Codes + Standards

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published LL 9-2009 Dimming of T8 Fluorescent Lighting Systems. This new standard is the first coordinated guidance from industry on the dimming of T8 fluorescent lighting systems; LL 9 covers ranges between 100% and approximately 35% output (60mA lamp current). The publication was a result of discussions between [...]

Here’s an article I wrote for the July issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine on the topic of a new residential lighting provision in the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), used by most states as the basis of their residential energy codes, that requires 50% of lamps in newly built homes to be “high efficacy”–that [...]

The International Code Council recently announced that it has launched the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) initiative, which will reduce energy usage and the carbon footprint of commercial buildings. Entitled “IGCC: Safe and Sustainable by the Book,” the initiative is committed to develop a model code focused on new and existing commercial buildings. It will [...]

The passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES 2009) has been highly publicized for its Cap and Trade Program, but there’s another provision that is of significant interest to the lighting community: the requirement that national building energy codes for residential and commercial buildings [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published two new roadway and area lighting equipment standards, ANSI C136.25-2009 Ingress Protection (Resistance to Dust, Solid Objects, and Moisture) for Luminaire Enclosures and ANSI C136.35-2009 Luminaire Electrical Ancillary Devices (LEAD). ANSI C136.25-2009 provides guidance for protecting luminaires from ingress based on the anticipated environment and explains how [...]

The California Energy Commission has announced that the effective date for the 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Parts 1 and 6) has been changed to January 1, 2010. The reason: delays in completing the public domain compliance software. The California Energy Commission adopted the 2008 Standards on April 23, 2008, and the Building [...]

The Department of Energy’s Building Codes Resource Center has published a summary of the ASHRAE guidelines for achieving 30% savings over ASHRAE 90.1-1999 in small office buildings. One of the interesting features of the website is a series of layout templates. Check it out here.

Radionic Hi-Tech, Inc. of Chicago, IL has told LightNOW that they have the distinction of being the first manufacturer of undercabinet LED luminaires to receive the Lighting Facts label. Sponsored by the Department of Energy and endorsed by major retailers including The Home Depot and W.W. Grainger, the Solid-State Lighting Quality Advocates label was “created [...]

This article for Architectural SSL Magazine by Kevin Willmorth and me outlines the important progress that has been made in LED standards that are essential for future growth, and talks about standards still in the works. You can read the article here.