Solid-State Lighting

Transition to SSL V5 Requirements

The V5 Technical Requirements include two policies: V5.0 and V5.1, released in tandem on February 14, 2020. V5.0 contains new efficacy requirements and V5.1 contains quality of light requirements, including spectral quality and glare, and new controllability requirements. Flicker requirements are not included in V5.0 and V5.1.

May 18, 2021 Update

Due to the continuing disruption to operations for both our members and stakeholders as a result of COVID-19, the DLC is extending the delisting date for products qualified under SSL Technical Requirements V5.0 by six months. The new dates are:

April 15, 2022: Deadline to update V5.0 listed products to V5.1.
June 30, 2022: Delisting date for V5.0 listed products that have not been updated.
Please review the Manufacturer and Industry Guidance for additional details about the delisting extension.

November 19, 2020 Update

Due to the continuing disruption to operations for both our members and stakeholders as a result of COVID-19, the DLC is extending the delisting date for products qualified under SSL Technical Requirements V4.4 by two months. The new dates are:

  • January 31, 2021: Deadline to update V4.4 listed products to V5.0 or V5.1.
  • February 28, 2021: Delisting date for V4.4 listed products that have not been updated.

Please review the Manufacturer and Industry Guidance for additional details about the delisting extension.

April 28, 2020 Update

To address the continuing disruptions to daily operations and supply chains due to COVID-19, the original dimming requirements for V5.0 Standard products have been revised. Additionally, timelines for updating V4.4 products and V5.0 new product applications have been extended, as shown in the V5.0 and V5.1 Manufacturer & Industry Guidance document (view in Mandarin). View a short overview video summarizing the changes here.

How will the QPL Change with V5.1?

SSL Version 5.1 adds a number of new QPL fields, like TM-30 metrics, BUG Ratings, Sensor Type, Communication Protocols and Control Capability, which will only be populated by products listed under V5.1. Because reporting on these criteria was not available until V5.1, products qualified under previous versions will not have the information available to complete these fields. That means for products listed under V5.0 and older, these fields may show up as blank or a negative response (e.g. “No Sensor” under Control Features: Sensor Type) which may not reflect the actual capability of the product. This incomplete information may be displayed until the QPL is fully transitioned to Version 5.1 on July 1, 2022.

Where can I view the new Technical Requirements?

What is changing in V5.0?

Effective on February 18, 2020, V5.0 contains new efficacy requirements only. V5.0 increases the efficacy requirements across all product categories, providing increased energy savings and user satisfaction. View the full V5.0 requirements here.

What is changing in V5.1?

Effective on July 1, 2020, V5.1 begins to build a foundation for quality of light requirements, including spectral quality and glare requirements and additional controllability requirements. View the full V5.1 requirements here.

How will product testing requirements change under V5.1?

For full details on product testing requirements under V5.1, refer to the V5.1 Technical Requirements and the V5.0 & V5.1 Manufacturer and Industry Guidance. View in Mandarin.

The DLC has a variety of resources to ease the transition to testing products for V5.1, including comparison of requirements, guidance for formatting and submitting. IES files and test reports, clarification of definitions, and more.

When can I submit V5.0 and V5.1 applications?

  • V5.0 applications may be submitted between February 18, 2020 and January 31, 2021.
  • V5.1 applications may be submitted beginning on July 1, 2020.
  • The timeline below provides more detail on when each application type will be accepted. An in-depth description of when each application type will be accepted is included in the V5.0 & V5.1 Manufacturer and Industry Guidance. View in Mandarin.

How do I update my products to V5.0 or V5.1?

  • V4.4 listed products must be updated to V5.0 or V5.1 by January 31, 2021, or they will be delisted on February 28, 2021.
  • V5.0 listed products must be updated to V5.1 by April 15, 2021, or they will be delisted on June 30, 2022.
  • V5.0 and V5.1 product update application forms are available on each Submit a Product page.
  • Single Products Applications
  • Family Grouping Applications

When will V4.4 products be delisted?

If they have not been updated by January 31, 2021, V4.4 products that do not meet the V5.0 Technical Requirements will be delisted on February 28, 2021.

V4.4 listed products that already meet the full V5.0 Technical Requirements will be automatically updated to reflect V5.0 compliance on the QPL on March 30, 2020. No action is required by the manufacturer to perform this update. The DLC will be sending courtesy notifications to all listed manufacturers indicating which of their products are compliant with V5.0. For more details about automatic product updating, please see the V5.0 & V5.1 Manufacturer and Industry Guidance. View in Mandarin.

When will V5.0 products be delisted?

If they have not been updated by April 15, 2021, V5.0 products that do not meet the V5.1 Technical Requirements will be delisted on June 30, 2022. All V5.0 listed products must take action to update their products to V5.1 before the application deadline. V4.4 listed products may be updated directly to V5.1 using the V5.1 update application between July 1 and January 31, 2021. For more details about updating products to V5.1, please see the V5.0 & V5.1 Manufacturer and Industry Guidance. View in Mandarin.

The DLC is happy to assist you with the transition to Technical Requirements V5. Please email applications@designlights.org or call 781-538-6425 and select Option 1 to be connected with the DLC applications team.