In the world of horticultural lighting, especially in cannabis cultivation, efficiency is the efficiency with which electrical energy is converted into usable light for the plant. But there’s a lot more to it than just a number on a spec sheet. Efficiency affects energy costs, performance and ultimately profitability.

“Energy costs are rising worldwide. Between the increased demand for electric vehicles, data centers, AI infrastructure and the overall electrification grid, growers will continue to feel the pressure of higher electricity bills,” says Fluence’s Daniel Pilsworth. “Lighting and HVAC together make up the largest portion of a grow facility’s operating expenses. Therefore, every photon counts.”

From efficiency gains to intelligent system design
A decade ago, the industry made the leap from high-pressure sodium (HPS) fixtures to LEDs. LEDs offered significant efficiency gains, reduced heat emission and improved environmental control. Growers can direct more power to productive light instead of waste heat, while easing the burden on HVAC systems. Over time, those first transitions led to significant savings, but the low-hanging fruit has already been reaped. “The diode technology inside LEDs has been refined tremendously, and the annual efficiency gains we once saw, 2-3% over a year, have slowed to 1% or less,” continues Daniel. “The industry has reached a plateau in raw diode efficiency. That shift has changed the conversation. It’s no longer just how efficient a single diode can be, but the entire system is designed to get the most out of every watt. The next leap in efficiency won’t come from the component level. It’s going to come from the way we apply light.”

© Fluence Bioengineering

The relationship between spectrum and efficiency
Spectrum plays a major role in determining the efficiency of appliances. Red LEDs are inherently more efficient than white LEDs because they emit light directly, while white LEDs rely on phosphor coatings that absorb energy during the conversion process. A fixture with a high red content can achieve 3.5 µmol/J or more, while broad whites can be around 2.7 µmol/J. That said, a high-red environment isn’t always the best choice. “Excessive red light can make it difficult for workers to work in the room, and more importantly, it increases the risk of photobleaching, those ‘white tipped’ eyes that reduce the overall quality and market value of flowers. Photobleaching can be strain-dependent and can be influenced by other environmental factors. The goal is always balance.”

Balancing efficiency and capital constraints
Cannabis remains a capital-constrained market. Because federal legalization has not yet occurred in the US, growers do not have access to the same low-cost financing as traditional agriculture. That makes every dollar of CapEx and OpEx count. “A higher-efficiency fixture carries a higher purchase price, so the right decision depends on your financial position, local energy rates, and available rebate programs. Some utilities directly tie incentive eligibility or payment value to the fixture’s efficiency, meaning higher-efficiency fixtures can offset much of the initial cost. In some cases, rebates can reach $1,000 or more. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for manufacturers. they must weigh it against long-term energy savings and incentive benefits.

Where will the next profits come from?
As diode efficiency skyrockets, lighting manufacturers are innovating elsewhere—how to deliver light, where to deliver it, and when. “At Fluence, our research program has been focused on optimizing the spectrum, intensity and placement of light to reduce energy use while improving performance and quality,” said Daniel. “Dynamic and tunable lighting is one of the most promising tools. By adjusting the spectral composition throughout the plant’s growth cycle, growers can use more red when it’s safe and pull back when the crop becomes sensitive to photobleaching. Our new RAPTR 2 high-light incorporates this flexibility. Its tunable T48 spectrum allows growers to vary it from 40 to 80 percent. 3.5 µmol/J efficiency maintaining precise environmental control, we combine this technology with horticultural support, our science team works directly with growers to design lighting schedules that offer maximum energy savings and plant health.

Beyond the ball: The “red sandwich” strategy
Another limitation of efficiency is under the canopy. “Our research has shown that downlighting provides much higher red content without the risk of photobleaching seen from overhead lighting. By splitting the photons, which we call our Red Sandwich Lighting Strategy, we can increase yield, uniformity and quality while further improving energy efficiency.

For more information:
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A Virginia legislature has introduced a bill that would legalize and regulate the sale of recreational marijuana, while also increasing the amount of cannabis adults can possess under the state’s non-commercial law.

Del. Paul Krizek’s (D) new legislation is largely consistent with recommendations lawmakers released last month. Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition to the Commonwealth Retail Cannabis Marketwhich was directed by the member of parliament.

Since legalizing cannabis ownership and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have been working to establish a commercial marijuana market-the continued stalling of those efforts under Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed the implementation of measures sent to his desk by the legislature.

Introduction Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) supports legalizing the sale of marijuana to adultshowever

“The consumer should always know what they’re buying, so that means strong labeling,” he said in an interview last month. “That means understanding strength… If you go and buy a pack of beer, you know what alcohol percentage that beer is, you know what proof a liquor is, so you understand what you’re actually buying. I think that’s incredibly important with all marijuana-related products.”

Krizek’s new bill, in addition to establishing a system of licensed and regulated businesses to cultivate, process, test and sell cannabis, would also increase the amount of marijuana that adults 21 and older can legally possess from one ounce to 2.5 ounces. They will also be able to continue growing four cannabis plants at home for personal use.

Here are the main details of the new Virginia marijuana invoice:

• Retail sales may begin on November 1, 2026.
• Adults would be able to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a single transaction, or up to an equivalent amount of other cannabis products, as determined by regulators.
• The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority would oversee licensing and regulation of the new industry. Its board of directors would have the authority to control the possession, sale, transportation, distribution, delivery and testing of marijuana.
• A tax of up to 11.625 percent would apply to the retail sale of any cannabis product. That would include a 1.125 percent state retail and use tax on top of a new 8 percent marijuana-specific tax. Local governments can charge an additional 3.5 percent.
• The tax revenue would be divided between the costs of administering and enforcing the state’s marijuana system, a new Cannabis Equity Investment Fund, pre-kindergarten programs, substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs, and public health programs such as awareness campaigns designed to prevent drug-impaired driving and discourage underage use.
• Local governments could not allow marijuana companies to operate in their area.
• Delivery services would be allowed.
• Serving sizes would be limited to 10 milligrams of THC, with no more than 100 mg of THC per package.
• Existing medical cannabis operators could enter the adult-use market if they pay a $10 million license conversion fee.
• Cannabis businesses should implement peaceful labor agreements with their employees.
• A legislative committee would direct the addition of local consumer licenses and micro-enterprise cannabis event permits that would allow licensees to hold sales at farmers markets or pop-up locations. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority would also investigate the possibility of involvement in marijuana regulation and enforcement.

Meanwhile, Virginia lawmakers have introduced other marijuana-related legislation for the 2026 session, among others. Providing leniency in sentencing for people convicted of past cannabis offences and to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in hospitals and other health facilities.

Separately, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry has published a new determining workplace protections for cannabis users.

There’s a reason some practices survive in cannabis cultivation after everyone has quietly stopped believing in them. They work well enough, they’re popular, and most importantly, everyone else is doing it too. Acid-based line cleaners fit comfortably into that category. They sanitize, reset the system and provide the psychological relief of not knowing how to survive the process. “Whether it’s what you really want is another question,” says Key to Life’s Ian Smith. “Acids absolutely disinfect, but they also kill everything else. And we’ve found that they don’t kill pathogenic fungi like pythium or fusarium.” In other words, just because everyone uses acid-based cleaning products, it doesn’t mean it’s best practice. For Ian, enzymes are an alternative solution.

© The key to life

Purity vs. sterility
At the heart of the use of acid-based cleaning products is a contradiction. “How has the industry managed to equate cleanliness with sterility, even as it increasingly relies on biological inputs to drive efficiency, performance and consistency?” Ian asks. “That’s why we developed ENDzyme Pods at Key to Life.”

Key To Life did not enter the market as an enzyme brand. It started with compost tea brews, moved to single-strain bacillus products, and then expanded to broader microbial formulations, all built around the same principle. “Water-soluble inputs are delivered as cleanly and efficiently as physically possible,” he explains. “There are no core nutrients, no lifestyle brands, just supplements designed to make existing systems behave better.”

It is this vision that ultimately led to the development of ENDzyme Pods. “ENDzyme Pods isn’t just a product, it’s a corrective to how enzymes have traditionally been used and priced in cannabis. Many enzyme products on the market are expensive enough for growers to treat as an occasional supplement, although enzymes are most effective when used consistently.” Others, more problematically, are aggressive enough to undermine the biology that biological breeders are trying to preserve. “We saw enzyme products that would completely clean a system,” says Ian, “but they were also completely killing the biology, which basically defeats their purpose.”

Cleaning and improving plant health
By selecting bacterial strains that naturally produce enzymes and remain active in solution, ENDzyme Pods function as a cleaning agent and biological support tool. “Used continuously at low rates, approximately 1 ounce per 500 gallons, they break up biofilm, retain dissolved oxygen and keep irrigation lines clean without wiping the slate clean,” he explains. The cost implications alone are hard to ignore. “We did a side-by-side comparison with standard acid-based cleaners, considering dilution rates and frequency of use, and the biological approach came out 3 to 4 times more expensive over time. That’s before you factor in what acids don’t do, which is improve nutrient availability.”

© The key to life

This is where the conversation shifts from maintenance to performance. Acids disinfect, but they also stop the biological processes that help plants obtain nutrients. On the other hand, enzymes literally do the opposite. “They break down organic matter, convert nutrients into more plant-available forms and inoculate the root zone in the process. In a case study involving 4 crops, one facility reduced nutrient inputs by 30% while recording a 17.8% increase in total yield.”

That result makes sense if you accept the premise that many producers still struggle with, which is that more inputs don’t automatically translate into more outputs. “I often see facilities running EC levels of 3.0 or 3.5, then put biologics on top and wonder why the blockage occurs. At that point there is too much nutrition in the solution. The plant can’t absorb it all, biologics or not.” In other words, enzymes allow plants to access what is already there with less energy expenditure, and direct metabolic resources to growth rather than survival.

Competing pathogens
The effect of these enzymes is not limited to the root zone. One of the unexpected applications of ENDzyme Pods has been foliar application at higher concentrations, approximately 1 ounce per 2 gallons, where Ian says they have consistently eliminated powdery mildew and aspergillus, even in late bloom. “Applied weekly, growers have also prevented botrytis without acting as a fungicide in the regulatory sense.”

Instead of poisoning the pathogens, the bacteria outcompete them by sequestering the free iron that the fungi need to reproduce and channeling it to the plants. “The bacteria are then cannibalized after a short period of time, leaving no residue and requiring no post-harvest treatment,” Ian said.

Combined with micronutrients such as Green9, which provides amino acids along with elements such as calcium, boron, sulfur and zinc, the effects are compounded. “These are non-mobile nutrients, slow to reach the tissues where they are needed. Enzymatic activities help to deliver them more efficiently, strengthening the plant’s defenses and, as a result, increasing the production of secondary metabolites.”

© The key to life

At the same time, Ian is concerned that ENDzyme Pods are not a ‘get out of jail free card’ and therefore sanitation can be bypassed. “In fact, I recommend thorough resets upon rollover, including chlorine dioxide sanitation, filter changes, and proper dehumidifier cleaning, an area that many facilities neglect. Most disease pressure comes from environmental factors. Temperature drops, humidity spikes, dirty equipment. Biology helps, but works best when the system is already disciplined.”

Cannabis is grown in rooms designed to eliminate uncertainty, but the plant itself evolved in environments defined by microbial interactions. Trying to completely remove this reality has always been a temporary solution. “Nature has never been barren,” says Ian. “We can imitate that for a while, but biology always finds its way.”

For more information:
The Key of Life
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