California has recently adopted energy efficiency standards that have a huge impact upon lighting. And since California has been leading the country in energy efficiency standards I thought I’d write up a quick summary of what homeowners ought to know about the changes to residential lighting since it is just a matter of time before similar rules spread to the rest of the country. Note that there are a couple adoption dates that we haven’t reached yet, so the entire Title 24 code isn’t in effect as of right now, but we may as well look to the future.
First of all, the new rules apply to all new residences and other projects that require a permit, so chances are you’re going to have to comply. Portable lighting, such as table and floor lamps, are not covered by the changes. However, all permanent lighting is covered and that basically includes anything attached to a surface. So you can’t stick a lighting track on the ceiling but control it by a cord plugged into an outlet. Lighting installed in furniture like cabinets or bath vanities is included. The big exception to this is lighting that is built into appliances, such as microwaves, refrigerators or stove exhaust hoods.
The idea is to divide lighting fixtures into high efficacy and low efficacy groups. You can install all the high efficacy fixtures you want anywhere you want. (Interestingly, to divide the fixtures into high and low efficacy the rules use just the lamp efficiency, rather than the actual fixture efficacy. Remember the efficiency/efficacy post?) To determine if a fixture is high efficacy it must comply with the following lumens per watt limits.
- If the fixture’s lamp is 5 watts or less, it must get at least 30 lumens per watt.
- If the fixture’s lamp is up to 15 watts, it must get at least 40 lumens per watt.
- If the fixture’s lamp is up to 40 watts, it must get at least 50 lumens per watt.
- If the fixture’s lamp is over 40 watts, it must get at least 60 lumens per watt.
(However, the method to determine the lumens per watt of LED fixtures has some restrictions so you can’t use the LPW of the LED module. You have to use the input power of the LED driver, but then it must also comply with the same LPW restrictions as above. You do NOT have to take the ballast for fluorescent lamps into account.)
Anything that doesn’t meet the above LPW restrictions is considered a low efficacy fixture.
In addition, there are some things that will automatically classify fixtures as a low efficacy fixture, the most important being that anything with a screw base socket is considered low efficacy. That means all fixtures using the medium or candelabra size socket that all our fixtures in our homes have been using for decades. There are some other things but the screw base socket is the most important. There is an exception for HID lamps with screw base sockets, and a huge section regarding the GU-24 base, but you probably won’t have to be concerned with those details.
Now, once you know what is high efficacy or low efficacy you can figure out what you can install in your home. There is a complex exception for the kitchen, but the basic rule of thumb is that you can only use high efficacy fixtures in your home.
Now, there are exceptions for most of your living areas:
- Low efficacy fixtures may be used if the circuit is controlled by a “vacancy sensor.” This is not the same as an occupancy sensor! A vacancy sensor is defined by the state as a control that can only be turned on manually and will automatically turn itself off after a preset time of 30 minutes or less unless it detects that the room is occupied or if the control is turned off manually. This explicitly excludes controls that turn on automatically, which is how occupancy sensors typically work. Also, if the control has a switch or something that allows you to choose if the turn on method is manual or automatic, it does not count.
- Low efficacy fixtures may be used if the circuit is controlled by a dimmer. The dimmer can be one that has several steps instead of a continuous sliding range, however, the dimmer must reduce the energy use by at least 65% at its lowest setting. That means that two-level switches with three settings (off, 1/2, and full on) do not count. Three-level switches which have four settings (off, 1/3, 2/3, and full on) do count. Also, if the dimming circuit can be controlled from multiple locations it must be impossible to bypass the dimmer. The alternate locations can either be remote dimmers or switches that turn the lights either off or to the dimmed level only.
There are exceptions and additions, most notably in the kitchen. However, it’s fairly involved so I’ll address them in the next post.
Tags: bathrooms, California, efficiency, kitchens, tips
