The primary mechanism for regulating indoor lighting energy under the Standards is to limit the allowed lighting power in watts installed in the building. Other mechanisms require basic equipment efficiency, and require that the lighting is controlled to permit efficient operation.
The significant changes for nonresidential indoor lighting in the 2013 update to the Standards include:
•An increased number of steps for mandatory multi-level lighting controls.
•New requirements for bi-level occupancy controls in some spaces.
•In all buildings except offices, lighting must be shut off completely during unoccupied times.
•Automatic daylighting controls are mandatory in all primary daylit zones with at least 120W of installed load, with fewer exceptions.
•The threshold for when alterations must comply with the Standards has been reduced from when 50% of the luminaires in a room are altered, to when 10% of the luminaires in a room are altered.
•A new category of alteration called “luminaire modifications in place” has been added.
•Demand responsive control systems are required in all buildings 10,000 square feet or larger.
•The nonresidential indoor lighting Standards apply to nonresidential, high-rise residential (except dwelling units), and hotel/motel occupancies (except guest rooms).
•The nonresidential indoor lighting Standards are the same for unconditioned spaces as they are for conditioned spaces, except that trade-offs are not allowed between unconditioned and conditioned spaces.
•Some function areas within a few buildings typically classified as low-rise residential are required to comply with the nonresidential indoor lighting Standards, such as the common area in a low-rise multi-family residential building when there is greater than 20% common area in the building (§150.0(k)12).
•Some function areas in nonresidential, high-rise residential, and hotel/motel occupancies are required to comply with the low-rise residential lighting Standards (section 5.2.1 of this chapter).
•The low-rise residential lighting Standards are covered in chapter 6 of the 2013 Residential Compliance Manual.
•The 2013 Standards require that hotel/motel guest rooms have captive card key controls or occupancy sensing controls that controls lighting, half of the receptacles and HVAC equipment. For details of the HVAC requirements, see (§120.2(e)4). The lighting requirements include the following for hotel/motel guest rooms:
a. Shall have captive card key controls, occupancy sensing controls, or other automatic controls that automatically turn off the lighting within 30 minutes after the guest room has been vacated (§130.1(c)8).
There is an exception to this requirement. One high efficacy luminaire (as defined in TABLE 150.0-A or 150.0-B) that is switched separately and where the switch is located within 6 feet of the entry door is not required to automatically turn off within 30 minutes.
b. For hotel and motel guest rooms at least one-half of the 120-volt receptacles in each guest room shall be controlled receptacles that comply with §130.5(d)1, 2, and 3. Electric circuits serving controlled receptacles shall have captive card key controls, occupancy sensing controls, or automatic controls such that, no longer than 30 minutes after the guest room has been vacated, the power is switched off (§130.5(d)).
•Qualified historic buildings are not covered by the Standards, as stated in exception 1 to §100.0(a). Historic buildings are regulated by the California Historical Building Code (Title 24, Part 8 or California Building Code, Title 24, Part 2, Volume I, Chapter 34, Division II).. However, non-historical components of the buildings, such as new or replacement mechanical, plumbing, and electrical (including lighting) equipment, additions and alterations to historic buildings, and new appliances in historic buildings may need to comply with the Standards and Appliance Efficiency Regulations, as well as other codes. For more information about energy compliance requirements for Historic Buildings, see section 1.7.1, Building Types Covered, in Chapter 1 of this 'manual.
Some requirements in the nonresidential lighting Standards are classified as “Mandatory Measures,” because they are required to be met regardless of the compliance approach used. There are no alternate options for the Mandatory Measures. There are no options to not comply with the Mandatory Measures. Details about the Mandatory Measures are in sections 5.2 through 5.4 of this chapter.
Lighting Power Allotments are the established maximum lighting power (typically watts per square foot) that can be installed based upon the compliance approach used, the building type, and the type of primary function area. Lighting Power Allotments for an application are determined by one of the following four compliance approaches:
A. Prescriptive Approach – Complete Building Method: applicable when the entire building’s lighting system is designed and permitted at one time, and when at least 90 percent of the building is one primary nonresidential building type of use, as defined specifically in §100.1(b). In some cases, the complete building method may be used for an entire nonresidential building type tenant space in a multi-tenant building. A single Lighting Power Density Allotment value governs the entire building §140.6(b)1. See section 5.7.1.
B. Prescriptive Approach – Area Category Method: applicable for any permit situation, including tenant improvements. Lighting power values are assigned to each of the major function areas of a building (offices, lobbies, corridors, etc., as defined specifically §100.1(b)) This approach provides some flexibility to accommodate special tasks, by providing an additional power allowance under some circumstances. See section 5.7.2.
C. Prescriptive Approach – Tailored Method: applicable for a limited number of defined primary function areas when additional flexibility is needed to accommodate special task lighting needs in specific task areas. Several layers of lighting power allotments may be allowed depending on the space and tasks. Lighting power allotments are determined room-by-room and task-by-task. When using the Tailored method, the Area Category Method shall be used for the remainder of the interior lighting in the building. See section 5.7.3.
D. Performance Approach: applicable when the designer uses an Energy Commission-certified compliance software program to demonstrate that the proposed building's energy consumption, including lighting power, meets the energy budget. The performance approach incorporates one or more of the three previous methods which set the appropriate Lighting Power Allotment used in calculating the building’s custom energy budget.
The Performance Approach allows energy allotments to be traded between mechanical, envelope, and lighting systems. Such trade-offs can only be made when permit applications are sought for those systems involved. For example, under the performance approach, a building with an envelope or mechanical system that is more efficient than the prescriptive efficiency requirements may be able to meet the energy budget for a standard designed building with a bit more lighting power than allowed under the three prescriptive lighting approaches.
No additional lighting power allotment is gained by using the Performance Method when not trading energy from the mechanical or envelope systems. Therefore, the Performance approach is not applicable to lighting compliance alone. The Performance Approach may only be used to model the performance of lighting systems that are covered under the building permit application. See section 5.8 and Chapter 11 of this document.
Chapter 2 of this 'manual provides an overview of the documentation requirements and the process of complying with the Standards. Additionally, acceptance requirements are covered in section 5.4.6, certificates of installation are explained in section 5.4.7, and lighting plan check documents are covered in Section 5.10 of this chapter.
This process includes providing documentation that shows a building complies with all of the pertinent requirements of the Standards. After this is reviewed and approved during plan check, construction may begin. During and after construction, installers must post or submit Certificate of Installations to verify that all equipment has met the requirements 'listed in the Certificate of Compliance; and there are periodic field inspections to assure that all required energy features are installed. At the end of construction, acceptance tests are performed on HVAC and lighting controls to assure they are installed and work correctly.
If inspections or acceptance testing uncover systems that are not installed as shown in the plans and documentation, or are found not to be operating correctly through acceptance testing, these defects have to be fixed before the building is approved. Once approved by the code official as complying with all the building code requirements including the energy code, the building receives a Certificate of Occupancy.
Figure 5-2, above, shows the process for complying with the nonresidential indoor lighting Standards.
Following the right side of Figure 5-2:
First, the Mandatory Measures are required regardless of the compliance method selected (See sections 5.2 through 5.4).
Next, select a method for complying with the Standards. There are three Prescriptive compliance methods: Complete Building Method, Area Category Method, and Tailored Method (See sections 5.6 through 5.7); and there is a Performance Method (See section 5.8), where compliance is demonstrated using one of the software programs that has been approved by the Energy Commission.
This process will determine how many watts of lighting power are allowed to be installed in the building.
Following the left side of Figure 5-2:
First, calculate the actual lighting power installed by totaling all of the lighting installed in the building (See section 5.3).
Next, subtract lighting control credits (See section 5.6).
This process will demonstrate the adjusted actual watts of lighting power that has been installed in the building.
Conclusion
If the lighting power that is allowed to be installed in the building, is equal to or greater than the adjusted actual watts installed, then the lighting in the building complies with the Standards. If the lighting in the building does not comply with the Standards, then either the lighting power will need to be reduced, or additional lighting credits will need to be acquired.