All High Efficacy Lighting for Residential Applications

All High Efficacy Lighting for Residential Applications

California’s 2013 Title 24 requirements for building energy efficiency call for some high-efficacy lighting in a limited number of residential space types, such as kitchens and bathrooms. A future code requirement that all residential lighting be high efficacy has the potential to yield significant energy savings across the state, but implementation must first be proven practical and cost-effective.

CLTC is working with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) and Davis Energy Group (DEG) to develop specifications for residential lighting packages that will consist entirely of high-efficacy LED lighting products. The LED lighting packages developed through CLTC will address the needs of multi-family and single-family production homes, including large, high-end homes (>2500 ft2), small to medium-sized homes (1000—2500 ft2), and smaller, more affordable units (<1000 ft2).

The project team will partner with residential builders to cover builders' incremental costs over typical lighting packages and coordinate installation of the lighting systems within PG&E's service territory. The energy efficiency and performance of the LED packages will then be compared to that of standard lighting, and both builders and end-users will be surveyed on their experiences and satisfaction levels with the LED lighting packages.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

  • Develop specifications for high-efficacy residential lighting appropriate for single-family and multi-family homes
  • Demonstrate the specified products
  • Measure and verify their performance in terms of energy savings, lighting quality and builder/end-user satisfaction

APPLICATIONS

  • Single-family production homes
  • Multi-family production homes

SPECIFICATION FACTORS/CRITERIA

LED luminaires selected for the project must comply with the high-efficacy classification requirements in the 2013 iteration of Title 24, including Joint Appendix JA8: Qualification Requirements for Residential Luminaires Using LED Light Sources. Required criteria for these luminaires include:

  • Manufactured for use in residential applications
  • Certified to the California Energy Commission
  • Meet minimum lm/W requirements listed in Table JA-8 of the standards; for example, luminaires with lamp power ratings over 40W must produce 90 lm/W to qualify (ballast wattage is not factored in)
  • Nominal CCT of 2700-4000K for indoor lighting
  • Nominal CCT of 2700-5000K for outdoor lighting 
  • Minimum CRI of 90
  • Must not include screw-base sockets or E12-E39 adaptors
  • Compatible with dimmers, automated controls and other building elements
  • Recessed cans must meet airtight seal requirements

Other factors that will be considered include power quality (THD, power factor, repetitive peak current), light distribution, lifetime, first cost, maintenance cost, as well as replacement and repair costs. In addition to determining annual energy savings (kWh), demand reduction (kW), and lifecycle savings for each LED lighting package, the project team will gather qualitative feedback from builders and occupants to gauge their levels of satisfaction. Finally, CLTC will develop a lighting technology guide for professionals working in residential construction. It will include findings from this research and demonstration project, product specification sheets and cost information.

The outcomes of this project are compiled in the High-Efficacy for Residential Lighting Guide and in the Final Report on the ETCC website.

Principal Investigator: Michael Siminovitch

Project Type