The use of lighting controls is an important component of the residential lighting Standards. This section describes lighting control requirements for the residential lighting Standards.
Manual-on/automatic-off occupant sensors (also known as vacancy sensors), motion sensors, photocontrols and astronomical time clock controls(used for outdoor lighting), track lighting integral current limiters, and dimmers installed to comply with §150.0(k) shall be certified according to the applicable requirements of the Title 20 Appliance Standards, as described in §110.9.
Additional information about certifying devices to the Energy Commission is in section 6.2 of this chapter.
Following are controls that are required for compliance with the residential lighting Standards:
A. Permanently Installed Luminaires
All permanently installed high efficacy luminaires shall be switched separately from low efficacy luminaires.
B. Exhaust Fans
There are two options for the switching of lighting associated with exhaust fans:
1. All lighting shall be switched separately from exhaust fans, or
2. For an exhaust fan with an integral lighting system, it shall be possible for the lighting system to be manually turned on and off while allowing the fan to continue to operate for an extended period of time.
An exhaust fan may need to run continuously if used to comply with §150.0(o).
C. Readily Accessible Manual Controls
All permanently installed luminaires shall be switched with readily accessible controls that permit the luminaires to be manually switched on and off.
D. Manufacturer Instructions
All lighting controls and equipment shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
E. Multiple Switches
This requirement applies to all 3-way, 4-way, and other lighting circuits controlled by more than one switch. A lighting circuit controlled by more than one switch where a dimmer or vacancy sensor has been installed to comply with §150.0(k) shall meet the following conditions:
1. No controls shall bypass the dimmer or vacancy sensor function, and
2. The dimmer or vacancy sensor shall be certified to the Energy Commission that it complies with the applicable requirements of §119.
Lighting control devices may be either individual devices or systems consisting of two or more components. Lighting control systems and Energy Management Control Systems (EMCS) must meet the requirements of §110.9. There is no need for lighting control systems to be certified to the Commission. However, when installing a lighting control system, a licensee of record must sign a lighting control Certificate of Installation.
See section 6.2.2 of this chapter for more information about lighting control systems.
A. The residential lighting Standards require the installation of high efficacy lighting, but allow vacancy sensors to be used as an alternate compliance option in some room types.
See section 6.6 of this chapter to identify rooms where vacancy sensors may be used to comply with the residential lighting Standards.
B. Manual-on/automatic-off occupant sensors, also known as vacancy sensors, automatically turn lights off if an occupant forgets to turn them off when a room is unoccupied.
C. Additionally, these sensors are required to provide the occupant with the ability to manually turn the lights:
•Off upon leaving the room, and
•Off while still occupying a room, and
•On upon entering the room.
The manual–off feature is critical because it provides the occupants with the flexibility to control the lighting environment to their satisfaction, and results in greater energy savings by allowing the occupants to turn off the lights when they are not needed.
D. Vacancy sensors are required to the certified by the manufacturer to the Energy Commission in accordance with the requirements in the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations before they can be sold or offered for sale in California.
See section 6.2 of this chapter for more information about certifying lighting control devices.
E. If there are rooms or areas where there are safety concerns regarding the use of vacancy sensors, then the use of “dual technology” (infra-red plus ultrasonic) may be desirable, or alternatively the vacancy sensor may be staged to partially shut off the lighting before switching it off completely.
F. Vacancy sensors commonly on the market are wired in two different ways:
1. Where sensor operating current uses the load connection (two-wire connection).
2. Where sensor operating current uses a neutral connection (three-wire connection).
Some vacancy sensors using the load connection for operating current have minimum load requirements.
For example, a vacancy sensor may require that bulbs rated over 25W be installed before the sensor will work. However, if an occupant later installs a screw-in compact fluorescent lamp that is rated less than 25W, the sensor may no longer work.
Therefore, it is critical to select a sensor that has a low enough minimum load requirement to accommodate however small a load the occupant may install into the socket. The sensors that have a minimum load requirement are typically the ones that are designed to operate without a neutral wire in the switch box which is a common wiring scheme in older residential units.
A better solution would be to install a vacancy sensor that does not have minimum load requirements.
Vacancy sensors that are designed to take advantage of the neutral wire in the switch box typically do not have a minimum load requirement and are the preferred choice to meet the requirements of the residential lighting Standards.
Using vacancy sensors that uses the ground wire for the operating current is not recommended. There are potential safety concerns with using the ground to carry current in residential applications.
If you are trying to control a lighting fixture from two different switches you may want to use a ceiling mounted rather than a wall switch occupant sensor, or use 3-way vacancy sensors at both switch locations.
Example 6-2: Bathroom vacancy sensors—automatic on
Question
In 'addition to one high-efficacy luminaire, we would like to use incandescent lighting in a bathroom, controlled by a vacancy sensor. Although the vacancy sensor has the “manual-on” capability, it also has the capability of turning the lights on automatically by flipping a switch that is located under the switch plate cover. Does this sensor meet the requirements of the residential lighting Standards?
Answer
No, this vacancy sensor does not meet the requirements of the Standards. The Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations, and §110.9 of the Standards require that the vacancy sensor shall not have an override switch that converts the sensor from a manual-on to an automatic-on system. Such vacancy sensors cannot be sold in California according to the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations.
Example 6-3: Bathroom vacancy sensors--manual off
Question
Must the vacancy sensor in the example above give the occupant the option of turning the light off manually upon leaving the bathroom?
Answer
Yes. The vacancy sensor must provide the occupant with the option to turn the lights off manually upon leaving the space.
If the occupant forgets to turn the lights off when a room is left unoccupied then the vacancy sensor must turn the lights off automatically within 30 minutes.
The lights must then be manually switched back on when the lights are needed again. This option provides the occupants with the flexibility to control the lighting environment to their satisfaction, and results in greater energy savings by allowing the occupants to turn off the lights when they are not needed.
Example 6-4: Can auto-on occupancy sensors be used?
Question
What are our options if we want to use an automatic-on occupant sensor in a bathroom, garage, laundry room, or utility room?
Answer
Automatic-on occupant sensors are not allowed under the residential lighting Standards.
A. Dimmers are one of the alternate options to using high efficacy lighting in any room that is not a kitchen, bathroom, garage, laundry room, closet greater than 70 ft², or utility room.
See section 6.6.4 of this chapter for additional information.
B. Dimmers are required to be certified by the manufacturer according to the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations. See section 6.2 of this chapter for more information about certifying lighting control devices.
C. It is important to correctly match the dimmer with the type of lighting load that is being dimmed. Failure to correctly match the dimmer with the electrical lighting load may result in early equipment failure, including the dimmer, transformer, ballast, or lamp.
This is especially important with LED lighting; a dimmer with the appropriate power range should be chosen, to match the total wattage of lighting it controls.
D. Dimmer manufacturers typically offer three basic types of incandescent dimmers:
1. Line voltage (120 volt), and
2. Low-voltage for use with a magnetic transformer, and
3. Low-voltage for use with an electronic transformer.
Line voltage incandescent lamps, including tungsten-halogen lamps, can easily be dimmed over their full range of output with voltage control or phase control (electronic) dimmers, generally without any special considerations.
When dimming a low voltage load, additional components are required in the dimmer to avoid overheating the transformer. UL has separate requirements for 120-volt and low-voltage dimmers due to the heat concern with transformers.
Example 6-5: Using dimmers on three-way lighting circuits
Question
In stairwells and some corridors, 3-way circuits are a common way to allow control of the lighting from either end of the space. How can I use dimmers to give a similar level of control?
Answer
In this case, the Standards require that the lighting must be controlled by at least one dimmer. It is functionally preferable to have dimmers at every point.
However, the Standards do not require that every control point must allow dimming. One of the switches could be a dimmer and the other could be a regular toggle switch. Alternatively, more advanced controls are available that allow dimming from both ends of the circuit.
However, the toggles switch(es) must not allow the lighting to come on at a higher level than is set by the dimmer.