Dear Reader:

It should be comforting to the Facilities Manager to know that there is oversight being provided the manufacturers on the efficacy of each fixture manufactured, particularly those that stand to qualify for various rebates, tax credits and other forms of subsidies. This is provided by a non-profit organization known as DesignLights Consortium, which assesses – and ultimately passes judgement on – every LED fixture, via a formal rating process.

In order for a fixture to pass muster, qualifying it for utility rebates, it must be judged to be energy efficient, and categorized by this entity, known generally as the DLC.

Started in 2009 by Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, “NEEP set a goal to accelerate market adoption of quality, efficient commercial sector LED lighting to reduce lighting energy use by 50 percent”. An immediate success, in 2016, NEEP spun off the DesignLights Con...