2012 IECC and permanently-installed lighting

[IamTheWalrus]

How does this work in practicality, the part where some percentage, now 75 in the 2012 IECC, must be "efficient?"

And edison-base screw-in LED or CFL bulbs won't make a fixture count as efficient.

I am just dipping my toe into this for the first time, because I do plans for clients in areas that pay no attention to this at all, in plans review and inspection, and so whatever is chosen for lighting is used, no issues. A lot of low voltage for accent, some amounts of small-bulb incandescents in specially engineered strip lighting for indirect lighting, then there is track, and lots of recessed downlights. And dimmers everywhere, plus master dimming systems. There is not a lighting supply house in my five county area with any expertise in LED and CFL lighting design.

But in a jurisdiction that is really really keeping score, how does it go? If I light the tray ceiling of one room with a big string of tiny xenons, transformer driven at 24V, do I count it on a per-bulb basis? Or is that on string, with its 108 bulbs, counted as 108 against my allowable 25 percent?

What happens here?

[Ted S.]

Good questions, the reality is the 2009 code requires 50% high efficiency lighting and have not seen it enforced much at all.

There is a definition of high efficiency which is a calculation of power (watts) per square foot which is common in comercial design. But I would think it never make it to the residential level. The point being if you only have one 100 watt bulb for your entire first floor then can meet the requirements vs 40 CFLs, it's all about the amount of consumption

I think the more you ask these questions the more you realize how much confusion there is.

[MarkMc]

The residential lighting provisions in the 2012 IECC are relatively simple. Mainly, at least 75% of the lamps in permanent light fixtures must be high-efficacy, defined as T8 or smaller-diameter linear fluorescent lamps, or lamps with a minimum efficacy of 40 lumens/W for <15W, 50 lumens/W for 16-40W, and 60 lumens/W for >40W lamps. In the 2009 IECC, 50% of the lamps were required to be high efficacy.

or there's this

High-efficacy lamps

In section R404.1, the 2012 IECC requires that “a minimum of 75 percent of the lamps in permanently installed lighting fixtures shall be high-efficacy lamps.” The percentage has been raised from 50% in the 2009 code.

The code defines a high-efficacy lamp as either:

A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL);
A T8 or smaller linear fluorescent lamp; or
Any lamp meeting the following minimum efficiency requirements: 60 lumens per watt for lamps over 40 watts, 50 lumens per watt for lamps over 15 watts but no more than 40 watts, and 40 lumens per watt for lamps rated at 15 watts or less.

This definition excludes incandescent light bulbs. High-efficacy lamps are allowed to have any type of base; screw-base (Edison-base) lamps comply with the new code.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...12-energy-code

[Ted S.]

Thanks Mark, I knew there were definitions but there are still questions in my mind.

Is one three bulb pin type compliant fixture count as 1 or 3 in the 75% calculation?

[Mark G]

IMHO, If no one is enforcing it, then you don't have to comply. If you want to comply and to serve your customers better, then you'll have to figure out some solutions of your own.
For CFL fixtures I've found that 3000K to 3500K lamps are much more pleasant than the common 2700K lamps. I use these in recessed cans. I'm not impressed with their dimming ability.
For quality color in an LED you'll have to spend some money; $40 to $80 per lamp. The cheap ones just don't provide a pleasant light.
We're trying to hit a moving target with lighting. Todays solution may not be what you use tomorrow. You just have to read, read, read, keep up with the changes, and experiment with different products to find those you can recommend.

[MarkMc]

Is one three bulb pin type ...

IOW, one three lamp, pin type....

I wouldn't want to rely too heavily on the lack of enforcement = lack of need to comply for much. There's always the shell games one can play with this kind of regulation; when it becomes the operating standard it simply pushes the reg's tighter - [self-inflicted] pierced feet behooves no one.

[IamTheWalrus]

Thanks for that information.

So am I to understand that one could have a bunch of recessed 6-inch cans, like my favorite Juno, the IC2, all outfitted with edison-base screw-in CFL lamps, and they would all count toward the 75 percent?

Because this lamp, which I can get for about $5, produces 1600 lumens at its spec of 23W, which computes to 69.6 lumens per watt, with the lamp falling into the over 15W but no more than 40W category, requiring a minimum of 50 lumens per watt.

Sylvania CF23EL/SUPER/827/RP Twist Medium Screw Base Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb.

[MarkMc]

Sounds right from here.

[Mark G]

When the code is enforced, Edison base fixtures don't count because the CFL lamps can be changed to incandescent.

[stamcon]

This is from Green Building Advisor-"High-efficacy lamps

In section R404.1, the 2012 IECC requires that “a minimum of 75 percent of the lamps in permanently installed lighting fixtures shall be high-efficacy lamps.” The percentage has been raised from 50% in the 2009 code.

The code defines a high-efficacy lamp as either:
•A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL);
•A T8 or smaller linear fluorescent lamp; or
•Any lamp meeting the following minimum efficiency requirements: 60 lumens per watt for lamps over 40 watts, 50 lumens per watt for lamps over 15 watts but no more than 40 watts, and 40 lumens per watt for lamps rated at 15 watts or less.

This definition excludes incandescent light bulbs. High-efficacy lamps are allowed to have any type of base; screw-base (Edison-base) lamps comply with the new code."

I believe the last sentence(my bold type) was added to the new code.

steve
"

[IamTheWalrus]

Yes, it is the fact that edison-base lamping is 2012 IECC code-compliant, that makes the code far less stringent than, say, what exists in California.

I plan to use IC and non-IC 6" high-wattage cans, just like always, and limit my use of fixtures that cannot handle edison-base screw-in lamps to 25 percent of all fixtures. Furthermore, I have asked my contractor to stock and keep on hand at least 150 26W CFL lamps, for use at inspection times.

Now I need to clear a few things up. If I do a large indirect cove lighting installation, say, 24V driven, using a large lot (say, 120) 5W xenon lamps, all fired by one switch. Does that count as one light fixture? Or did that one cove installation just blow my whole incandescent lamp allotment, even for the next three jobs?

Same for a large run of under-cabinet, where I like to use xenon-lamped Juno Trac 12. One switch firing a whole lot of little lamps. That's one fixture, right?

Because if I am going to get hung on the lamps thing, the code is just plain ridiculous.

What bothers me about the code and its trying to wipe out little 5W xenons in a 12V or 24V track, is that that type of lighting is not used as much, if at all, compared to general lighting (hallways, etc.) and task lighting (kitchens, etc.). Furthermore, the only real alternative in energy efficent lamping is to go with the not-yet-proven LEDs in either rope or tape, and when those things go, you gotta replace the whole thing.

[Ted S.]

When the code is enforced, Edison base fixtures don't count because the CFL lamps can be changed to incandescent.

That would make sense but I've never heard of that being the case. where did you hear this?

[Mark G]

Here in good old California. Of course, I may be mistaken. It happens. A lot.

[ThingOfBeauty]

Probably too late here, but here's the actual code language, available for free at this link.


IRC 2012 lighting.jpg


Obviosly you have two ways around this issue:
1) low voltage is excluded
2) it can be 75% of bulbs, but 75% of fixtures works too

[aptbldr]

That would make sense but I've never heard of that being the case. where did you hear this?

Our electrical contractor installs an adapter that has one-way 'prongs' preventing its removal.
These modified medium base lamp sockets accept qualifying CFL.