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 […]


Advanced Control for Outdoor Lighting
Traditionally, outdoor lighting was automatically turned ON and OFF at the circuit level by an astronomical time switch or photosensor. Energy codes are now promoting power reduction during dusk-to-dawn lighting operation. Coupled with advances in wireless communication and intelligent control, the result is dramatic changes in how outdoor lighting is controlled. New construction Twenty-four states […]

Demystify Energy Codes with Lutron’s Commercial Application Guides
Lutron Electronics recently published free, online Commercial Application Guides that simplify the process for electrical contractors and engineers to stay up to date with rapidly changing U.S. energy codes. Designed to provide customers with examples of how Lutron controls can be used to meet or exceed ASHRAE 90.1-2010, IECC 2012 and Title 24-2013 code requirements, […]

Demystify Energy Codes with Lutron’s Commercial Application Guides
Lutron Electronics has announced the availability of its free, online Commercial Application Guides that will dramatically simplify the process for electrical contractors and engineers to stay up to date with rapidly-changing U.S. energy codes. Designed to provide customers with examples of how Lutron controls can be used to meet or exceed ASHRAE 90.1-2010, IECC 2012 […]

Inside Title 24
ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING recently published an inside look at California’s tough new version of the Title 24 energy code. Read it here.

Lighting and Control Aspects of ASHRAE 189.1-2014 Green Building Standard
In November 2014, ASHRAE published ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. The standard, which updates the previous 2011 version, covers site sustainability, water use, energy, indoor environmental quality, and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources. The standard provides states and other jurisdictions a […]

California Approves Lighting Controls Acceptance Test Technician Certification Providers
The Energy Commission has approved the California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP) and the National Lighting Contractors Association of America (NLCAA) as Lighting Acceptance Test Technician Certification Providers. This action gives CALCTP and NLCAA authorization to train and certify qualified individuals and employers beyond the interim period established by the 2013 Energy Standards. Individuals […]

Decoding IECC 2015
In 2014, the International Code Council published the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), a model residential and commercial building energy code. ICC states: “This code shall regulate the design and construction of buildings for the use and conservation of energy over the life of each building.” The IECC is not a code in itself […]

DOE Updates National Reference Standard for Commercial Buildings to 90.1-2013
Following preliminary analysis that ASHRAE/IES’s 2013 energy efficiency standard contains energy savings over the 2010 standard – 8.5% source energy savings and 7.6% site energy savings – the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a ruling that establishes the 2013 standard as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes. In an […]

What’s New in ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2013
Update: On September 26, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) named the ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2013 energy standard as the new national energy reference standard, superseding the 2010 version in effect until then. Within two years, all states in the United States must put into effect a commercial building energy code at least as stringent as […]