Codes + Standards

  The 2025 California Energy Code (Title 24) clarifies lighting and control requirements for single-family residential buildings. Here is a summary of the lighting changes: § 110.9: Lighting Controls and Components. All lighting control devices and systems, light sources, and luminaires must meet the applicable requirements of §110.9. § 150.0(k)1A: Luminaire Efficacy. All installed luminaires and light [...]

  The 2025 California Energy Code (Title 24) clarifies lighting requirements for multifamily buildings. Here is a summary of the lighting changes: Updates mandatory requirements for dwelling units: all installed luminaires and light sources to meet JA8 criteria; removes Table 160.5-A and references. Section 160.5(a)1A Clarifies lighting integral to kitchen range hoods and bathroom exhaust fans do [...]

  The following lighting and electrical changes were made to the California 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards for Nonresidential Buildings: Adds requirements for manual controls to be in same space as controlled lighting, or so that controlled lighting or status can be seen when operating controls. § 130.1(a)2 Multilevel controls must provide and enable continuous [...]

The House Appropriations Committee recently approved the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, a critical legislative measure that sets federal spending priorities for agencies like the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This bill attempts to save the popular ENERGY STAR program within the EPA—an initiative long [...]

On July 28th, the Design Lights Consortium (DLC) released the second draft of its SSL V6.0 & Luna V2.0 Technical Requirements for LED Lighting. A notable change from the first draft is the removal of some product categories traditionally covered by ENERGY STAR, that were proposed to be added to DLC in Draft 1. These [...]

  The Maryland Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) are a set of statewide regulations established to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve energy efficiency in large buildings, as mandated by the Climate Solutions Now Act (CSNA) of 2022. The standards are designed to address one of the state’s largest sources of emissions—buildings—by setting clear [...]

Lighting Controls Association (LCA) Education Director and LightNOW Founder, Craig DiLouie recently published an article, Deep Dive Into the Lighting Control Requirements of the 2024 IECC. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the lighting control requirements introduced in the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), focusing on commercial buildings. The IECC, updated every three [...]

In March 2025, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) published the ANSI/NEMA C137.9-2025 standard, titled “Networked Lighting Control Systems Configuration Report.” This new standard was developed through the efforts of industry leaders, including the DesignLights Consortium’s (DLC) Levin Nock and working group co-chair Jason Jeunnette, with the goal of streamlining the configuration and verification process [...]

The ANSI 137.10 standard enhances outdoor lighting resilience by addressing interoperability and infrastructure durability during extreme weather events. Developed by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), this standard establishes unified communication protocols and technical requirements for networked outdoor lighting systems, particularly in hurricane-prone regions. Interoperability for Continuity By mandating open communication interfaces, ANSI 137.10 ensures [...]