Horticultural Technical Requirements V2.0
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is quickly becoming the fastest growing electric load for many utilities, with lighting representing the greatest portion of that load. Well-designed horticultural lighting products have the potential to save significant energy while optimizing plant growth and health.
Hort V2.0 maintains the minimum efficacy threshold of listed products. The new requirements also continue the transition from using traditional lighting metrics to using horticultural-specific metrics that better represent horticultural lighting performance. Finally, V2.0 addresses barriers to listing multiple product variations by introducing a process for family grouping and private labeling of already listed OEM products, meaning more horticultural products will be available to choose from on the QPL.
V2.0 goes into effect on March 31, 2021. The release contains three policy documents: Testing and Reporting Requirements, Family Grouping Policy, and Private Label Policy. Download each document below.
Objectives and Benefits

Technical Requirements enable a variety of reliable and efficient horticultural products and product families to be qualified on the DLC Hort QPL.

The policy includes clear definition(s), performance criteria, and testing requirements that align with accepted horticultural metrics and ensure that listed products are high quality and energy efficient.

Energy efficiency program administrators and others have a wide variety of QPL listed products to choose from, allowing them to support the installation of high quality, energy efficient horticultural lighting products in their rebate or procurement programs, driving market adoption of energy efficient solutions in horticultural applications.

Growers and specifiers have the horticultural-specific data and tools they need to be able to specify horticultural lighting products appropriately.

Utilities are better able to manage increasing energy demand from horticultural facilities through incentive programs for a range of efficient and effective horticultural lighting products.

Next Steps
- March 31, 2021: V2.0 Technical Requirements go into effect
Timing for Horticultural Technical Requirements V2.0 and V2.1
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Drafts and Documents
First Draft Documents
- Cover Letter: DRAFT Horticultural Requirements V2.0
- DRAFT Testing and Reporting Requirements for Horticultural Lighting V2.0
- DRAFT Family Grouping Policy for Horticultural Lighting V2.0
- DRAFT Private Label Policy for Horticultural Lighting V2.0
- Horticultural Lighting V2.0 Comment Form
If you would like to see specific policy additions or categories in future versions of the Horticultural Technical Requirements, please let us know by submitting a request below: