Codes + Standards

  Following intense backlash from business leaders, bipartisan members of Congress, and industry groups, the EPA is reconsidering the ENERGY STAR program after initially announcing plans to eliminate it in May 2025. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has stepped back from terminating the program and is now exploring options to preserve or restructure it, though no [...]

The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) released the DLC Technical Requirements for LED Lighting: SSL V6.0 and LUNA V2.0. Solid-State Lighting is DLC’s LED program, while LUNA (Light Usage for Night Applications) is DLC’s dark sky program. These updated requirements apply to both indoor and outdoor non-residential applications. The DLC Technical Requirements for LED Lighting: SSL V6.0 [...]

  The IES has approved seven new or revised lighting standards:   BSR/IES LP-30 Lighting Practice: A Comprehensive Guide to Specifying Color Rendition – Concepts, Criteria, and Implementation This Lighting Practice document provides guidance that bridges the gap between the science and practice of specifying the color rendering ability, i.e., color rendition, of white light sources. [...]

  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 [...]