GATEWAY Report on OLEDs in an Office Space

DOE's GATEWAY program was invited to evaluate the new lighting system for the offices of a Rochester, NY, accounting firm, DeJoy, Knauf & Blood, LLP. One of the firm’s founding partners, David DeJoy, is also co-founder and CEO of OLEDWorks, the only U.S.-based OLED manufacturer. The large number of different OLED and LED luminaires used in these offices makes the installation unique and well worth studying.

A report on the project has just been published and is available online. Among the key findings:

• The OLED panels are almost all driven by dedicated OLED drivers, and two of the luminaire types incorporate OLED panels with integral drivers, eliminating the bulk of a remote driver.
• The OLED luminaires are dimmable in almost all areas and exhibit virtually no flicker that would exceed the guidelines of the IEEE Standard P1789-2015 in either maximum or minimum output range of the dimmer.
• In nine months of operation, there have been no OLED panel or driver failures.
• While the efficacies of the OLED luminaires (21--58 lm/W) are well below those of the LED products (80--90 lm/W), projected efficacy for the next generation of OLED panels is 80--90 lm/W.
• The exposed OLED panels deliver soft, minimal-shadow lighting that makes faces and expressions visible and increases room brightness by delivering light to vertical surfaces. At the panel luminances used, this is achieved without employees reporting glare.
• Feedback from employees indicates they find the lighting system functional and enjoyable.

For a closer look at the findings, download the full report.