The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recently published a report detailing a new method for evaluating light source color rendition, IES TM-30-15. The U.S. Department of Energy DOE is hosting a webinar on September 15th that covers IES TM-30-15.
The IES points out that no single metric or measure can accurately quantify all aspects of color rendition and identify the most desirable light source for every application. However, IES asserts all aspects of color rendition such as color discrimination, color fidelity, and color preference should be simultaneously considered during the design and specification process.
According to IES, the TM-30-15 method objectively quantifies the gamut (increase or decrease in chroma) and the fidelity (closeness to a reference) of a light source. The method also produces a color vector graphic that indicates shifts in chroma and average hue which helps interpret the values of Rf and Rg.
TM-30-15 includes equations and direction for calculating Rf and Rg. The equations include the spectral reflectance functions for the 99 CES. A software tool accompanies the report on the TM-30-15 method to aid in calculating and displaying the results.
IES says that representatives of the manufacturing, specification, and research segments of the lighting industry developed the IES TM-30-15 color rendition method that consolidates and synthesizes years of numerous ongoing research efforts. The report is available for purchase from the IES website.
The U.S. Department of Energy is hosting a webinar titled, “Understanding and Applying TM-30-15, the IES Method for Evaluating Light Source Color Rendition.” The DOE webinar will cover the basics of the new method in a 60-minute presentation followed by a live Q & A session on 15 September, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm EDT. It will also discuss the development process and the ongoing steps toward its widespread adoption.
The presentation will outline the hierarchy of individual measures and graphics that are available to describe and quantify a light source’s color rendition with various degrees of specificity. The webinar will also provide examples of how various users can apply these measures. The presenters will demonstrate the Excel tools that will accompany the document.
