The European Union (EU) is proposing a new set of regulations governing lighting which, if passed, would dramatically affect the equipment used for entertainment purposes (including tungsten, arc and LED fixtures). The new regulations are intended to start from 1 September 2020 and would heavily impact those working in this field such as lighting creators, lighting users and lighting manufacturers. As a result, the ALD has launched the Save Stage Lighting campaign – which White Light is fully supporting.
For years, the EU has been working to introduce “Ecodesign” regulations aimed at forcing manufacturers to reduce the power consumed by their products, ideally by making them more energy efficient. There isn’t one set of “Ecodesign” rules; rather there is an overall objective to increase efficiency/reduce power consumption alongside individual regulations covering different categories of products. The current regulation enforces particular energy efficiency standards on a whole range of lighting equipment. Up until now, these regulations have not really affected entertainment lighting because it includes a specific exemption: article 2 section 4(b) ii, “lighting applications where the spectral distribution of the light is adjusted to the specific needs of particular technical equipment in addition to making the scene or object visible for humans (such as studio lighting, show effect lighting, theatre lighting)”.
Regarding the proposed new regulations, those cited by the EU include continued reductions in power consumption, reduced mercury content/ emission and improvements in the quality of LED light. It also includes a clause requesting that manufacturers shall not make products that change the way they operate under test conditions to circumvent the regulations. Also introduced is a simplified way of identifying the efficiency of products with the current Energy Efficiency Index being replaced with a simpler-to-calculate value: lumens per watt (lm/W), calculated by dividing the total light output in lumens by the power input at 230V in watts. To be clear: products that do not meet a standard of 85 lm/W (in addition to the other requirements, and unless specifically exempted) will not be allowed to be supplied in the EU. Completely absent from the proposed new regulations are all of the clauses exempting “studio lighting, show effect lighting, theatre lighting” that are found in the current regulations.
As it stands, those that don’t meet the new standard include the majority of lighting sources currently used in entertainment lighting. Alongside tungsten sources, favoured products such as the ETC Source Four LED Lustr2, the Martin MAC Viper Performance and the Encore Performance CLD all fail to meet the proposed efficiency requirements. In short, almost all of the fixtures and/or light bulbs used for entertainment lighting will fail to meet the regulations so will no longer be permitted. The EU’s argument that, without demanding manufacturers make better products, manufacturers have no incentive to make better products, is plausible. However, certain manufacturers have pointed out that, for the majority of most entertainment lighting products, there is no possibility of meeting the new requirements by 2020.
Similarly, despite leaving the EU, the UK is still likely to follow EU standards and verification procedures after Brexit in order to enable a soft border agreement with Northern Ireland and at the channel ports. On a more practical level, the UK is a relatively small market compared to the EU as a whole and it is unlikely manufacturers will make “special case” UK versions; not to mention many lighting practitioners work across Europe and would still find themselves affected by these regulations.
This is why WL is supporting the ALD’s objective to have the EU recognise the “special case” for entertainment lighting with an exemption from the regulations for the equipment used, because of the demands placed on it and the particular way in which it is used. This is a very serious and real threat that will have ramifications throughout the industry. The ALD is running a petition calling for the EU to include an exemption for stage lighting, which you can find and sign here. Those interested are also encourage to make their MP and MEP aware of the problem and, ideally, campaign for an exemption. You can find your MEP here.