Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology), in cooperation with national associations for standardization have taken the lead in developing the first two standards for solid-state light in the United States of America. This new technology, which as we know, uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of incandescent filaments or fluorescent tubes with powder to produce light, can significantly reduce electricity consumption.

The standards are important to assure consumers that the products have high quality and their performance is specified in a uniform manner so that we have to acquire the certainty of what we're selling. These standards, the two most recent published in June 2008 - detailing the specification of color LEDs and luminaires with LEDs and measurement methods that manufacturers must use to check the light output, energy consumption and chromaticity and the color quality of light.

It is expected that the solid state light reduces the amount of energy required for general lighting, including residential applications, commercial and external streets. "Lighting" explains Yoshi Ohno of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, uses 22% of the electricity and 8% of total energy consumed in the U.S., so the savings in lighting will have a strong impact " .

LEDs are starting to have the dual goal of efficiency that a fluorescent lamp and ten times longer than an incandescent lamp, although this technology is in its early stages. These are some of the expectations that Ohno order for the working groups discussing standardization. Additionally, if the LEDs are working properly can produce better color rendering index (CRI, as the objects are coated with some light-) that the fluorescent light and achieve the performance of incandescent.

NIST is working with the Department of Energy of the United States (DOE) to support its goal to collaborate in the development and introduction of LEDs to reduce electricity consumption by half by 2025. The department predicts that the gradual shift of LEDs over the next 25 years can save only in the United States more than $ 280 billion dollars.

The IESN (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America) document standard LM-79, which describes the methods to be used to test products in the following categories Leds; luminous flux (lumens), energy efficiency (lumens per wat) and chromaticity. Details include the environmental conditions for testing, as stabilize and operate the LEDs to be tested as well as methods for taking measurements and types of instruments to be used.

"We need more standards, these are the foundation for standardization in the solid state lighting" said Ohno. These standards are already available in the IESN.

Leds lights are being considered for general lighting, but the white light that is used today has a great variety of colors or types of white. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) published the standard C78.377-2008, which recommended specific values for Leds using cold colors and / or hot with several correlated color temperatures. This standard can be downloaded from the site in ANSI http://www.nema.org/stds/ANSI-ANSLG-C78-377.cfm

DOE is launching the Energy Star program for lighting products in solid form in the autumn of this year. NIST scientists attended DOE by providing research, technical details and comments for the approval of The Energy Star certification assures consumers that these products will be high indeed warm and serve as an incentive for manufacturers to offer products   energy-saving certificates to consumers.

The community dedicated to the manufacture of solid state light continues to develop standards for measuring the lifetime of LEDs, and playing them either individually or in arrays. NIST scientists are taking active roles in the continuity of these efforts.