ASHRAE proposes lighting changes
By Staff -- Plant Engineering, 5/1/2006
Proposals from ASHRAE would “light the way” for the International Energy Conservation Code to be more consistent with the Society’s energy efficiency standard.
ASHRAE has proposed that portions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, dealing with lighting be adopted in the International Energy Conservation Code published by the International Code Council.
“Electric lighting consumes 20% to 25% of electricity used in buildings,” said Eric Richman, chair of the 90.1 Lighting Subcommittee. “Lighting also produces additional heat in buildings, with the heat from lighting accounting for 15–20% of a building’s cooling load. The lighting provisions in Standard 90.1 are a significant efficiency improvement over past versions, so ASHRAE encourages the ICC to adopt these lighting improvements for the IECC.”
Specifically, the proposals address reasonable alternatives to showing compliance with line-voltage lighting track and plug-in busway lighting requirements; and provide additional control options for exterior lighting. Additional proposals from 90.1 unrelated to lighting include:
- Add a table of U-factors to match the prescriptive R-value table in the code
- Strengthen the requirements for hot gas bypass
- Address HVAC system completion and commissioning requirements.
