The U.S. federal government is not only the nation’s largest property manager but also its largest energy consumer, making energy efficient lighting standards for federal buildings a critical focus of sustainability efforts. From federal office buildings and courthouses to laboratories and post offices, the US General Services Administration (GSA) owns, manages, and maintains over 370 million square feet of space in nearly 9,600 buildings nationwide. In line with the federal goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, the GSA is actively using the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) Qualified Products Lists (QPL) as their energy efficiency standards for federal buildings. Lighting solutions on the QPLs meet stringent quality and performance standards in both new buildings and retrofit projects.

Energy Efficiency Standards for Federal Buildings

With buildings accounting for 40 percent of the federal government’s energy usage, implementing energy efficient lighting standards for federal buildings is a priority. To drive energy savings, federal mandates now require the use of lighting products listed on the DLC’s Solid-State Lighting (SSL) QPL.  For several years, the GSA and the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) have required public entities to use LED products that meet our technical requirements. Both the GSA and FEMP publish guidance documents outlining energy efficiency benchmarks federal agencies must meet when purchasing and installing lighting products. These efforts have contributed to a nearly 27 percent reduction in energy intensity by federal agencies since 2003.

Energy Efficient Lighting Standards for Federal Buildings Now Include LUNA Requirements

Last summer, the DLC’s impact on lighting energy consumption in the public sphere expanded when the GSA updated a key document guiding the purchase of products for federal and other public entities – the 2024 P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service. The P100 now requires specific types of outdoor lighting to be qualified by the DLC’s light pollution mitigating LUNA program. Designed to reduce both energy usage and light pollution, LUNA-qualified products reduce problematic aspects of outdoor lighting such as sky glow and light trespass while also qualifying for rebates and incentives by virtue of their compliance with DLC thresholds for efficacy, quality, controllability and reliability. 

The GSA’s P100 establishes design standards and criteria for a wide range of government-owned and leased facilities, including new buildings, repairs, alterations, modernizations, lease construction facilities, and historic structures. For several years, it has required that all new LEDs and LED retrofit kits must meet the DLC’s SSL Technical Requirements or be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure comparable quality and efficiency levels are being met in the case of lighting categories not covered by the DLC.  Adding LUNA to these requirements provides a practical tool to ensure that public facilities illuminate outdoor spaces only where, when and to the extent needed. 

Third-Party, Objective Requirements for DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and Beyond

The DOE FEMP’s “Purchasing Energy-Efficient Commercial and Industrial LED Luminaires” guide also cites the DLC as an objective resource for specifying and purchasing LED products, noting that DLC technical requirements provide “performance data, tests reports, case studies and product information that federal buyers can use to make more informed purchasing decisions”. It adds that LEDs meeting the DLC’s technical requirements “can be easily found in the DLC’s searchable online database.” Mandated by law, FEMP focuses on key services that help agencies meet energy and water reduction requirements and goals.

The DLC’s SSL and Networked Lighting Controls QPLs also appear in low carbon technology strategy toolkits published by the DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative Ranging from “simple” and “intermediate” to “advanced”, the DOE toolkit recommendations apply to ten end-use building applications, including: large office, small to medium office, stand-alone retail and strip mall, primary school, secondary school, supermarket, hospital, outpatient healthcare, small hotel, and midrise apartment.

Federal agencies aren’t the only government entities relying on the DLC for objective, third-party verification of product efficacy and quality. As municipalities seek to reduce their electricity usage, many are moving to replace legacy energy-wasting streetlights with high-efficiency, controllable LEDs. Communities across the country, from Smithfield, Rhode Island and Lebanon, New Hampshire to Memphis, Tennessee and Cedar Park, Texas, have referenced requirements for DLC-listed products in their streetlight replacement requests for proposals (RFP). And two states with energy efficiency regulations specific to commercial cannabis cultivation facilities (Massachusetts and Illinois) offer a regulatory compliance pathway via the DLC’s Horticultural QPL.

Moving Forward with Our Mission for Energy Efficiency

The DLC is is proud to support federal, state, and municipal efforts that are also consistent with our mission to reduce carbon, energy consumption, and light pollution.  Our Qualified Products Lists and technical requirements offer a trusted resource for third-party verification of product quality, which is essential for agencies and organizations working toward decarbonization. As we strive toward a net-zero future, the DLC remains committed to supporting energy efficient lighting standards for federal buildings, helping ensure high-performance lighting for modern, sustainable spaces.

Additional Reading:

LUNA Guidance for Manufacturers

Press Release: US General Services Administration Recognizes LUNA Program

What is Light Pollution and Why is it a Problem?

Responsible Light at Night for Local Governments