Base Fees
Products undergoing a Market Entry Test are charged the Market Entry Test Base Fee. Products undergoing a renewal or retest are charged the Renewal/Re-Test Base Fee. These base fees are charged per agreement, meaning that an agreement in which multiple products are included is charged a single base fee.
Sampling (per event, could vary by location)
Samples required for testing are selected by a party appointed by CLASP following the procedure laid out in the Product Sampling Policy. The cost per sampling event is $500. Therefore, if multiple sampling events are scheduled to take place under one agreement, each sampling event is charged accordingly. Additional sampling events for products to be tested that are scheduled outside the drafting of the original testing agreement are not charged a base fee and instead are only charged for sampling and invoicing.
Additional Fees
Additional fees are charged according to the product(s) to be tested. The application of these fees is dependent on the engineering and design of each product and/or component to be tested. Renewal tests for which the product has not changed since its last QTM testing shall be exempt from the following additional fees: per unique additional component without a battery, per unique additional component with a battery, and per non-plug-and-play product. Partial retests of a product shall be exempt from the following additional fees: per Pico product, per SHS kit, and per new or revised product family. A partial retest is a test undertaken to address a specific testing failure to allow a product to qualify for Lighting Global support. Retesting required due to changes not made in response to a testing failure will be subject to relevant additional fees as defined below.
Additional Fees Per Pico Product
Pico products are defined as those with PV modules 10 W or less. This additional fee is applied to the number of individual pico products to be tested within a testing agreement. The testing of a pico product includes the testing of one main unit, one PV module, and one unique type of light point. A type of light point is one for which multiple identical components can exist in a single product, and for which the design and engineering is the same across these components. Additional differently designed main units, PV modules, and loads (either with or without batteries) undergoing testing will be charged additional fees as defined below.
Additional Fees per Solar Home System (SHS) Kit
SHS kits are defined as those with a PV module of greater than 10 W. This additional fee, charged per SHS kit to be tested under a single testing agreement, includes the testing of one main unit, one PV module, and one unique type of light point. A type of light point is one for which multiple identical components can exist in a single kit, and for which the design and engineering is the same across these components. Additional differently designed main units, PV modules, and loads (either with or without batteries) undergoing testing will be charged additional fees as defined below.
Additional Fees per Unique Additional Component
A unique additional component without a battery is an appliance (e.g., TV) that does not contain a battery, an additional light point that does not contain a battery, or an additional PV module beyond the main unit, PV module, and single unique light point that are covered by the above product fees for pico products and SHS kits. Similarly, a unique additional component with a battery is an additional appliance (e.g., radio) that contains a battery, an additional light point that contains a battery (e.g., torch), or additional main unit. That is, products or families that include more than one main unit, one PV module, or one type of light point or load shall be charged this fee for each additional component whose design varies from the originally included components.
If a product has a Pay As You Go (PAYG) and non-PAYG version that require additional testing, one shall be treated as an additional component to the original product. Information about PAYG testing is available in the Quality Assurance for Pay As You Go (PAYG) Energy Systems Policy on the Lighting Global website.
Additional Fees per New or Revised Product Family
This fee applies when a new product family is created or an existing product family is modified. More information about product families is available in the Framework for Testing Component Families policy on the Lighting Global website.
Additional Fees per Non-Plug-and-Play Product
Non-plug-and-play products are those that require tools to make connections at the time of installation. Details on the requirements for this type of system can be found in the Non-Plug-and-Play Terminals policy on the Lighting Global website.
Benchmarking Analysis
This fee covers the cost of performing a benchmarking analysis of a product’s performance when compared to other products tested by the Lighting Global program within the last year. Benchmarking plots and analysis is included in the cover letter sent when product testing is complete.
Research Requests
This fee covers requests for research and documentation based on data collected by Lighting Global. This includes, but is not limited to, research and documentation of a product’s testing history to be included in the Type Approval/Verification Letter for the product.
Accelerated Verification Method (AVM)
Accelerated Verification Testing is an optional alternative quality verification pathway that is designed to be faster than the standard Quality Test Method. The type of product and number of components determines the fee. Eligibility is based on a strong history of success with the Lighting Global Quality Assurance Program. Information about AVM testing is available in the Accelerated Verification Method Policy on the Lighting Global website.
Initial Screening Method (ISM) Report Review and Evaluation
The Initial Screening Method (ISM) is an optional, abbreviated test method that can offer key feedback to the company and indicate whether a product is likely to meet Quality Standards. This fee includes test report review and a cover letter evaluating the results of the test report. For a product to meet Lighting Global Quality Standards and receive Lighting Global Program support, it must undergo the more rigorous QTM testing.
Co-Branding
The cobranding fee covers the evaluation of consumer-facing materials for the co-branded product, as well as the generation of a Standardized Specification Sheet and Verification Letter and the product’s presence on the Lighting Global website. Information about co-branding requirements is available in the Co-Branding Policy on the Lighting Global website.
Daily Energy Service Recalculation
This fee is assessed when a quality-verified product is modified in such a way that additional testing is not required, yet the Daily Energy Service value—a key element of system performance—needs to be recalculated because of changes to the product or its advertising.
Penalties
This fee covers the cost of additional inspections required if an issue identified during testing was not corrected by the manufacturer. Information about conditional passes is available in the Conditional Pass Policy on the Lighting Global website.