Codes + Standards

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.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published ANSI/ANSLG C81.61-2009 Electrical Lamp Bases—Specifications for Bases (Caps) for Electric Lamps and ANSI/ANSLG C81.62-2009 Electric Lampholders. Both documents were last revised in 2007. C81.61 and C81.62 respectively cover lamp bases (caps) and lampholders for electric lamps. Both standards were revised to include G24 lampholder and base dimensions. [...]

Lynn Proctor Windle, a contributing editor to Building Operating Management Magazine, wrote an excellent piece on photoluminescent technology as a means of providing emergency lighting in buildings, specially safety signs and path markers. The article is a little dated (March 2005), but clearly summarizes the technology. Titled “Photoluminescent Technology: Reliable Emergency Lighting in Buildings,” you [...]

ASHRAE is taking another crack at producing BSR/ASHRAE/IESNA/USGBC Standard 189.1P, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. This is the third public review draft. You may recall this standard had difficulties and the committee creating it was reconstituted last year. The public review period is 45 days, from May 1 [...]

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is promoting BUG, a classification system for outdoor luminaires (PDF file). Based on the TM-15–the upgrade of the roadway shielding classification system by the Illuminating Engineering Society and the Lighting Research Center–the BUG system addresses light emitted from the luminaire in all directions, not just up into the sky. Called [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published LSD 44 Solid State Lighting—The Need for a New Generation of Sockets & Interconnects. The white paper includes a background discussion of lighting sockets and interconnects, from the Edison bulb to the present. It argues for the necessity of standards on solid state lighting to foster technological [...]

In this post, I noted that ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004 has been established by the Department of Energy as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes starting in 2010. Meanwhile, the stimulus package appears to be encouraging adoption of the latest version, which is 90.1-2007, as noted in this post. I promised a [...]

The stimulus package, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, focuses on economic stimulus through both tax credits and public-sector spending, with a heavy focus on infrastructure and energy. Here’s an interesting development I had missed at first glance through it: The Department of Energy is offering $16.8 billion to the states for a variety of [...]

The Lighting Controls Association has published an article I wrote on the topic of the major lighting changes in the 2009 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) related to commercial buildings. One of the most controversial changes isn’t directly related to lighting, but it could have a significant impact on lighting design. Previous [...]