DesignLights™ Consortium Adds Eleven New Categories to its Qualified Product List

The DesignLights™ Consortium (DLC), a project managed by NEEP, announced this week the addition of eleven new commercial SSL luminaire categories to its Qualified Products List (QPL).  The QPL now lists products in thirty categories.  New featured categories include Flood and Spot Lighting, Stairwell and Passageway Lighting, as well as eight retrofit kit categories. The new DLC Category Specifications take effect immediately. The DLC QPL is a listing of independently verified high efficiency lighting products.  It provides a central place for utilities and energy efficiency program administrators to access qualified products to be considered for their incentive programs.  Manufacturers submit their product specifications once and if qualified, can be considered for incentive programs throughout the U.S. and Canada. Due to the rapid technological advances in the Solid State Lighting (SSL) industry, the DLC is constantly updating and improving its specification criteria to develop specifications for new product categories regularly. The DLC last updated its specifications in July 2011, adding specifications for eight additional product categories at the same time. Input from DLC stakeholders in setting the specifications and categories is a critical part of the QPL project that helps ensure SSL luminaires will meet customers’ performance expectations and generate anticipated energy savings. The comprehensive category development process involved a long list of  stakeholders including DLC’s technical team at D&R international, DLC utility member program managers, DLC’s Technical Committee, advisors working under the Department of Energy Solid State Lighting commercialization programs, luminaire manufacturers, testing labs, and lighting designers. All contributed insights through the DLC Industry Input Process which allows manufacturers and other stakeholders to comment on DLC policies and technical changes. In addition to new product categories, the DLC will also shortly be completing a review and update of all of the current specification values. This review will consider recent improvements to LED lighting equipment, such as energy efficiency, color properties, etc. In continuing the DLC’s track record in industry innovation and collaboration, the group is bringing together lighting professionals from all over the country to address the pressing issues in the solid state lighting market at the first DesignLights™ Consortium Stakeholder Meeting in Atlanta, GA October 28-31, 2012.  For more details about this event and to register visit www.dlcmeeting.org. To find out more about the DLC QPL and its new specifications visit the DLC website at http://www.designlights.org/solidstate.about.php.