Public buildings across California are undergoing retrofits as part of efforts to meet state energy and climate goals, including those mandated by AB 1109, Executive Order B-18-12 and the Lighting Action Plan of the California Public Utilities Commission. As funding expands and legislative deadlines approach, facility managers feel increasing pressure to act, but they face a daunting task in selecting from the growing number of lighting solutions on the market.

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 and UC Davis have partnered with affiliate American Honda Motor Co., Inc. on the Honda Smart Home US project. Groundbreaking took place April 23, 2013 at UC Davis West Village. Project leaders from UC Davis and Honda celebrated the project's completion at an open house event on March 25, 2014. The zero net energy (ZNE) home is a model of residential sustainability, demonstrating best-practice solutions for lighting in new construction projects.

The UC Davis Smart Lighting Initiative was established in 2010 to improve the quality and efficiency of both indoor and outdoor lighting on campus. The initiative's primary goal is to reduce UC Davis's electricity use for lighting by 60 percent, based on 2007 levels of energy use. The effort was inspired by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and its call to reduce statewide electricity consumption for lighting by 60 percent or more by 2020.

CLTC's Title 24, Part 6 resources are designed to help builders and lighting industry professionals become more familiar with California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards.

CLTC currently provides training materials for the following applications:

Exterior lighting for streets, roadways, parking lots, and other outside sites represents nearly 10% of the electricity consumed on military bases. Lighting in these areas typically consists of high pressure sodium or sometimes metal halide lamps that are normally controlled by photo-sensors located centrally or sometimes on each fixture. This limited functionality includes turning the lights on in the evening and off in the morning regardless of occupancy levels, thereby consuming more electricity than necessary.

CLTC and the Energy Efficiency Center at UC Davis partnered with Chevron Energy Solutions to map out California's current streetlight infrastructure. Researchers gathered data on 1.1 million streetlights from 212 cities throughout the state.

CLTC communicates and collaborates with the Energy Division of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to provide objective information and expert analysis that may inform the Commission’s lighting-related energy policies, programs and mandates. CLTC supports the CPUC’s Energy Division in its lighting-related goals, initiatives and activities, including the Lighting Action Plan, a near-term implementation guide for achieving the goals stated in the Lighting Chapter of California’s Long-Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan.

The California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP) provides training and certification to electricians, contractors, acceptance test technicians, building operators and managers. The program is increasing the use of energy-saving lighting controls in commercial buildings and ensuring they are properly installed and commissioned for maximum effectiveness.

The California Energy Commission has adopted a voluntary lighting quality specification for LED replacement lamps. The new standard requires LED lamps to meet certain performance criteria in order to qualify for incentive programs and rebates. These criteria include the color of a lamp’s light, its consistency over time, and its accuracy in rendering colors. The specification for incentivized LED lamps also includes requirements regarding dimming and flickering.