
Use an electrician to install all lighting and related fittings.
The majority of lighting products on the market are now required to be marked with the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM).
Lighting product suppliers and some high-risk equipment (e.g. 240V LED lamps, LED integrated downlights, LED drivers) are required to be registered. Check that your equipment supplier is registered here

The Victorian Country Fire Authority report that electrical fires were the largest cause of preventable property loss in 2017 resulting in 403 house fires. Dangerous installations involving recessed downlights have resulted in hundreds of house fires in recent years
Do not purchase unbranded products. Report unbranded products and suspected non-compliant lighting products here
Avoid direct purchase from overseas-based retailers and sellers. Electrical contractors become liable and must refuse to install any non-conforming fittings supplied by a homeowner.
Under the Australian Consumer Law every part of the supply chain (e.g. suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, electrical contractors) is responsible for product compliance and product liability if something goes wrong. Authorities can prosecute any part of the supply chain and impose costly requirements such as product recalls.
‘Fly by night’ operators may not be around to honour agreements and warranties or pick up the tab for any mess they create.
The installation of non-compliant and unsafe products can result in electric shock, fire, TV/radio/aircraft interference, prosecution and product recall.