Enhanced Capital Allowance
Enhanced Capital Allowance
THE BELOW TEXT IS FROM THE OFFICIAL ECA SCHEME FOR THE ENERGY EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY CRITERIA LIST - VALID AS OF 26/02/2019
Efficient White Lighting Units are a combination of a light fitting (or luminaire), one or more light sources, and associated control gear that have been assembled either into a single packaged unit or a luminaire with remote control gear. Neither light fitting, light sources nor control gear alone can be said to ‘comply with the ETL’.
Efficient White Lighting Units may also incorporate lighting control devices such as dimming and 'presence' controls. The luminaire could also include an optical system that reflects and/or focuses the product’s light output onto the item(s) being illuminated. An Efficient White Lighting Unit may be equipped with any high efficiency light source, such that it meets the eligibility criteria set down in this document.
Efficient White Lighting Units have been included in the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme because they offer substantial energy and carbon savings. A wide variety of products are available with a range of performance levels. The ECA scheme aims to encourage the purchase of higher efficiency products that meet certain minimum quality, design and performance standards.
The ECA Scheme covers the following categories:
Amenity Lighting
Amenity lighting is decorative lighting intended to enhance the appearance of a building or outdoor area in order to promote the activities of a business. It can include ‘mood’ lighting of hotels, bars and restaurants and other leisure activities; and decorative lighting for public areas of buildings and parts of buildings or the surrounding grounds (where such lighting is necessary to the enhancement of the business function). It does not include lighting to provide general illumination or circulation, or building lighting that would be present regardless of the type of business being carried out.
Display Lighting
Display lighting comprises lighting intended to highlight displays of exhibits, merchandise and other associated uses. It includes for instance spot or projector lighting in shops, theatres, galleries and studios.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting comprises lighting that is intended to provide additional light over a specific small area in order to carry out or promote the activities of a business. This may include lighting required for a particular task (e.g. medical or dental examination, supplementary lighting for fine machining work or critical inspection work). It does not cover general lighting for an entire room or a large part of a room.
General Interior Lighting
General interior lighting covers all other interior lighting.
Exterior Lighting Units
Exterior area lighting covers all exterior lighting which is intended to
provide downward light onto horizontal or near horizontal surfaces,
including roadways, car parks, paths, stairs, ramps, gardens and other
open spaces. This includes illuminated bollards and post-top lanterns.
Floodlight Units
Exterior floodlighting covers exterior lighting that is intended to light
vertical or near vertical surfaces, including floodlighting of buildings,
monuments and statues..
Performance requirements
Eligible efficient white lighting units shall:
- Have a luminaire efficacy (i.e. lighting efficiency) that is greater than, or equal to, the thresholds set out in the table below, when tested after 100 hours of continuous operation.
- Have a power factor that is greater than, or equal to, 0.9 at its highest light output level.
- Be able to provide a light output (in lumens) after 6000 hours of continuous operation that is not less than 90% of their initial light output (in lumens).
In addition:
- General lighting units installed indoors shall comply with the glare and angular exclusion zone recommendations in paragraph 94 of HSG 38
(1997), “Lighting at work” (ISBN: 9780717612321). - With the exception of combined emergency lighting, individual control gear shall have a standby power not exceeding 0.5 Watts when the lighting unit incorporates an electronically addressed dimming or switching circuit. If the product is not fitted with an automatic switching or dimming circuit, the product shall not consume power when it is switched off.
- White LED, Fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps in all categories, and all light sources used in amenity, accent and display lighting fittings shall have a colour rendering index that is at least Ra 80. All other light sources shall have a colour rendering index of at least Ra 40.
- If the product incorporates dimming control it shall be tested at its highest light output level.
- Amenity, accent and display lighting units to be installed indoors shall have a minimum light output of at least 100 lumens after 100 hours of continuous operation. All other fittings shall have a minimum light output of at least 200 lumens after 100 hours of continuous operation.
