Earlier this year, LightNOW reported that in July, the Department of Energy recognized the ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2007 standard as the new national energy standard, superseding the 2004 version.
In a bold move, on October 19, 2011, DOE recognized the 2010 version of 90.1 as the new national energy standard. By October 18, 2013, all states in the United States must put in place a commercial building energy code at least as stringent as the ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010 energy standard, according to an October 19, 2011 Department of Energy (DOE) ruling. This means the 2007 standard is effectively being leapfrogged as the national energy standard. (More than one-half of the states in the USA already have a code in place at least as stringent as the 2007 version.)
(In July 2011, the DOE also issued a rule requiring new Federal buildings, for which construction design begins on or after October 11, 2012, to comply with ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2007. The October 2011 ruling did not change that.)
I wrote three articles for the Lighting Controls Association about the new standard, which you may find useful:
New administrative requirements in ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010
Part of the new documentation requirements is a lighting control narrative. LCA has published guidance to developing this kind of document.
New lighting control requirements in ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010
