Codes + Standards

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published LE 6-2009 Procedure for Determining Target Efficacy Ratings for Commercial, Industrial and Residential Luminaires. The document, produced by NEMA’s Luminaire Section, was last published in 2008. LE 6 provides a procedure for the determination of the target efficacy rating (TER) for light fixtures under laboratory test conditions [...]

The total building sustainability package, addressing everything from design and commissioning to plans for high-performance operation, is covered in a proposed green building standard currently open for public review. Proposed Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is being developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating [...]

This month, the IES Hartford Section is presenting the Fall 2009 update and final draft of the Model Lighting Ordinance, sometimes called the “Dark Sky regulations.” The guest speaker is Leo Smith (Northeast Regional Director of the International Dark Sky Association), who served on the IDA/IESNA joint task force that developed the current MLO. To [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published LSD 45-2009 Recommendations for Solid-State Lighting Sub-Assembly Interfaces for Luminaires. This new white paper, prepared by the NEMA Solid State Lighting Section, covers the design and construction of interconnects for solid-state lighting applications. It compiles the latest industry information regarding mechanical, electrical, and thermal connections and documents [...]

BSR/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1P, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings is now in its fourth review draft and available for public review. This standard provides minimum criteria that apply to new buildings and major renovation projects (new portions of buildings and their systems) and cover sustainable sites, water use efficiency, [...]

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 [...]