The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) is now accepting applications from horticultural lighting manufacturers interested in qualifying their products under the DLC’s Horticultural Lighting Technical Requirements Version 3.0—which was finalized in December 2022. The new version aims to increase efficacy and establish additional minimum performance baselines for LED luminaires, lamps and controls used by the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry. While the North American CEA industry is projected to grow to $8 billion by 2026, the updated policy provides indoor commercial growers with significant product variety and increased savings opportunities. The searchable online resource offers users apples-to-apples comparisons of over 1,000 horticultural LEDs. More than 50 North American energy efficiency programs require CEA operators to reference the DLC Qualified Product List (QPL) to qualify for energy efficiency incentives. Two states with cannabis-specific energy efficiency regulations (MA and IL) offer a compliance pathway via the DLC’s QPL.
DLC Executive Director and CEO Christina Halfpenny said, “The DLC is pleased to begin taking applications for the newest version of our horticultural QPL, supporting effective, energy efficient horticultural lighting in the fast-growing CEA industry. There has been a 17.5% increase in the efficacy of listed products since we introduced the DLC’s horticultural lighting program in 2018. We are proud to collaborate with cultivators and lighting manufacturers to continually advance sustainability in CEA.”
For a full list of provisions in the updated policy and more information on applying, visit www.designlights.org.