Codes + Standards

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published BL 2-2009 Energy Efficiency for Electronic Ballasts for T8 Fluorescent Lamps. The standard was developed by NEMA’s Ballast Section and revises the 2007 version. BL 2 contains energy efficiency requirements for evaluating electronic ballasts designed for use with 4-ft. 32W T8 fluorescent lamps with a lumen output [...]

bad lighting bad for your health? In June 2009, the American Medical Association adopted a resolution advocating that “all future outdoor lighting be of energy-efficient designs” and that the AMA “support light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts.” Specifically, the AMA resolved to support efforts to ensure that streetlights feature a “fully shielded or [...]

UL Environment, Inc. has begun a collaborative effort to develop sustainability standards for indoor and outdoor lighting. These standards will assist consumers, designers, architects and building operators in identifying more sustainable options for interior and exterior light fixtures, LED modules and related lighting components. The standards will address entire luminaires, including reflector, aperture, outer shell [...]

Model energy codes and standards cover new construction and renovations. As of the time of writing, many types of retrofits, such as replacing lamps and ballasts, are not directly impacted by energy codes, although some jurisdictions may require a building permit for some lighting upgrades. With publication of the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 standard in the fall [...]

BACnet International and the EnOcean Alliance, an international consortium of 130 companies from the building sector, today announced its cooperation with BACnet’s Wireless Networking-Working Group (WN-WG) to develop a vendor independent gateway specification for integrating EnOcean-based wireless energy-harvesting nodes into the world’s leading data communications protocol for building automation and control. As the only wireless [...]

A new standard for the design of high-performance green buildings is set to revolutionize the building industry. Published by ASHRAE in conjunction with IES and the U.S. Green Building Council, Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the first code-intended commercial green building standard in the United [...]

Green construction codes and standards are beginning to emerge on the national code stage. The standards go beyond energy standards such as 90.1 and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to cover additional areas such as site sustainability, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and materials and resources. This is the subject of a new whitepaper [...]

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Fellow Electrical Contractor Magazine columnist Charlie Trout, a well-known expert on the National Electrical Code (NEC), devoted his entire December 2009 column to answering lighting-related code questions. Check it out here.