Energy efficiency rebates can significantly improve the ROI of commercial and industrial lighting projects, but determining which products qualify for your local efficiency program’s incentives can be complicated and time-consuming. Project planners and designers can simplify this process by accessing the DesignLights Consortium’s (DLC) Qualified Products Lists (QPL).
Featuring the ability to be searched, filtered, and saved, these third-party verified resources detail the performance of indoor and outdoor LED lighting products (including those that meet responsible light at night requirements), horticultural LED lighting, and networked lighting controls. Scores of North American utilities and energy efficiency programs use DLC QPLs as a guide in determining the incentives they offer for commercial lighting products, and the lists are publicly available by creating and logging into a MyDLC account.
Before they’re added to the QPLs, products go through a rigorous evaluation process that requires independent testing and documentation to validate that their performance (including efficacy, color quality, reliability, safety and power quality) meets the DLC technical requirements. The DLC recently updated its product listing logos with simplified and distinctive designs that make it even easier to identify products that meet the technical requirements. The new product listing logos utilize specific brand colors and icons combined with clear lettering, making them easy to differentiate from one another — even at reduced sizes seen on manufacturer spec sheets. Manufacturers must adhere to specific guidelines when using these trademarked logos to promote their products, as they are intended for use only with DLC QPL-listed products.
It's important to note, however, that while these new logos can be the first step in identifying products that may qualify for energy efficiency rebates, the only true way to validate product listing is by searching the QPLs themselves. There is no “pending” status for products under review, and a product is not considered listed until it successfully completes the DLC’s application review process, its performance data is published on the QPL, and a unique Product ID is assigned. In addition, a single listing does not necessarily represent a manufacturer’s alternate configurations of listed products. QPL users should carefully match model numbers and options to the actual listed product models and contact the utility or energy efficiency program if there is any doubt.
So look for the logos, but go to the QPLs to confirm that lighting products you’re considering are actually listed and to view and compare their performance information. Then, verify rebate eligibility with your electric utility or energy efficiency program.
DLC Program Director Liesel Whitney-Schulte’s responsibilities include oversight of the DLC’s stakeholder outreach and engagement, communications, and membership. A member of the DLC staff since 2015, Liesel was previously responsible for operational oversight of the Solid-State Lighting Qualified Products List and technical development support. Liesel has more than 20 years of experience working on utility energy efficiency programs and collaborating with lighting designers to create programs that simultaneously fit utility goals and promote quality lighting design. She is Lighting Certified (LC) by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP), on the NCQLP Board of Directors, and an active member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES).
