A 2018 DOE study entitled "An Investigation into high-achieving LED luminaires" evaluated the performance of several light-emitting diode (LED) lighting products with claimed efficacies near or exceeding 200 lumens per Watt (lm/W). The purpose of the study was to validate the claimed efficacy, determine the features or characteristics the products had in common, and identify any performance tradeoffs in luminaires reaching this very high efficacy level. All of the products studied were industrial luminaires with correlated color temperatures (CCTs) of 5000K, and all but one had exposed LED emitters. The results of photometric testing of the samples were compared with the manufacturer-claimed values. Additionally, samples were tested for horizontal illuminance, flicker, and maximum luminance, and were also evaluated by 23 knowledgeable observers.
On October 25th Naomi Miller with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory examined key findings from the study in a webinar that looks at tradeoffs between efficacy, lumen output, light distribution, color temperature, and visual comfort.