Accelerated Cycling, Thermal, and Voltage (ACTV) Stress Test
for Residential Light Fixtures
Goals: During the review process of the ENERGY STAR Residential Light Fixture Specification (Version 4.0), it was suggested to the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) that an accelerated cycling, thermal, and voltage (ACTV) stress test for ballasts used in residential light fixtures be developed to help identify products that may not perform well.
Rationale for requiring the ACTV stress test: Based on the version 4.0 of the ENERGY STAR Residential Light Fixture specification, only light fixtures with electronic ballasts will be qualified for the program. Electronic ballasts are more sensitive to damage from heat and from supply voltage spikes and other transients, although filters, protection circuits, design and component selection can reduce or eliminate the problem. Moreover, manufacturers already perform tests similar to the ACTV stress test on a random sample of their products coming out of the production line. The ACTV stress test is simply a way to reveal inadequate circuit designs, manufacturing problems, or defective materials or components.
Tasks: The US EPA and the LRC held one round table in May 2005 and one follow up conference call in March 2006 with round table participants to discuss the project. The LRC has completed testing Phase 3 for integral and modular GU24 products. The final report (see below), which includes the results from Phase 1, 2 and 3, was sent to the roundtable participants in September 2007.
