SSL | Systems + Applications | UV | UV-C | Disinfection | Oct 16, 2020

Energy Focus Launches Advanced UV-C Disinfection Product Portfolio Offering Airborne and Surface Disinfection Solutions

Energy Focus, a leader in sustainable LED lighting and human-centric lighting ("HCL") technologies, today launches a portfolio of germicidal UV-C Disinfection ("UVCD") products, with advanced, patent-pending technologies designed to destroy 99.9+ percent* of various pathogens, including influenza and coronaviruses such as SARS and SARS-CoV-2, in the air or on surfaces to improve indoor hygiene and sanitation. Three initial products – nUVo™, abUV™, and mUVe™ -- complement each other to meet the needs of air and surface disinfection for commercial, industrial and residential indoor environments. The products are available for pre-order on the Company's e-commerce website, through its internal salesforce and distribution channel partners, and deliveries are expected to start during the first quarter of 2021.

Leveraging and integrating a broad range of rapidly advancing technologies - including LED lighting, UV lighting, electronics, software, sensors, cloud and AI - the Energy Focus UVCD solutions aim to provide impactful and affordable disinfection products for businesses and homes to effectively reduce infection risks. In addition to being ozone-free, the products are designed to guard against the risks of direct human exposure to UV-C rays. abUVTM and nUVoTM include enclosed, self-contained UV-C disinfection units that continuously inactivate viruses while reducing overall pathogen levels in the air. mUVeTM incorporates advanced sensor, machine vision and autonomous technologies to avoid human exposure during disinfection operations.

The core germicidal far ultraviolet (UV-C) lighting spectrum used in Energy Focus' new products, at 254 nanometers (nm) wavelength, has been scientifically proven to be effective for inactivating pathogens by breaking the DNA and RNA bonds in cells of certain bacteria, fungi, mold and viruses, making them incapable of duplicating. Other longer wavelength UV spectrums, such as UV-A and UV-B, are unable to directly inactivate viruses. And unlike other disinfectants that are composed of irritating and environmentally harmful chemicals, UV-C disinfection produces no harmful byproducts or environmental waste. In addition, while chemical disinfectants require extensive, expensive and unreliable manual deployment, we believe Energy Focus UVCD solutions are capable of providing affordable continuous disinfection with optimal effectiveness and safety.

Energy Focus's new UVCD products include:

abUV™ - EnFocus™ Circadian Lighting + UV-C Air Disinfection Troffer – Continuous Airborne Pathogen Disinfection

With a built-in fan that draws, disinfects and circulates the air in the room at approximately 2 air changes per hour (ACH) in a 200 square foot space, the abUV™ troffer system provides facilities with continuous air disinfection designed for 99.9%+ effectiveness against various pathogens, including influenza and coronaviruses such as SARS, in addition to the highest quality LED lighting - flicker-free, dimming and color tunable. In addition, abUVTM leverages Energy Focus' patent-pending, award-winning EnFocusTM lighting control platform that enables simple replacement of existing fluorescent or LED fixtures and wall switches without the need of costly network cabling or system integration. We believe all of these benefits are delivered at significantly lower costs and through faster and simpler implementation than traditional integrated UV lighting fixtures. We expect abUV™ to be the ultimate integrated lighting and air disinfection system for current and post-pandemic public spaces, such as hospitals, schools, universities, offices, retail stores or public assemblies where 2x2 and 2x4 fluorescent or LED fixtures are the predominant form factor for lighting.

nUVo™ - Portable UV-C Air Disinfection Tower for Homes and Offices – Continuous 24-Hour Airborne Pathogen Disinfection

The patent-pending nUVo™ portable UV-C air disinfection device provides powerful, continuous air circulation and disinfection and is designed for 99.9%+ effectiveness on various pathogens including influenza and coronaviruses, as well as easy transport within and between rooms. Most air purifiers currently in the market target specific breathing or allergy issues, requiring frequent filter changes and lack sufficient UV-C or air circulation power. With an enclosed UV-C chamber shielded from direct human exposure, nUVoTM can achieve 4 air changes per hour (4 ACH) in a 200-square-foot room. nUVoTM also does not need filter changes, and the easily replaceable UV-C lighting module lasts over 10,000 hours (or over 2 years if used 12 hours per day on average). Priced for affordability and designed with aesthetic prominence, we believe this highly effective UV-C air disinfection product will help both small offices and homes disinfect the air and reduce risks from common infectious pathogens.

mUVe™ - UV-C Surface Disinfection Robot

The patent-pending mUVe™ is an autonomous surface disinfection robot designed for chemical-free disinfection with 99.99%+ effectiveness against pathogens such as influenza and coronaviruses that are within the range of 1 meter (or 3.3 feet) of the unit. Moving at a speed of 18 inches per second and with the ability to cover approximately 10,000 square feet of space per hour, the robot is capable of reducing pathogens on surfaces - walls, furniture, equipment, etc. - in its line of sight with a concentrated beam of UV-C light directed by a proprietary parabolic reflector, as well as on floors disinfected by another UV-C lamp on the bottom of the robot. Like other Energy Focus UVCD products, by incorporating innovative designs and cutting-edge robotics technologies with the mission for massive and rapid adoption, we believe mUVeTM will be able to provide these benefits at a significantly lower cost of ownership than the prevailing UV robotic offerings in the market today.

James Tu, Chairman and CEO of Energy Focus said, "We are extremely pleased and proud to launch this groundbreaking portfolio of UV-C disinfection products as a comprehensive solution to help elevate hygiene and sanitation levels of buildings and homes. As the world faces the near universal presence of coronavirus today and recognizes the clear risks of other pathogens and pandemics in the future, indoor environmental safety has become an unprecedented priority and will outlive the current pandemic. We believe that these latest UVCD products - as part of our Human-Centric Lighting portfolio - can provide powerful, affordable and immediate solutions to help people return to common spaces for optimal social interactions and economic activities."

"The benefits of HCL, which aims to bring positive impacts to human health and wellbeing, range from improving productivity at work and the quality of sleep, to the hygiene of our spaces and the quality of the air that we breathe. This UVCD product portfolio perfectly aligns with our mission to enlighten and inspire for better living, and expands the "triple bottom line" benefits that we offer our customers - human health, environmental sustainability, and financial impacts - through advanced lighting technologies. In addition, as the awareness of air and surface disinfection turns permanent and the demand for UVCD expands from hospital operating rooms to everyday lives, Energy Focus' leading, long-term track record in quality, performance and safety, substantiated by our installations in mission critical facilities ranging from the US Navy and National Institute of Health to many other leading healthcare, education and commercial organizations, brings the quality and credibility necessary for quicker and wider adoption of UVCD products worldwide," continued Mr. Tu.

"We are equally proud of and grateful for the ingenious, diligent and collaborative work from our engineering and product development teams as well as our global technology and supply chain partners. Members of our whole product development ecosystem were able to pivot and crosspollinate seamlessly and tirelessly during the pandemic to invent, design, prototype and complete the development of these impactful products in an extremely timely manner. Now we look forward to rapidly and vastly expanding the reach of these UVCD solutions through our growing list of channel partners to meet the heightened and urgent disinfection needs of building owners and operators, as well as residential consumers."

These products, which are now available for pre-order on /uvcd.energyfocus.com/ are expected to start deliveries in first quarter 2021 and shipments will be based on the timing and queue of the pre-orders. More information, including spec sheets for each of the products, is available at the above link.

Energy Focus HCL Webinar:

Energy Focus will be hosting an HCL webinar on Wednesday, October 14 at 1:00 PM ET during which the company's UVCD product portfolio will be discussed, amongst other HCL topics. Register here for "How to Make a Safer and Healthier Environment through Human-Centric Lighting."

The webinar will be recorded and will be available at the investors section of Energy Focus' website, investors.energyfocus.com/events/

*Energy Focus's UVCD utilizes UV-C light source with 254 nm wavelength that has proven to be effective in inactivating viruses such as coronavirus under certain conditions. Specifications are subject to change and final products are subject to third party verification by independent labs. The Energy Focus nUVo™, abUV™ and mUVe™ UVCD solutions are not intended to be used as medical devices and are not registered as medical devices under any applicable laws.

About Energy Focus:

Energy Focus is an industry-leading innovator of sustainable LED lighting and lighting control technologies. As the creator of the first flicker-free LED products on the U.S. market, Energy Focus products provide extensive energy and maintenance savings, as well as aesthetics, safety, health, and sustainability benefits over conventional lighting. Our patent-pending EnFocus™ lighting control platform enables existing and new buildings to provide quality, convenient and affordable dimmable and color tunable Human-Centric Lighting (HCL). Our customers include U.S. and foreign navies, U.S. federal, state and local governments, healthcare, and educational institutions, as well as Fortune 500 companies.
Since 2007, Energy Focus has installed approximately 900,000 lighting products across the U.S. Navy fleet, including TLEDs, waterline security lights, explosion-proof globes, and berth lights, saving more than five million gallons of fuel and 300,000 man-hours in lighting maintenance annually. Energy Focus is headquartered in Solon, Ohio. - www.energyfocus.com 

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