Whether you’re seeking the right lighting solution for a public park, a small office, a large warehouse or virtually any other commercial lighting project, there are many product features to consider and finding the right ones can seem confusing and time consuming. To streamline the process of narrowing and choosing appropriate options, the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) maintains four Qualified Products Lists (QPL): Solid-State Lighting (SSL), LUNA (light pollution mitigating SSL products), Networked Lighting Controls (NLC), and Horticultural Lighting. Data available on listed lighting products includes identifying information such as the model number, manufacturer, and brand; the product category including its primary use; lighting control features; and photometric and electrical performance data. Those unfamiliar with the QPLs – and even regular users - might benefit from some pointers on what else the QPLs offer and how to locate and select their product preferences. The brief quiz below and linked resources that follow can help.
Q1: Which types of performance data are included in the SSL, LUNA and Hort QPLs?
a) Probable performance
b) Tested performance
c) Reported performance
d) Probable and Tested performance
e) Tested and Reported performance
f) All the above
Q2: What features of lighting controls can you search for on the QPLs?
a) Color tuning capability
b) Dimming protocols
c) Sensor options
d) All the above
Q3: True or False? Every qualified product must be tested to be listed on the QPLs.
Q4: Fill in the blank. DLC QPLs are the _______ verified lists of high performance and energy saving LED lighting and control systems in the world.
a) best
b) largest
c) cheapest
d) only
Q5: When a product is listed on a DLC QPL, what does it signify?
a) The product is likely eligible for energy efficiency rebates and incentives.
b) The product complies with the DLC’s technical requirements.
c) The product meets energy efficiency criteria set by government energy regulators.
d) a) and b)
e) b) and c)
f) All the above
Q6: The DLC Horticultural QPL allows users to search for regulations related to indoor cannabis cultivation in which states?
a) California and Oregon
b) Michigan and Colorado
c) Arizona and Florida
d) Massachusetts and Illinois
Answers:
Q1: e) Tested performance and Reported performance
Q2: d) All of the above (plus more!)
Q3: False - The DLC allows manufacturers to group products and submit and list them together as a family of products that share a DLC family code on the QPL. Products within each family are categorized as “parents” or “children” and only the parent products – as worst case or representative products for the family group – require test data to be evaluated for listing to a QPL. Child products often have better estimated performance than the tested parent product so they meet qualifications and can be added to the family group without additional testing.
Q4: b) largest – As of November 1, 2024, the four QPLs include over 337,503 verified lighting and control products. The QPLs also contain over 600,000 products that have been delisted because the DLC updates performance thresholds and these products no longer meet the performance requirements.
Q5: d) Both a) and b) are correct. Three-quarters of North American electric utilities and energy efficiency programs use the DLC’s technical requirements and QPL listing as criteria for money-saving efficiency rebates and incentives. And, while many government agencies (such as the federal General Services Administration) reference the DLC QPLs in their regulations, listing on a QPL specifically signifies that products comply with DLC’s independently vetted technical requirements.
Q6: d) Energy efficiency regulations for cannabis cultivation companies in Massachusetts and Illinois include a compliance pathway via the selection and installation of lighting products on the DLC’s Horticultural QPL.
For more information on the QPLs and how to effectively use these unique tools, check out the DLC’s “Navigating the DLC QPL: Family Grouping and Product Data” how-to guide and this video on “How To Search and Download from the DLC’s Qualified Products Lists."
