Mexico Releases Outdoor LED Mandatory Standard

On December 18, Mexico’s Ministry of Energy issued a mandatory standard NOM-031-ENER-2012 “Specifications and Test Methods for Energy Efficiency of LED Lighting Used in Roads, Highways, and Outdoor Public Areas” in the Official Gazette, and in 2013, 5 Effective on the 5th of the month, all LED lighting products covered by this standard must be tested according to this standard when entering the Mexican market.

This standard makes detailed requirements for the minimum energy efficiency requirements, classification, test procedures, labels, and market supervision of LED lamps for outdoor use. In terms of minimum light efficiency requirements, the minimum light efficiency requirement for road lighting LED lamps is 70lm/W, the minimum light efficiency requirement for outdoor use LED wall lights is 52lm/W, and the minimum light efficiency requirement for outdoor use LED floodlights is 70lm/W. W. On luminous flux markings, the total luminous flux measurement of all outdoor luminaires shall not be less than 90% of the standard value on the product label. The standard also imposes requirements on power factor and harmonic distortion, requiring that all outdoor LED lamps have a power factor of not less than 0.9 and a total harmonic distortion of no more than 20%.

Mexico's standards are divided into NOM standards and NMX standards. The NOM standard is a mandatory standard issued by the Mexican government agency and is formulated by the Mexican Standardization Committee. Both the draft and the official text must be announced in the Mexican official gazette. The NMX standard is a non-mandatory standard that is issued by a Mexican-authorized standard authoring agency. It becomes a mandatory standard only when the NMX standard becomes a reference to the NOM standard or is referenced by relevant regulations. The Ministry of Energy issued the National Energy Efficiency Standards of Mexico through the National Energy Conservation Committee. The Mexican National Energy Saving Standards Advisory Committee is responsible for the formulation and implementation of Mexico's energy efficiency national standards and supervising the implementation of standards.

To this end, the inspection and quarantine department reminded outdoor LED lighting production companies: First, familiar with the mandatory standards. This standard covers a wide range of LED product requirements and it is important to ensure that the product meets all specifications. The second is to strictly control product quality. Since all technical indicators of the standard are high, it is necessary to work hard in all aspects, especially for the lowest light efficiency index, it must reach its energy efficiency requirements. The third is to identify the product mark appropriately. When marking the luminous flux and life, it must be based on the actual product, and must not be blindly identified. It must be prevented from over-identifying and failing to meet the requirements. The fourth is to pay close attention to the development of industries in other countries and establish channels and mechanisms for obtaining foreign standards and technical trade measures. Lighting energy efficiency will be a long-term topic that will “get more and more strict”.