While you may find many products on the internet with listing marks of RoHS and CE all marks are not created equal. ALL Champion Light Bulbs stand by the highest American Standards of independent UL Certification and many are qualified as DLC Certified for optimal energy efficiency as well.

UL vs Non-UL Listed Bulbs

You may have searched the internet and found many non-UL listed bulbs yet only find listed bulbs in retail stores. This is not a coincidence. There is a good reason why these bulbs are a lot cheaper and not on retail shelves.

While there are many people selling non listed bulbs in the United States on the internet, these bulbs do not qualify to be placed in retail stores and pose an independent risk when personally installed in your home or office as the majority of insurance coverage would not cover a loss caused by a bulb that is not certified. The reason is the manufacturing techniques, quality of materials used, and final products are below American Standards. Due to the cheap quality and nature of the components, these products are much more likely to malfunction and are a greater electrical catastrophe risk.

UL (Underwriters Laboratory) and ETL (Intertek) Certified Marks signify that for the United States a product has been independently tested by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and meets the standards of ANSI (American National Standards Institute)and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Not only has this product met the requirements of widely accepted safety standards, the company has also agreed to periodic follow-up inspections to verify continued compliance. Only products that have met this compliance are allowed and accepted by retailers and distributors to be sold and installed in commercial and residential applications.

All other bulbs being sold on the internet would be considered a gray market product which is installed at your own risk.

DLC Qualified 

Design Lights Consortium (DLC) takes the certification to the next level. While UL attests to the quality materials and construction of a product, DLC certifies optimal energy efficiency of a product. A company can manufacture a quality sound product but it may operate at low energy efficiency. When a product is listed and qualifies for DLC, it is independently verified that this product is not only of quality construction but also operates at the highest standards of energy efficiency.

Other Listed Markings

You will find other listed marks on light bulbs being sold on the internet. Marks are not created equal and are designed with specific designations. Don’t be fooled, UL can only be UL and DLC can only be DLC. All other marks represent other designations.

RoHS

(Restriction of Hazardous Substances) or contains no hazardous materials but has nothing to do with the quality construction or energy efficiency of the product. This designation is not an American Certification but rather a European one. It is also known as Directive 2002/95/EC which originated in the European Union and restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. Lead (Pb): < 1000 ppm Mercury (Hg): < 100 ppm, Cadmium (Cd): < 100 ppm, Hexavalent Chromium: (Cr VI) < 1000 ppm, Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB): < 1000 ppm, Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE): < 1000 ppm, Bis(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP): < 1000 ppm, Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP): < 1000 ppm, Dibutyl phthalate (DBP): < 1000 ppm, Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP): < 1000 ppm. All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. RoHS impacts the entire electronics industry and many electrical products as well.

CE – The letters are the abbreviation of French phrase “Conformité Européene” which literally means “European Conformity”. The CE Marking on a product is a manufacturer’s declaration that the product complies with the essential requirements of the relevant European health, safety and environmental protection legislation, in practice by many of the so-called Product Directives (Product Directives contains the “essential requirements” and/or “performance levels” and “Harmonized Standards” to which the products must conform). The CE Marking on a product also indicates to governmental officials in Europe that the product may be legally placed on the market in their country, ensures the free movement of the product within the EFTA & European Union (EU) single market (total 28 countries), and permits the withdrawal of the non-conforming products by customs and enforcement/vigilance authorities.

There are a lot of cheap light bulb options on the internet. CHOOSE TO BE A CHAMPION CHOOSE THE BEST. ”