Codes + Standards

The Model Lighting Ordinance (MLO), produced jointly by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), provides a template for municipalities seeking to develop standards for responsible outdoor lighting. Specifically, the MLO addresses skyglow (light emitted up into the sky that obscures nighttime viewing of stars), light trespass (light emitted onto neighboring [...]

A new model code for constructing and remodeling buildings is expected to make buildings more efficient, reduce waste, and have a positive impact on health, safety and community welfare. The 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) will increase the energy-efficiency of structures, while providing direction and oversight of green design and construction, according to the [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA SSL 4 Retrofit Lamps: Minimum Performance Requirements. This publication applies to integral Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps, which are defined as a lamp with LEDs, an integrated LED driver, and a base that meets appropriate American National Standards and is designed to connect to the branch [...]

I’m happy to be writing again for Architectural Lighting Magazine, for which I served as editor and publisher in the late 1990s. Editor Elizabeth Donoff is doing a terrific job providing the industry with great editorial, and brought me back to contribute a technology column in each issue. My contribution to the Jan/Feb issue deals [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published ANSI ANSLG C78.21—Incandescent lamps: PAR and R Shapes and ANSI ANSLG C78.40—Electric Lamps: Specifications for Mercury Lamps. Providing physical and electrical characteristics of incandescent lamps, ANSI/ANSLG C78.21-2011 describes PAR and R bulb shapes. The standard covers lamps with clear, frosted and lens end bulbs, clear and prescription [...]

Common household lamps now carry uniform labeling to facilitate educated decisions focusing on light output and energy costs, not watts, helping consumers transition to more efficient lamp types. That’s the topic of an article I contributed to the January 2012 issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine. Read it here.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently published ANSI C136.37 for Solid State Light Sources Used in Roadway and Area Lighting. The first solid state lighting (SSL) standard produced by ANSI accredited standards committee C136.37, this standard defines interchangeability and some requirements for SSL source fixtures. References to existing regional and international SSL standards are [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium recently published guidelines for converting to LED roadway lighting. The Model Specification for LED Roadway Luminaires is for cities, utilities, and other local agencies interested in saving money and energy by switching from traditional lighting technologies to solid-state lighting (SSL), which uses LEDs instead of [...]

It is estimated that about 10,000 lighting ordinances are in effect in the United States alone. Many are easy to understand but difficult to comply with because they are often not written by lighting people. Ordinances may vary considerably from one to the next. The Model Lighting Ordinance (MLO), produced jointly by the Illuminating Engineering [...]