Changes to the mandatory Title 24 lighting requirements take effect in 2014. The changes in California’s new Building Energy Efficiency Standards improve the energy efficiency of homes by 25 percent and make nonresidential buildings 30 percent more efficient than the previous 2008 standards. This brief guide offers an overview of important requirements and major updates to the lighting code
More retrofit projects will be required to meet new-construction standards for both lighting power density (LPD) and controls. The only exceptions are buildings with fewer than 40 ballasts being replaced and spaces where less than 10% of the lighting is affected.
Demand Response Controls
The 2008 code only required DR capability in retail buildings with sales floor areas ≥ 50,000 ft2. The 2013 code expands this considerably, requiring that all non-residential buildings ≥ 10,000 ft2 be capable of responding to a DR signal, so that: ··Total energy use for lighting can automatically drop to a level at least 15% below the building's maximum total lighting power ··Lighting is reduced in a manner consistent with requirements for uniform illumination levels listed in Table 130.1-A Non-habitable spaces must not be used to comply with this requirement, and spaces with a lighting power density ≤ 0.5 W / ft2 must not be counted toward the building’s total lighting power. As in years past, designers remain responsible for specifying controls that are compatible with the local utility's DR protocol, and building operators must program lighting controls. Automatic Daylighting Controls Under the 2008 code, daylighting controls were only required in side lit spaces ≥ 2,500 ft2 and sky lit zones ≥ 8,000 ft2. Section 110.9 of the 2013 code requires daylighting controls for side lit spaces with controlled general lighting ≥ 120 W and sky lit zones ≥ 5,000 ft2. This means daylighting controls will be implemented into virtually every office or commercial space with skylights or windows. Occupant-sensing lighting controls As with the 2008 code, occupancy sensors and lighting controls are required in the following areas: ··Offices ≤ 250 ft2 ··Conference rooms of any size ··Multipurpose rooms < 1000 ft2 ··Classrooms of any size Security and egress lighting Under the 2008 code, most buildings were allowed to keep approximately 15 percent of their full lighting capacity on at all times for security and egress purposes. This allowance has been either eliminated entirely or drastically reduced under the new standards: ··Building areas that are not occupied 24 / 7 will no longer be able to leave lighting on during unoccupied periods ··Modest allowances for egress lighting remain, but egress lighting must be shut off outside occupied times along with general lighting ··Only offices will be allowed to maintain 24 / 7 lighting, but only along designated paths of egress, and at a reduced maximum of just 0.05 W / ft2, (versus 0.3 W / ft2 under the previous code
Secondary spaces
The 2013 code requires occupant-sensing controls that automatically reduce lighting power by 50% in these areas when they are unoccupied: ··Corridors and stairwells ··Warehouse aisles and open areas ··Library book stack aisles that are accessible from only one end and are ≥ 10 ft. in length; those that are accessible from both ends and are ≥ 20 ft. in length must adhere to the same standard Parking Garages. Parking garages are classified as indoor spaces under Title 24 lighting regulations and must comply with Section 130.1(c) 7B. Top-level roof areas are the exception; these are classified as outdoor hardscape and must comply with the applicable provisions in Section 130.2. The following regulations are new for parking garages: ··In parking garages, parking areas, and loading and unloading areas, general lighting must be controlled by occupant-sensing controls having at least one control step between 20% and 50% of design lighting power ··In a parking garage area with a combined total of 36 ft2 or more of glazing or opening, luminaires providing general lighting that are in the combined primary and secondary side lit day lit zones must be controlled independently by automatic photo controls ··Automatic daylighting controls must be multi-level, continuous dimming or on / off ··When primary side lit zones receive sufficient daylight to reach illuminance levels above 150% of that provided by electric lighting when no daylight is available, controls must reduce lighting power consumption to zero
NON-RESIDENTIAL outdoor
Lighting Requirements the 2008 code required all outdoor lighting to be equipped with either a photo control system or an automatic scheduling control system; the new code requires both. Section 130.2(c) addresses these requirements. All installed outdoor lighting must be circuited to turn off independently from other electrical loads. Motion sensors and controls are also required, in addition to photo controls and automatic scheduling, for certain outdoor lighting applications. Luminaires Mounted ≤ 24 ft. Above the Ground No more than 1,500 W of lighting power may be controlled together for outdoor lighting of this type. Automatic lighting controls for these luminaires must: ··Utilize motion sensors or another automatic lighting control system, in addition to photo controls and automatic scheduling controls ··Be capable of automatically reducing the lighting power of each luminaire by at least 40%, but not more than 80%, or provide continuous dimming through a range that includes 40 – 80% ··Have auto-on functionality when the area becomes occupied Exceptions These types of lighting constitute exceptions to the above requirements: ··Pole-mounted luminaires with a maximum rated wattage of 75 W ··Non-pole-mounted luminaires with a maximum rated wattage of 30 W ··Linear lighting with a maximum wattage of 4 W per linear foot of luminaire ··Outdoor sales: frontage, lots and canopies
Outdoor Sales Lighting
Outdoor sales lighting for frontage areas, lots and canopies must utilize automatic lighting controls that: ··Can automatically reduce lighting power by at least 40% but not more than 80% ··Provide auto-on functionality Building Facades, Ornamental Hardscape and Outdoor Dining Areas Lighting for these areas must have an automatic lighting control installed that enables one or both of the following control strategies: ··Motion sensors capable of automatically reducing lighting power by at least 40% but not more than 80% during vacant periods, with auto-on functionality ··A centralized time-based zone lighting control capable of automatically reducing lighting power by at least 50% Wall packs (defined by the IES Handbook as outdoor wall-mounted luminaires having a bilaterally symmetric distribution) must comply with the applicable requirements in Section 130.2(c)3 where the bottom of the luminaire is mounted ≤ 24 ft above the ground. Outdoor Incandescent Lighting All outdoor incandescent luminaires rated over 100 W and installed for non-residential use must be controlled by a motion sensor in addition to photo controls and scheduling controls. Glare control the 2013 code requires all outdoor luminaires ≤ 150 W to comply with the IES BUG system for assessing and limiting backlight, up light and glare. This marks a change from the older cutoff system, which only applied to luminaires ≤ 175 W under the 2008 standards.
More retrofit projects will be required to meet new-construction standards for both lighting power density (LPD) and controls. The only exceptions are buildings with fewer than 40 ballasts being replaced and spaces where less than 10% of the lighting is affected.
Demand Response Controls
The 2008 code only required DR capability in retail buildings with sales floor areas ≥ 50,000 ft2. The 2013 code expands this considerably, requiring that all non-residential buildings ≥ 10,000 ft2 be capable of responding to a DR signal, so that: ··Total energy use for lighting can automatically drop to a level at least 15% below the building's maximum total lighting power ··Lighting is reduced in a manner consistent with requirements for uniform illumination levels listed in Table 130.1-A Non-habitable spaces must not be used to comply with this requirement, and spaces with a lighting power density ≤ 0.5 W / ft2 must not be counted toward the building’s total lighting power. As in years past, designers remain responsible for specifying controls that are compatible with the local utility's DR protocol, and building operators must program lighting controls. Automatic Daylighting Controls Under the 2008 code, daylighting controls were only required in side lit spaces ≥ 2,500 ft2 and sky lit zones ≥ 8,000 ft2. Section 110.9 of the 2013 code requires daylighting controls for side lit spaces with controlled general lighting ≥ 120 W and sky lit zones ≥ 5,000 ft2. This means daylighting controls will be implemented into virtually every office or commercial space with skylights or windows. Occupant-sensing lighting controls As with the 2008 code, occupancy sensors and lighting controls are required in the following areas: ··Offices ≤ 250 ft2 ··Conference rooms of any size ··Multipurpose rooms < 1000 ft2 ··Classrooms of any size Security and egress lighting Under the 2008 code, most buildings were allowed to keep approximately 15 percent of their full lighting capacity on at all times for security and egress purposes. This allowance has been either eliminated entirely or drastically reduced under the new standards: ··Building areas that are not occupied 24 / 7 will no longer be able to leave lighting on during unoccupied periods ··Modest allowances for egress lighting remain, but egress lighting must be shut off outside occupied times along with general lighting ··Only offices will be allowed to maintain 24 / 7 lighting, but only along designated paths of egress, and at a reduced maximum of just 0.05 W / ft2, (versus 0.3 W / ft2 under the previous code
Secondary spaces
The 2013 code requires occupant-sensing controls that automatically reduce lighting power by 50% in these areas when they are unoccupied: ··Corridors and stairwells ··Warehouse aisles and open areas ··Library book stack aisles that are accessible from only one end and are ≥ 10 ft. in length; those that are accessible from both ends and are ≥ 20 ft. in length must adhere to the same standard Parking Garages. Parking garages are classified as indoor spaces under Title 24 lighting regulations and must comply with Section 130.1(c) 7B. Top-level roof areas are the exception; these are classified as outdoor hardscape and must comply with the applicable provisions in Section 130.2. The following regulations are new for parking garages: ··In parking garages, parking areas, and loading and unloading areas, general lighting must be controlled by occupant-sensing controls having at least one control step between 20% and 50% of design lighting power ··In a parking garage area with a combined total of 36 ft2 or more of glazing or opening, luminaires providing general lighting that are in the combined primary and secondary side lit day lit zones must be controlled independently by automatic photo controls ··Automatic daylighting controls must be multi-level, continuous dimming or on / off ··When primary side lit zones receive sufficient daylight to reach illuminance levels above 150% of that provided by electric lighting when no daylight is available, controls must reduce lighting power consumption to zero
NON-RESIDENTIAL outdoor
Lighting Requirements the 2008 code required all outdoor lighting to be equipped with either a photo control system or an automatic scheduling control system; the new code requires both. Section 130.2(c) addresses these requirements. All installed outdoor lighting must be circuited to turn off independently from other electrical loads. Motion sensors and controls are also required, in addition to photo controls and automatic scheduling, for certain outdoor lighting applications. Luminaires Mounted ≤ 24 ft. Above the Ground No more than 1,500 W of lighting power may be controlled together for outdoor lighting of this type. Automatic lighting controls for these luminaires must: ··Utilize motion sensors or another automatic lighting control system, in addition to photo controls and automatic scheduling controls ··Be capable of automatically reducing the lighting power of each luminaire by at least 40%, but not more than 80%, or provide continuous dimming through a range that includes 40 – 80% ··Have auto-on functionality when the area becomes occupied Exceptions These types of lighting constitute exceptions to the above requirements: ··Pole-mounted luminaires with a maximum rated wattage of 75 W ··Non-pole-mounted luminaires with a maximum rated wattage of 30 W ··Linear lighting with a maximum wattage of 4 W per linear foot of luminaire ··Outdoor sales: frontage, lots and canopies
Outdoor Sales Lighting
Outdoor sales lighting for frontage areas, lots and canopies must utilize automatic lighting controls that: ··Can automatically reduce lighting power by at least 40% but not more than 80% ··Provide auto-on functionality Building Facades, Ornamental Hardscape and Outdoor Dining Areas Lighting for these areas must have an automatic lighting control installed that enables one or both of the following control strategies: ··Motion sensors capable of automatically reducing lighting power by at least 40% but not more than 80% during vacant periods, with auto-on functionality ··A centralized time-based zone lighting control capable of automatically reducing lighting power by at least 50% Wall packs (defined by the IES Handbook as outdoor wall-mounted luminaires having a bilaterally symmetric distribution) must comply with the applicable requirements in Section 130.2(c)3 where the bottom of the luminaire is mounted ≤ 24 ft above the ground. Outdoor Incandescent Lighting All outdoor incandescent luminaires rated over 100 W and installed for non-residential use must be controlled by a motion sensor in addition to photo controls and scheduling controls. Glare control the 2013 code requires all outdoor luminaires ≤ 150 W to comply with the IES BUG system for assessing and limiting backlight, up light and glare. This marks a change from the older cutoff system, which only applied to luminaires ≤ 175 W under the 2008 standards.