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Designing Light

Designing Light

The companion blog to the book Designing With Light

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Welcome to the companion web site for Jason Livingston's Designing With Light: The Art, Science, and Practice of Architectural Lighting Design.

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You are browsing the Blog for Sustainability.

Standard 189.1 Now Includes TM-30 Requirements

August 19, 2020 in Codes, Color, Documentation, LEDs, Luminaires, Sustainability

Yesterday an addendum to ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2017 Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings was published. The addendum makes changes to Section 8.3.5, which covers lighting. One of the biggest changes is to add TM-30 color rendition criteria to the section on Indoor Lighting Quality. Here’s the relevant text:

8.3.5.3 Color Rendition. At least 95% of lighting power of nominally white lighting within each enclosed space shall be provided by luminaires that meet the following criteria at full light output in accordance with IES-TM-30, Annex E, P2 and F3:
1. Rf of at least 85
2. Rf,h1 of at least 85
3. Rg of at least 92
4. Rcs,h1 of at least -7% but no greater than +19%

Nominally white lighting is lighting that has chromaticity within the basic or extended nominal color correlated temperature (CCT) specifications of ANSI C78.377.

Where a lighting system is capable of changing its spectrum, it shall be capable of meeting the color rendition requirements within each nominal CCT of 2700 K, 3500 K, 4000 K, and 5000 K, as defined in ANSI C78.377, that the system is capable of delivering.

I hope that this is going to put more pressure on manufacturers to improve the color rendering of their luminaires as measured by TM-30, not CRI, and to provide TM-30 information on their cut sheets. If not, they’ll risk not being considered on projects that have TM-30 requirements.

Tags: color rendering, LED color, TM-30
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White House to Relax Energy Efficiency Rules for Light Bulbs – The New York Times

September 10, 2019 in Codes, Lamps, LEDs, Sustainability

In 2007 Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) with the goal of increasing energy efficiency across the economy.  Part of EISA has affected the lighting industry in the form of mandated efficacy of light sources.  The initial efficacy rules targeted A-Lamps (standard household light bulbs) and set the efficacy level above that of incandescent but below that of halogen lamps.  The result was a slow shift to the more energy efficient technology.  Over the years the energy efficiency requirements have been expanded to more lamp shapes, always in keeping with technological ability so that we never faced a lamp shortage or loss of a lamp shape.  Today, more than 50% of lamps sold are LED that exceed even the most stringent requirements.

On September 4th the administration announced that it was going to cancel a new set of requirements that would have taken effect in January 2020 that would have applied to products such as decorative medium base lamps and MR type lamps.  In my opinion, this is another example of the administration cutting off its nose to spite its face.  As with the threat to “investigate” automakers who agree with the State of California’s proposed energy efficiency requirements, this effort to undo energy efficiency despite the monumental consensus that we need to reign in our energy consumption isn’t going to go have any effect.  No lamp manufacturer is going to reopen or build new factories to make incandescent lamps when it’s obvious that A) the next administration is going to reinstate the efficacy requirements B) the public has embraced the energy savings of LED lamps, and C) the companies know that it would be bad for their image to turn their backs on mitigating climate change.

Source: White House to Relax Energy Efficiency Rules for Light Bulbs – The New York Times








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Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year – The New York Times

January 18, 2017 in Sustainability

Surface temperatures are heading toward levels that many scientists believe will pose a threat to both the natural world and to human civilization.

Source: Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year – The New York Times








Tags: climate change
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DOE Predicts LED Use and Energy Savings

September 14, 2016 in LEDs, Sustainability

In September the DOE issued, Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications (PDF, 116 pages), the latest edition of a biannual report which models the adoption of LEDs in the U.S. general-lighting market, along with associated energy savings, based on the full potential DOE has determined to be technically feasible over time. The new report projects that energy savings from LED lighting will top 5 quadrillion Btus (quads) annually by 2035. Among the key findings:

  • By 2035, LED lamps and luminaires are anticipated to occupy the majority of lighting installations for each of the niches examined, comprising 86% of installed stock across all categories (compared to only 6% in 2015).
  • Annual savings from LED lighting will be 5.1 quads in 2035, nearly equivalent to the total annual energy consumed by 45 million U.S. homes today, and representing a 75% reduction in energy consumption versus a no-LED scenario.
  • Most of the 5.1 quads of projected energy savings by 2035 will be attributable to two commercial lighting applications (linear and low/high-bay), one residential application (A-type), and one that crosses ­both residential and commercial (direc­tional). Connected lighting and other control technologies will be essential in achieving these savings, accounting for almost 2.3 quads of the total.
  • From 2015 to 2035, a total cumulative energy savings of 62 quads – equivalent to nearly $630 billion in avoided energy costs – is possible if the DOE SSL Program goals for LED efficacy and connected lighting are achieved.

Don’t have time for the full report?  Download the report summary.








Tags: energy efficiency, LED
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The Price of Solar Is Declining to Unprecedented Lows

September 9, 2016 in Sustainability

Despite already low costs, the installed price of solar fell by 5 to 12 percent in 2015

Source: The Price of Solar Is Declining to Unprecedented Lows








Tags: solar energy
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San Francisco adopts law requiring solar panels on all new buildings

April 21, 2016 in Codes, Sustainability

San Francisco has this week passed landmark legislation requiring all new buildings under 10 storeys in height to be fitted with rooftop solar panels.

The city’s San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the new rule on Tuesday, making the metropolis the largest in the US to mandate solar installations on new properties

Source: San Francisco adopts law requiring solar panels on all new buildings








Tags: climate change, renewable energy, solar energy
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Global sea levels have risen 8cm since 1992, Nasa research shows

August 27, 2015 in Sustainability

Scientists say warming waters and melting ice were to blame for levels rising faster than 50 years ago and ‘it’s very likely to get worse’

Source: Global sea levels have risen 8cm since 1992, Nasa research shows








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Solar Energy: The Future Is Here – Plugged In – Scientific American Blog Network

August 24, 2015 in Sustainability

For decades we have discussed solar as an energy of the future . But it’s already changing the game.

Source: Solar Energy: The Future Is Here – Plugged In – Scientific American Blog Network








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Photovoltaic Prices Drop for 5th Straight Year

August 17, 2015 in Sustainability

Solar power keeps getting cheaper

Source: Photovoltaic Prices Drop for 5th Straight Year








Tags: solar energy
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With New Factory, Tesla Ventures Into Solar Power Storage for Home and Business

May 1, 2015 in Sustainability

One of the biggest challenges to the shift to renewable energy is that the supply is not consistent.  The sun sets or the wind stops blowing and one is left without power.  A number of researchers and companies are working on storage solutions.  This article describes a storage system being developed by Tesla Motors.

Tesla Motors says it is making a foray into the challenge of how to use the sun’s energy when it isn’t shining, with a fleet of battery systems for homeowners, businesses and utilities.

Source: With New Factory, Tesla Ventures Into Solar Power Storage for Home and Business








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About The Author

Jason Livingston IES, LC, LEED Green Associate is the principal of Studio T+L. In addition to his extensive design career, he has taught theatrical and architectural lighting design in New York City since 1993. He currently teaches architectural lighting design at Parsons The New School For Design and Pratt Institute.
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