DLC Certification Introduction

What is DLC?

DLC stands for “Design Lights Consortium." It promotes quality, performance, and energy efficient commercial sector lighting solutions through collaboration among its federal, regional, state, utility, and energy efficiency program members, luminaire manufacturers, lighting designers, and other industry stakeholders throughout the US and Canada. It first began in 1998 as a regional certification for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of USA. It was created to solve the issues of the disparity between energy efficient lighting products and high-quality lighting products. Until today, it is still managed by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). DLC is specific to the lighting industry and the label is only on commercial products. The organization then works with utility companies around USA, and in Canada, to include DLC listed products in lighting rebate and incentive programs. The key here is that DLC applies to fixtures and LED tubes. Most utility companies require fixtures to be DLC rated in order to qualify for rebates, which are often an important part of creating a retrofit program that makes financial sense.

What does it mean if a product is listed by DLC?

Like most industries, some core standards and regulations exist in the lighting industry to help consumers make educated buying decisions. Maybe you've known DLC certification and seen that label around–"DLC listed" or "DLC approved." and if a lighting product has earned certification from that organization, it signals a high level of energy efficiency.

How does DLC affect lighting product purchase?

The DLC label provides some certainty for decision makers. The organization's stringent standards – from quality to energy efficiency to warranty – do a lot of the vetting and due diligence that you would otherwise need to perform when working with a lighting manufacturer. One of the reasons that DLC listing has come into the limelight is the growth of LED fixture rebates from utilities. Since the Energy Star label doesn't apply to LED fixtures, most fixture-focused utility rebates require the DLC label for the product to qualify. If a product is not DLC listed, however, it doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it. It only means the product either failed to meet the energy efficiency or quality standards set by DLC or it simply hasn't applied for the qualification or hasn't yet completed the application process. As with so many things in the lighting industry, the complexities that go into DLC listing requisites can be overwhelming. So if you're having trouble making sense of it all, don't be ashamed. That's normal. Just recognize the importance of working with a lighting expert who can guide you through the tricky details and come to a buying decision that makes sense for your specific application and needs.