Interpreting the lighting of the new national standard GB 30255-2026 The green revolution of a lamp is about you and me

Downlights in daily homes, light tubes in offices, high-ceiling lights in shopping malls, and smart dimming LED lights that can be seen everywhere. These lighting products that accompany us in our daily life are about to face a big test of energy efficiency.

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Standardization Administration Committee issued GB 30255-2026 "Energy Efficiency Limit Values and Energy Efficiency Levels of LED Products for Indoor Lighting", which will be enforced on September 1, 2027 and fully replace the 2019 version of the old standard.

Hongli Zhihui is one of the participating units of this standard

01

What is the new national standard? A lamp's "Energy Efficiency ID Card"

To emphasize the point, GB 30255-2026 is the mandatory energy efficiency scale for indoor LED lighting. It defines energy efficiency thresholds for various types of LED lamps. It is divided into three levels: Level 1 (highest), Level 2, and Level 3 (market access). The higher the level, the more energy-saving and better the quality.

The old version of the 2019 standard only covers ordinary downlights and some directional LED lights, and also excludes dimming and color-adjusting products with additional functions. The new version has been fully upgraded, with the core being scope expansion, higher thresholds, smart compliance, and quality upgrades. It has been upgraded from "controlling basic lighting fixtures" to "controlling the vast majority of conventional indoor civilian and commercial LED fixtures", and from "only looking at brightness" to "double compliance with energy saving and health standards."

02

Four core changes, understand the "strictness" and "warmth" of the new national standard

1. "Big expansion" of coverage, mainstream indoor lighting fixtures are included in compliance supervision

① New categories: LED high ceiling lights (for factories/warehouses), replacement double-ended LED tubes (commonly used in offices);

② Downlight expansion: the beam angle threshold is lowered from >60° to ≥24°, and small-angle spotlights are also included in the management;

③ Smart lights are included in the regulations: dimming, color adjustment, and WiFi/Bluetooth smart lights are compulsorily covered for the first time.

2. The energy efficiency threshold has "risen significantly" and inefficient products are gradually withdrawing from the market.

Energy efficiency indicators have been tightened across the board, and level 3 (access) luminous efficacy has generally been raised by 10-20 lm/W. A large number of low-efficiency, low-quality lamps will be unable to meet the entry threshold and will gradually withdraw from the market. For example: ≤12W, cool white light (≥3500K) downlights, the old version is allowed to be about 45 lm/W, and the new version is raised to 55 lm/W.

3. Added "hard limits" on standby energy consumption to manage invisible power consumption

The old version has no standby requirements, and many smart lights consume power when plugged in. New version mandatory: lamps with intelligent control function, standby power ≤2.5W.

4. Light quality and energy efficiency are "smartly balanced", without sacrificing health for energy saving

① Color rendering upgrade: Products with high color rendering (such as Ra≥90 LED downlights, Ra≥80 LED high ceiling lights) can enjoy an energy efficiency correction coefficient (light efficiency requirements are appropriately relaxed by 10lm/W), encouraging "energy saving and eye protection";

② Simplified assessment: The new standard optimizes the assessment dimensions and focuses on the three cores of initial light efficiency, color rendering, and standby. Enterprises reduce costs and users benefit.

03

Impact on the entire chain: consumption upgrades, environmental protection benefits

1. Consumers: Buying lights is more worry-free and healthier

According to the new standards to be implemented in 2027, energy efficiency levels will replace "just looking at wattage" as the core indicator for purchasing LED lights; when purchasing smart lights, you must also look for "low standby" designs to avoid unknowing accumulation of standby power consumption. In terms of health, light with a high color rendering index (Ra≥90) is closer to natural light, which can effectively protect eyes and relieve visual fatigue. It is especially suitable for children's rooms and study rooms. At the same time, the anti-glare design reduces glare and glare, making home office more comfortable.

2. Industry and Society: Green Transformation, Helping Dual Carbon

At the industry level, the increasing efforts to eliminate low-tech and high-energy-consuming production capacity have prompted the entire LED lighting industry to shift from a "price war" to a "value war" and move towards high-quality development. From the perspective of social benefits, the use of energy-efficient lighting products will correspondingly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and strongly support the realization of the "double carbon" goal. At the same time, domestic energy efficiency standards actively benchmark against advanced levels in the European Union, North America and other countries, further enhancing the international competitiveness of China's LED products.

04

A lamp of green light illuminates low-carbon life

GB 30255-2026 is not a "threshold", but a "ladder" for high-quality development of the industry, and also a "protective umbrella" for public health lighting. As one of the participating units of the national standard GB 30255-2026 "Energy Efficiency Limit Values and Energy Efficiency Levels of LED Products for Indoor Lighting", Hongli Zhihui is deeply involved in the formulation of the standard and contributes to the standardization and upgrading of the industry with its years of accumulation of lighting LED packaging technology.

In the future, choosing a lamp will no longer only depend on brightness. Energy efficiency level, color rendering index, and standby power will also be the core criteria for measuring a good lamp. Let us look forward to this green lighting revolution and light up a lower-carbon, healthier life.