For single-family buildings and spaces, all lighting requirements are mandatory. The residential lighting requirements differ from the nonresidential requirements in that there are no lighting power allowance threshold for spaces, no required lighting power calculations, and no prescriptive method for showing compliance. There are luminaire requirements and lighting control requirements for residential lighting installations.
The residential luminaire requirements apply to permanently installed luminaires, including luminaires with interchangeable lamps. They do not apply to portable luminaires such as table lamps or freestanding floor lamps. The lighting control requirements are focused on dimming controls and automatic off controls requirements for applicable spaces.
All section (§) and table references in this chapter refer to sections and tables contained in the Energy Code.
•Requirements for indoor luminaires and indoor lighting controls have been reorganized according to the subject requirements to improve readability.
•The lumen maintenance and rated-life requirements from Joint Appendix JA8 have been eliminated.
•Requirements for previously low-rise residential family requirements have been moved to the new multifamily chapters. (Nonresidential Compliance Manual Chapter 11 addresses multifamily buildings.)
The residential lighting requirements in the Energy Code apply to indoor and outdoor lighting for:
•Newly constructed single-family buildings.
•Additions and alterations to single-family buildings.
The California Energy Commission and others prepare educational resources with information about residential lighting. The Energy Commission’s online resources can be found at the online resource center at https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards/online-resource-center.