Electricity consumption in households differs immensely throughout the world and even within industrialized countries. An average European household consumes 4,667 kWh, whereas a household in the US consumes 11,209 kWh and in Japan 5,945kWh per year.  A US household uses three times more electricity for lighting than a household in the European Union. This does not necessarily reflect a difference in comfort. There is high efficiency lighting fixtures that consume two to 10 times less electricity to perform the same function, and that are of higher quality.


UC products are RoHS approved. The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment commonly referred to as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive or RoHS). This directive restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. It is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) which sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods and is part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of toxic e-waste. In speech, RoHS is often spelled out, or pronounced.


RoHS is often referred to as the lead-free directive which restricts the use of the following six substances:

1. Lead (Pb)
2. Mercury (Hg)
3. Cadmium (Cd)
4. Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)
5. Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
6. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)

PBB and PBDE are flame retardants used in several plastics.