Codes + Standards

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 [...]

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published two new roadway and area lighting equipment standards, ANSI C136.25-2009 Ingress Protection (Resistance to Dust, Solid Objects, and Moisture) for Luminaire Enclosures and ANSI C136.35-2009 Luminaire Electrical Ancillary Devices (LEAD). ANSI C136.25-2009 provides guidance for protecting luminaires from ingress based on the anticipated environment and explains how [...]

The California Energy Commission has announced that the effective date for the 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Parts 1 and 6) has been changed to January 1, 2010. The reason: delays in completing the public domain compliance software. The California Energy Commission adopted the 2008 Standards on April 23, 2008, and the Building [...]

The Department of Energy’s Building Codes Resource Center has published a summary of the ASHRAE guidelines for achieving 30% savings over ASHRAE 90.1-1999 in small office buildings. One of the interesting features of the website is a series of layout templates. Check it out here.