Are you Buying Lighting Products Listed with the DLC®? If not, you should be.

With all the new entrants in the market, the rapid pace of change, and almost every product claiming energy-efficiency in the lighting industry, it is hard to know which products are high performing and which qualify for industry rebates and incentives. Where can you go to get the trusted information that you need? The answer is – The DesignLights Consortium® (DLC).

What is the DLC?

The DLC is a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the widespread adoption of high-performing commercial lighting solutions. The consortium promotes high-quality, energy-efficient lighting products in collaboration with utilities and energy efficiency program Members, manufacturers, lighting designers, and federal, state, and local entities. The DLC establishes product quality specifications, facilitates thought leadership, and provides information, education, tools and technical expertise to industry stakeholders.

The DLC is currently supported by 85 Members (utilities) with energy efficiency programs throughout the U.S. and Canada. Members and other stakeholders provide expertise and insight into policy and specification development processes and on topics related to quality, performance, energy efficiency, and lighting market transformation. Members use DLC resources to improve their commercial efficiency programs, meet and exceed their energy savings goals, and provide product performance assurance to their customers. Lighting designers use the QPL to search for suitable energy-saving products. Source: DLC

Why Use DLC-Qualified Products?

The DLC Qualified Products Lists are designed to facilitate the widespread adoption of technology that optimizes energy savings. The consortium offers the largest verified list of high performing LED lighting products and the first and only Qualified Products List (QPL) for networked lighting control systems.

With over fifteen years of experience promoting energy efficiency in the commercial lighting sector, the DLC is helping push the commercial lighting industry into a more energy-efficient future. The group provides technical expertise and a collaborative forum for all industry stakeholders and creates programs, tools, and resources that are relevant to the needs of end customers including facility managers and business owners.  

The DLC identifies and verifies the highest-performing products and systems and DLC QPLs serve as “short lists” for the industry.

• Every product and system listed with the DLC must meet a minimum set of technical requirements as defined by the consortium.
• Qualified systems are independently reviewed and have a clear advantage over systems that do not meet QPL technical requirements.
• To be eligible for rebates and incentives, many DLC utility Members require networked lighting control systems be listed on the DLC’s Networked Lighting Controls Qualified Product List (QPL).
• Starting in 2016, QPL-listed systems pre-qualify for incentives and rebates from utilities across North America and gain access to the multi-billion dollar energy efficiency program market.

The DLC Technical Requirements for Network Lighting Controls has 22 categories of both required (mandatory) and reported (optional) system capabilities including occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, scheduling, plug load control, zoning and building systems integration.

“Networked lighting controls (NLC) are important to include in a lighting project. They can add functionality to a building and cut energy use for lighting by almost 50% on average. Not all NLC systems are the same, so the DLC’s specifications and QPL can help facility managers, lighting contractors and engineers select the capabilities they need for a space. The QPL is a valuable tool to differentiate products, and act as a resource for utility program eligibility,” said Christina Halfpenny, Executive Director of the DesignLights Consortium.

Both the ENCELIUM EDGE™ Wireless Light Management System and ENCELIUM® Networked Light Management System are DLC qualified.

The ENCELIUM EDGE Wireless Light Management System is a simple, standalone system designed for non-residential spaces that seek a code compliant, energy saving solution that is easy to specify, install and manage. It is for spaces that do not require the advanced features and functionality of web-accessible system control, building automation system integration, or advanced reporting features including data analytics.

The ENCELIUM® Enterprise Light Management System is designed for enterprise spaces that seek advanced features and functionality including web-accessible system control, building automation system integration, or advanced energy reporting features and other data analytics.