As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced $90 million in competitive awards to help states, cities, tribes, and partnering organizations implement updated energy codes for buildings.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), the Building Technologies Office (BTO) recently announced DOE’s intent to make $1 billion in funding available to states and local governments for improved building codes that reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency through the IRA Funded Technical Assistance for the Adoption of Building Energy Codes.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has published a short guide to plug load control and why it should be a common feature of commercial building energy codes.

Outcome-based commercial-building energy codes are an idea gaining new interest among policymakers in the United States. This type of energy code prescribes building energy budgets instead of a complex list of requirements. The first efforts started 10 years ago, and we are still years away from a model sure to gain significant adoption. Due to the concept’s potential benefits, however, it is possible, if not likely, that outcome-based codes will be a tool in future energy regulation.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE203: Lighting Controls and Commercial Energy Codes, Part 3: ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2016 and IECC 2018, as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

Code authorities are considering approaches to energy codes that are performance based instead of mainly prescriptive. In a performance-based code, the building would be designed so that it would operate within a target limit for energy consumption—using annual kWh/sq.ft. instead of W/sq.ft. as the primary metric.

In his Controls Column contributed to LD+A Magazine in late 2020, Wattstopper’s Charles Knuffke, chair of the Lighting Controls Association, makes the case that energy codes should recognize the non-energy benefits of lighting controls.

With the growing strain on the electric utilities driven by electric vehicle charging, electrification of heating, and energy-intensive technologies like AI and cryptocurrency mining, managing energy efficiently has never been more critical. Automated Demand Response (ADR) paired with advanced lighting controls offers a proactive solution to this challenge. By leveraging lighting control devices to reduce lighting at certain times, organizations can facilitate dynamic adjustments to energy consumption, helping to ensure utility grid stability while optimizing building performance.

In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) determined that the 2022 version of ASHRAE/ANSI/IES 90.1, Energy Efficiency Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, saves energy over the 2019 version. As such, this standard became recognized as the new national energy reference standard.

The Biden-Harris Administration recently released Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector, a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from buildings by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) led the Blueprint’s development in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other federal agencies.

On August 8, 2023 at 2PM ET, CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER will host a webcast about how understanding codes, controls, and commissioning are foundational for an effective lighting design for a new or existing building.

The Lighting Controls Association now offers EE203: Lighting Controls and Energy Codes: California Title 24, Part 6 as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

Next year, the 2019 version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, takes effect as the national energy reference standard. This is based on a July 2021 Department of Energy (DOE) ruling that determined the standard saved more energy than the preceding 2016 version. By July 28, 2023, all states must adopt a commercial building energy code at least as stringent as the standard, or justify why they cannot comply.

The California Energy Alliance (CEA) recently announced that it has been awarded funding via the California Energy Commission (CEC) solicitation GFO-20-303 for applied R&D and technology demonstration projects that advance innovative technologies for controlling plug load and exterior lighting energy use.

This article provides general introductory knowledge about the lighting control requirements imposed by the 2016 version of ASHRAE/IES 90.1 and the 2018 version of the IECC.

In this guest post, LCA contributor Steve Mesh describes the “non-energy benefits” of connected lighting, which can add extraordinary value far beyond energy savings.

California has been a historical leader in terms of state energy codes. California’s Title 24 has led the way by restricting allowable LPDs (Lighting Power Density) as well as mandating specific types of lighting controls. This article by Steve Mesh introduces the Title 24 energy code and its lighting control requirements.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently published a white paper that discusses new requirements that help reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings. NEMA WD ARCP 1-2016 Automatic Receptacle Control to Meet ASHRAE 90.1-2010 and California (CA) Title 24 explains the controlled receptacle requirement now appearing within non-residential energy codes, as well as a summary [...]

On October 18, 2013, all states were required by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to put in place a commercial building energy code at least as stringent as the 2010 version of the ASHRAE/IES 90.1 energy standard. Eight states are in compliance as of October 2013. States are expected to adopt 90.1-2010 in whole [...]

A survey of two groups of professionals describing themselves as electrical contractors and energy consultants, conducted by the Lighting Controls Association from its lightingCONTROL newsletter database, suggests automatic lighting controls are becoming more popular in lighting retrofits. Respondents reported lighting controls were considered in over 50 percent and installed in over 30 percent of their [...]

Because of the strong energy savings potential offered by daylight harvesting, coupled with advancing technology, codes and standards are now beginning to address daylight harvesting—specifically, International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2009, ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2010, ASHRAE 189.1 and Title 24-2008.

ASHRAE/IES 90.1 Energy-Efficient Design of New Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings was first published in 1975 and updated in 1980, 1989, 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2007. After 2001, the intention is to update the Standard every three years. Applicability: Today, most states have adopted either 90.1 or the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as their [...]

IECC 2009 contains a number of changes impacting lighting for commercial buildings, including:

• Forced choice of compliance with entirety of IECC or 90.1
• Required circuiting for independent control of lighting in “daylight zones”
• Revision of additional retail display allowances
• Added exemptions to interior lighting wattage that must be counted for compliance
• Splitting the exterior power allowance using a system of outdoor lighting zones
• Clarifications and practical application language changes

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (HR6) does not include many provisions directly related to lighting. Two of its provisions, however, are nonetheless highly significant. One virtually eliminates the manufacture of today’s >150W to <500W probe-start metal halide magnetic ballasted fixtures starting in 2009 (replacement ballasts are not affected). Another virtually eliminates the manufacture of most common general-service incandescent lamps, putting billions of sockets up for grabs. The Act also has its eye on a possible LED general-service lamp in the future, establishing incentives to develop an LED product that can take on the 60W incandescent.

The Act also distinguishes itself in two other ways. One is what it does not contain, such as encouragement of more-efficient residential energy codes and any tax provisions such as an anticipated extension of the Commercial Buildings Deduction to December 31, 2013. Another is its provisions that may indirectly affect lighting, such as its tough new energy reduction requirements for Federal buildings and the establishment and funding of a Director and Office of Commercial High-Performance Green Buildings, which will work with a private-public partnership to realize a goal of all newly constructed commercial buildings being “net zero energy” by 2030.

As lighting control systems become more sophisticated to satisfy increasingly stringent energy codes and evolving project demands, clear documentation has become even more essential. To address this need, the Lighting Controls Academy developed Design Express.

In the world of building projects, the Control Intent Narrative (CIN) and Sequence of Operations (SOO) have long been essential and elusive. They define how a lighting control system will function, but too often they arrive late in the process (or not at all), are inconsistent from one project to the next, and are misaligned with energy codes or industry standards. The Lighting Controls Academy set out to change this dynamic with a new resource: Design Express.

Commercial building energy codes regulate the design of nonresidential buildings to minimize energy consumption. While the majority of U.S. states adopt model codes and standards, the State of California developed its own code: Title 24, Part 6 of the state’s Building Standards Code. The latest version was released in 2025 and will take effect January 1, 2026.

The Lighting Controls Association has published a new offering in its popular Education Express system, EE203: Lighting and Commercial Building Energy Codes, Part 6: 2024 IECC.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced $90 million in competitive awards to help states, cities, Tribal Nations, and their partners implement updated energy codes for residential and commercial buildings.

The Lighting Controls Association now offers EE203: Lighting Controls and Energy Codes: 2021 IECC as a new course in its popular Education Express program.

As lighting controls become more sophisticated in application and capabilities, properly documenting the system’s intent and settings becomes critical. One of the most important documents is the control narrative, including a detailed sequence of operations. Though required by commercial building energy codes as documentation for many new construction and major renovation projects, aside from the Lighting Controls Association, manufacturers, and a few other sources, there are few resources providing guidance about how to write them. Enter the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), which took on the challenge by publishing ANSI/IES LP-16-22, Documenting Control Intent Narratives and Sequences of Operations in June 2022.

The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) now offers EE203: Lighting Controls and Energy Codes, Part 4: California Title 24, Part 6 (2019) as a new learning module in its popular Education Express program.

The nLight® IECC 2021 applications guide is designed to support compliance with commercial building energy codes based on the 2021 version of the International Energy Conservation Code, or IECC.

In this video, the Lighting Practice’s Emad Hasan, IALD, LEED AP BD+C discusses the impact of energy codes on lighting and how lighting controls can save energy by reducing the amount of time light is used. Emad also explores the impact on occupants and the different ways lighting designers balance code requirements, occupant comfort, and impactful lighting solutions.

“Luminaire-Level Lighting Controls” (LLLCs) – this relatively new term in the lighting controls industry indicates that every fixture controlled by a networked lighting control system (NLC) incorporates two specific things: 1) a “controller”, and 2) sensors. This article by Steve Mesh describes the utility and application of this control approach, which is starting to be adopted by model energy codes.

Most commercial building energy codes require automatic lighting shutoff. This common-sense strategy also adds value to lighting upgrades in existing buildings. Remote switching is one method, with an option being switches residing in a metal cabinet-type enclosure called a panel. This panel can serve as the backbone for a complete energy code-compliant control system that responds to a wide range of control inputs for indoor and outdoor lighting control. It is typically sold as a new complete unit, though panelboard retrofit assemblies are available.

This article describes common panel-based lighting control systems.

In this extraordinary guest post, Cooper Lighting Solutions’ Martin Mercier describes the codes and options that make up emergency lighting and the role for lighting control systems, including wireless.

Based on an updated version of EE201: Daylight-responsive Lighting Control, a course in NEMA Academy, this article describes a process for designing and applying lighting control solutions that utilize daylight-responsive lighting controls.

LightNOW recently published a guest post by Tom Shearer, Commercial Business Development Manager, Lutron Electronics, that makes the case for including lighting controls in upgrade projects, powered by wireless communication.