5.10      Additions and Alterations

5.10.1        Overview

New additions, similar to newly constructed buildings, must meet all mandatory measures for both the prescriptive and performance method of compliance. Prescriptive requirements, including the lighting power densities, must be met if the prescriptive method of compliance is used. If the performance approach is used and the new addition includes envelope or mechanical systems in the performance analysis, the lighting power densities may be traded-off against other system energy budgets.

Any space with a lighting system installed for the first time must meet the same lighting requirements as a newly constructed building.

Entire luminaire alterations include removing and reinstalling more than 10 percent of the existing luminaires, replacing or removing and adding luminaires, and redesign of the lighting system that includes adding, removing, or replacing walls or ceilings.   

Luminaire component modifications include replacing the ballasts or drivers and the associated lamps, permanently changing the light source, and changing the optical system such as reflectors.

Lighting Wiring alterations include wiring alterations that add a circuit feeding luminaires; that relocate, modify, or replace wiring between a switch or panel board and luminaires; or that replace lighting control panels, panel boards or branch circuit wiring.

5.10.2        Additions

The nonresidential indoor lighting of the addition shall meet either the prescriptive approach or the performance approach.

When using the prescriptive approach, the indoor lighting in the addition must meet the lighting requirements of §110.0; §110.9, §130.0 through §130.5, §140.3, and §140.6.

When using the performance approach, the indoor lighting in the addition must meet the lighting requirements of §110.0; §110.9; §130.0 through §130.5; and one of the following two options of the performance requirements :

1.  The addition alone with §140.1; or

2.  The existing building plus the addition plus the alteration.

5.10.3        Alterations – General Information

5.10.3.1    Scope

Alterations to existing nonresidential, high-rise residential, hotel/motel, or re-locatable public school buildings; or alterations in conjunction with a change in building occupancy to a nonresidential, high-rise residential, or hotel/motel occupancy; shall meet the following requirements:

i.            Comply with the requirements for additions, or

ii.           Comply with the Prescriptive lighting requirements, or

iii.          Comply with the Performance approach.

An alteration is defined by the Energy Standards as follows:

i.            Any change to a building's water-heating system, space-conditioning system, lighting system, electrical power distribution system, or envelope that is not an addition; and

ii.           Any regulated change to an outdoor lighting system that is not an addition; and

iii.          Any regulated change to signs located either indoors or outdoors; and

iv.          Any regulated change to a covered process that is not an addition.

An altered component is defined by the Energy Standards as a component that has undergone an alteration and is subject to all applicable requirements.

5.10.3.2    Indoor Lighting Exceptions

The following indoor lighting alterations are not required to comply with the lighting requirements in the Energy Standards:

1. Alterations where less than 10 percent of existing luminaires are being altered.

2. Alteration of portable luminaires, luminaires affixed to moveable partitions, or lighting excluded by §140.6(a)3.

3. In an enclosed space where there is only one luminaire.

4. Disturbance of asbestos directly caused by any alterations, unless the alterations are made in conjunction with asbestos abatement.

5. One-for-one luminaire alteration of up to 50 luminaires either per complete floor of the building or per complete tenant space, per annum.

6. Alteration limited to addition of lighting controls or replacing lamps, ballasts, or drivers

5.10.3.3    Skylight Exception

When the daylighting control requirements of §130.1(d) are triggered by the addition of skylights to an existing building and the lighting system is not re-circuited, the daylighting control need not meet the multi-level requirements in §130.1(d). Daylit areas must be controlled separately from non-daylit areas.  An automatic control must be able to reduce lighting power by at least 65 percent when the daylit area is fully illuminated by daylight.

5.10.3.4    Alterations – Performance Approach

When using the Performance Approach (using a software program certified to the Energy Commission) the altered envelope, space–conditioning system, lighting and water heating components, and any newly installed equipment serving the alteration, shall meet the applicable requirements of §110.0 through §110.9, §120.0 through §120.6, and §120.9 through §130.5.

5.10.3.5    Alterations – Prescriptive Approach

When using the Prescriptive Approach, the altered lighting shall meet the applicable requirements of §110.0, §110.9, and §130.0 through §130.4.

5.10.4        Lighting Alterations

The 2019 edition of Title 24, Part 6 restructured the lighting alterations language to improve clarity. The three previous types of lighting alterations (entire luminaire, luminaire component, and wiring) have been unified into a single section (Section 141.0(b)2I), and the three compliance options have been clearly stated.

Alterations to the lighting systems must comply with the requirements in Section 141.0(b)2I when 10 percent or more of the luminaires serving an enclosed space are altered. Three types of alterations are covered by the standard:

      Entire luminaire alterations affect the entire luminaire such as the complete replacement of old luminaires with new.

      Completely disconnecting the luminaire from the circuit, modifying it, and reinstalling it.

      Moving or modifying the walls or ceilings of the space along with modifying the space’s lighting system.

Luminaire component modifications include replacing the ballasts or drivers and the associated lamps in the luminaire, permanently changing the light source of the luminaire, or changing the optical system of the luminaire. Wiring alterations add a circuit feeding luminaires; replace, modify, or relocate wiring between a switch or panel board and luminaires; or replace lighting control panels, panel boards, or branch circuit wiring.

The Energy Standards compliance goals for the lighting alterations are twofold.  First, the installation must meet the lighting power level specified in the Energy Standards, and second, the installation must provide the lighting controls functionality specified in the Energy Standards.

The 2019 Energy Standards allow the same three options for meeting the installed power and associated control requirements as the 2016 standards, and specify a set of requirements for lighting power allowance and controls for each of the following cases:

1. The altered lighting power that does not exceed Table 140.6-C,

2. The altered lighting power that is equal to or less than 80 percent of Table 140.6-C, or

3. Where the alteration is within a building or tenant space of 5,000 sq. ft. or less, and the total rated power of the existing luminaires in the occupancy, have 40 percent lower power than the pre-alteration total luminaire rate power.

Altered lighting systems must meet one of the three requirements above. Option 3 allows the maximum installed lighting power to be determined by totaling and taking a percentage of the currently installed lighting power, rather than by measuring the square footage of the space and multiplying it by a lighting power allowance. Options 2 and 3 are likely to result in a lower lighting power than option 1, and therefore multi-level lighting controls (Section 130.1(b)), daylighting controls (Section 130.1(d)), and demand responsive controls (Section 130.1(e)) are not required for these options. The control requirements for each option are described in Table 5-4.

Alterations to indoor lighting systems should be such that they do not prevent the operation of existing, unaltered controls, and do not alter controls to remove functions specified in Section 130.1. Alterations to indoor lighting systems are not required to separate existing general, floor, wall, display, or ornamental lighting on shared circuits or controls. New or completely replaced lighting circuits shall comply with the control separation requirements of Section 130.1(a)4 and 130.1(c)1D.

Table 5-2 (Modified Table 141.0-F): Control Requirement for Indoor Lighting Alterations

Control Specifications

Projects complying with Section 141.0(b)2Ii

Projects complying with  Sections 141.0(b)2Iii and  141.0(b)2Iiii

Manual Area Controls

130.1(a)1

Required

Required

130.1(a)2

Required

Required

130.1(a)

Only required for new or completely replaced circuits

Only required for new or completely replaced circuits

Multi-Level Controls

130.1(b)

Required

Not Required

Automatic Shut Off Controls

130.1(c)1

Required; 130.1(c)1D only required for new or completely replaced circuits

Required; 130.1(c)1 only required for new or completely replaced circuits

130.1(c)2

Required

Required

130.1(c)3

Required

Required

130.1(c)4

Required

Required

130.1(c)5

Required

Required

130.1(c)6

Required

Required

130.1(c)7

Required

Required

130.1(c)8

Required

Required

Daylighting Controls

130.1(d)

Required

Not Required

Demand Responsive Controls

130.1(e)

Required

Not Required

The following lighting alterations are not required to comply with §141.0(b)2l:

1. Alterations where less than 10 percent of existing luminaires are altered (such as removed and reinstalled, or modified).

2. Alterations of portable luminaires, luminaires affixed to moveable partitions, or lighting excluded by §140.6(a)3.

3. Alterations in an enclosed space with only one luminaire.

4. Alterations that would directly cause the disturbance of asbestos, unless the alterations are made in conjunction with asbestos abatement.

5. One-for-one luminaire alteration of up to 50 luminaires either per complete floor of the building or per complete tenant space, per annum.

6. Lamp replacements alone, ballast or driver replacements alone, and addition of lighting controls are exempted. Such alterations shall not be considered a modification of the luminaire provided that the replacement lamps, ballasts, drivers, or controls are installed and powered without modifying the luminaire.

The acceptance testing requirement of §130.4 is not required for alterations where lighting controls are added to control 20 or fewer luminaires.

 

Example 5-26 Luminaire Alterations

All light fixtures are being replaced in one enclosed room of a commercial tenant space of less than 5,000 sq. ft. The entire tenant space has a total of 100 light fixtures. The altered room will receive a total of 40 new light fixtures. Which Energy Standards requirements must we comply with?

Answer

Since all existing luminaires (fixtures) within the enclosed area (room) are being replaced with 40 new ones, the project must comply with one of the two requirements of i, or ii of §141.0(b)2l. Since this is not a one-for-one alteration, section iii of §141.0(b)2l is not available as an option for compliance.

 

Example 5-27 Example Warehouse Lighting Alteration (example compliance with the 40 percent lighting power reduction option)

Question

The existing metal halide luminaires in a warehouse facility of 5,000 sq. ft. are proposed to be replaced by LED luminaires (shown below). There are 100 existing metal halide luminaires that use 250 watts each, all of which will be replaced. The replacement LED luminaires use 150 watts each. How is compliance determined under the new power reduction option, and what controls are required?

A lamp taken from an existing luminaire    Label of an existing luminaire

Source: EcologyAction                              Source: EcologyAction

Picture of one of the new LED luminaire

Source: EcologyAction

Answer

The power reduction option requires a 40 percent reduction in installed lighting power. Thus, enter the number and wattage of the existing luminaires into NRCC-LTI, and use the form to calculate both the existing installed lighting power (100 x 250 = 25,000) and the maximum allowance based on a 40 percent reduction (25,000 x 0.6 = 15,000).  Enter the number and wattage of the new luminaires into NRCC-LTI, just like any other project; if this is a one-for-one replacement, then the total lighting power of the new luminaires would be at the allowance (100 x 150 = 15,000).

Since the lighting power reduction is at 40 percent, only manual area controls and automatic shutoff controls are mandatory as specified in Section 141.0(b)2Iiii and summarized in Table 5-4.

 

Example 5-28 Lighting Wiring Projects

Question

If the lighting system is being rewired as part of a lighting alteration project, which Energy Standards requirement must be complied with?

Answer

Note that alterations to lighting wiring are considered alterations to the lighting system; the requirements for wiring alterations and lighting alterations are the same.

When the alteration involves a wiring alteration, it must comply with the control requirements as specified in §130.1(a)3 and 130.1(c)1D.

The acceptance test requirement is triggered if controls are added to control more than 20 luminaires.

 

Example 5-29 Alterations Projects with both lamps and ballasts of the luminaire being replaced

Question

There are 100 lighting fixtures in an existing office space. For 20 fixtures, the internal components (lamps and ballasts) are being replaced with new kits.

Which Energy Standards requirements apply?

Answer

Because 20 out of 100, or 20 percent (more than 10 percent of the trigger threshold), of the luminaires are altered and also both lamps and ballast are replaced (removed and replaced with retrofit kits), the alteration shall meet one of the requirements of i, ii, or iii of Section 141.0(b)2I, “Altered Indoor Lighting Systems”.

 

Example 5-30 Alterations in enclosed spaces with one luminaire

Question

A project includes more than 50 luminaires with one-for-one alteration on a floor, but a portion of those altered luminaires are in enclosed spaces containing one luminaire.

How are the luminaires in the enclosed spaces counted toward the trigger threshold of 50 luminaires under §141.0(b)2l (one-for-one luminaire alteration)?

Answer

Yes, the Exception 2 to §141.0(b)2l exempts enclosed spaces with one luminaire from the requirements of Section 141.0(b)2I, but does not reduce the total luminaire count on a floor or a tenant space. Therefore, the altered luminaires on the floor other than those one-luminaire spaces are required to meet one of the three requirements of i, ii, or iii of Section 141.0(b)2I.

 

Example 5-31 Lamp replacements as part of a project

Question

A single-story retail store has 50 T12 linear fluorescent strip luminaires and two sections of track lighting. One of the tracks has 10 screw-in incandescent flood lights and the other track has 10 pin-based halogen PAR lamps. The linear luminaires are being retrofitted with T8 lamps and premium ballasts. In the track luminaires the screw-in and pin-based incandescent lamps are being replaced with equivalent screw-in and pin-based LED lamps. There are no other alterations done to the lighting system of that tenant space in the calendar year.

What are the Energy Standards requirements for this job?

Answer

There is a total of 70 luminaires (50+10+10 = 70 luminaires).

The Energy Standards are not triggered for this project because fewer than 50 fixtures are being modified.

Out of the 70 fixtures included in the project, the 20 incandescent fixtures have lamp replacement and they do not count toward the trigger threshold of 50 luminaires under §141.0(b)2l (one-for-one luminaire alteration). Only 50 luminaires are being altered in this job.

 

Example 5-32 Standards for Lighting Wiring Alterations

Question

If occupancy sensing controls are added to a suite of office spaces, does this addition trigger the requirements of §141.0(b)2l (Indoor Lighting Alterations)?

Answer

No, since the alterations are limited to the addition of occupancy sensing controls, it does not trigger any of the requirements of §141.0(b)2l.

 

Example 5-33 Skylights

Question

A 30,000 ft² addition has a 16,000 ft² space with an 18 ft. high ceiling and a separate 14,000 ft² space with a 13 ft high ceiling. The lighting power density in this building is 1 W/ft². Do skylights have to be installed in the portion of the building with 18-foot ceiling?

Answer

Yes. §140.3(c) requires skylights in enclosed spaces that are greater than 5,000 ft² directly under a roof with a ceiling height over 15 feet. In this example the area with a ceiling height greater than 15 feet is 16,000 ft²; therefore there are mandatory skylight requirements. (Note: skylight requirements do not apply in climate zones 1 and 16).

 

Example 5-34 Skylighting requirements for alterations

Question

A pre-existing air-conditioned 30,000 ft² warehouse with a 30 ft. ceiling and no skylights will have its general lighting system replaced as part of a conversion to a big box retail store. Are skylights prescriptively required?

Answer

No. The general lighting system is being replaced and is not “installed for the first time.” Thus, §141.0(b)2F does not apply and therefore does not trigger the requirements in §140.3(c) for skylighting.