Why DLC QPL LEDs WillAlways Boost Your Commercial Plants Operation
There are many fascinating similarities between the LED and plants markets. Not only have LEDs become crucial for scalable commercial plant cultivation, these industries are undergoing countless innovations each year. Also like plants, the LED grow light market needs more rules & regulations to make it viable for professional cultivators.
This need for high-quality LED standards is a significant reason technicians formed the DesignLights Consortium (DLC). Based in Massachusetts, the DLC is a non-profit group that created widely-accepted screening standards for indoor LEDs.
Only the highest-performing LED grow lights pass the DLC's test, which helps provide customers with the assurance that retrofitting to LEDs will be profitable.
Why Is There A Need For DLC's Qualified Product List?
LEDs are a disruptive technology. Similar to how smartphones revolutionized telecommunications, LEDs are set to have a massive impact on all aspects of indoor lighting — including commercial plant cultivation.
While it's exciting to see all the innovation happening in the LED space, it's also difficult for consumers to tell which products are high-quality. As LED grow lights become more popular, having a trusted third-party reviewer is essential.
What has DLC’s qualified product list done with LED horticulture lighting:
1) Set and update the highest industry standards,
2) Verify that the LED grow light conforms to the standard - The authority assesses the truthfulness of the “advertisement”,
3) Promote energy iteration for horticulturists, Save more energy.
The DLC provides a solution to the transparency issue in the LED grow light market. As a non-profit, the DLC offers a degree of trust no company-sponsored test could provide. Also, since the DLC's standards are already highly regarded, commercial cultivators could use them to access significant utility rebates.
LEDs that meet DLC's Qualified Product List are the absolute best on the market. Therefore, commercial growers don't have to fret about efficiency issues after installing these well-tested LEDs.
You will see all of the benefits commonly associated with LEDs if they have a QPL certification. These include a longer lifespan, greater light penetration, and lower energy costs versus standard HPS.
As a perk, these LEDs qualify for significant rebates in most states, which could help cultivators who are on the fence about converting their indoor grow space to LEDs.
Why Should Commercial plants Growers BuyDLC Listed LEDs?
As hinted above, LEDs that get on the DLC Qualified Product List will always meet the highest quality standards. Even if you didn't review the specific PPFD or PPE scores for your LEDs, the QPL seal lets you know the "baseline" of these lights is incredibly high.
For instance, every LED on the QPL must have a minimum score in each of the following categories:
- Efficacy of > 1.9 umol/J between 400-700nm
- Long-term performance of 90% after > 36,000 hours
- Total driver lifetime of > 50,000 hours
- Safety Certified
- Five-year warranty
These stats guarantee commercial growers will notice an upgrade when switching from HPS to LEDs. Not only are these LED grow lights more powerful than standard HPS models, they will perform stronger for far longer.
Also, since the DLC is committed to promoting a greener future, all QPL LEDs must meet high standards for energy output relative to the electricity they draw. This guarantees switching to DLC LED lights will reduce a commercial plant's grow room's energy expenditure. These "greener" LEDs will certainly add plenty of "green" to your pocket in terms of energy savings and higher yields.
To better understand how high wattage LEDs could boost your commercial cultivation program, be sure to read this previous Mars Hydro post.
So, How Could Plant Growers Save Money With QPL LEDs?
As we just mentioned, DLC-certified LEDs can help commercial growers save a ton of money. Not only are these lights guaranteed to be energy efficient, they meet all the requirements for either prescriptive rebates or custom incentives - which are typically offered by utility companies.
With a prescriptive rebate plan, grow room operators pay a discounted rate upfront to help replace their room's HPS fixtures with LEDs. However, those who use a custom incentive program get a rebate based on the difference in energy use and demand. These two metrics are measured in kWh and kW, respectively.
Pricewise, it's hard to "go wrong" retrofitting an HPS grow space with LED lights. Even if you add LEDs to an existing HPS commercial grow room, you should notice a significant increase in bud production while decreasing your total energy cost.
Some of the organizations that are already listed in the DLC partners and their rebate incentive requirements: ”DLC Member Incentive Program Summaries – Horticultural Lighting”
Is Mars Hydro On The DLC Qualified Product List?
Mars Hydro is proud to announce our FC-E8000 and FC-8000 LEDs are now on the DLC's QPL. Our designers created these energy-efficient LED grow lights with commercial cultivation in mind. If you're new to LED indoor cultivation, either of these models will help quickly raise your total yields and save you a ton in rebates.
For more information on integrating Mars Hydro's LED grow lights into your commercial grow room, especially those DLC listed LED lights, please feel free to speak with one of our technicians. Also, please remember that Mars Hydro has multiple warehouses in most Western countries, including the USA, Australia, and Canada that are ready to serve you with the best lighting solutions.
