{"id":1555,"date":"2021-03-22T08:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T12:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=1555"},"modified":"2021-03-21T09:25:48","modified_gmt":"2021-03-21T13:25:48","slug":"tm-30-is-not-too-hard-to-learn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=1555","title":{"rendered":"TM-30 Is Not Too Hard To Learn!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Recently, a well-known lighting designer gave a presentation at a well-known lighting conference.  During the Q&amp;A he was asked his opinion of TM-30 and replied that it was too hard so he just specified CRI>90.  At the risk of sounding like a jerk I have to say that maybe it was too hard for <em>him<\/em>, but it&#8217;s not too hard for most of us.  Here is a brief list of new things lighting designers have had to learn over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The introduction and transition to electronic ballasts and transformers meant that we had to learn about reverse phase dimming and control protocols.<\/li><li>The T5 lamp meant we had to change our layout patterns to accommodate lamps that weren\u2019t standard 2\u2019, 4\u2019, and 8\u2019 lengths.<\/li><li>Metal Halide lamps, especially PARs, meant that in exchange for energy savings we had to learn about the color rendering of a new type of lamp, and give up dimming.<\/li><li>Daylight harvesting and daylight responsive designs meant we had to learn about daylight zones, photosensors, and daylight harvesting control systems.<\/li><li>White LEDs meant we had to learn about another light source and its specific pros and cons, including different color rendering properties due to its SPD.<\/li><li>Circadian lighting means we are all in the process of learning how and when to apply the most current scientific evidence to certain project types.\u00a0 Since the science is constantly advancing on this topic, we must be aware and continue to educate ourselves.<\/li><li>Regularly updated energy conservation codes mean that as we begin to memorize the lower LPDs and changes to control and daylighting requirements, we have to relearn that information because it changes every three years.<\/li><li>Most recently, we\u2019re supposed to enthusiastically embrace IoT, adding new hardware and controls to our lighting control systems.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a ton of TM-30 educational material available, including posts on this blog <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=803#sthash.JTAxttZW.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=852#sthash.AU6J5tuX.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=954#sthash.1EadIzAU.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=1066#sthash.epsQkC66.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=787#sthash.GSDFWwfw.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=780#sthash.axciyu9W.dpbs\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.  There&#8217;s <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ies.org\/fires\/using-tm-30-to-improve-your-lighting-design\/\" target=\"_blank\">this article<\/a> on the IES&#8217;s FIRES Forum, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/eere\/ssl\/tm-30-frequently-asked-questions\" target=\"_blank\">this page<\/a> on the Department of Energy web site.  Manufacturers are also providing education including <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dmflighting.com\/tm-30-simplified\/\" target=\"_blank\">DMF Lighting<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.soraa.com\/learn\/science\/understanding-tm-30-color-metrics.php\" target=\"_blank\">Soraa<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.premierltg.com\/tm30-vs-cri\/\" target=\"_blank\">Premier Lighting<\/a>, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/alphabetlighting.com\/technologies-tm30\" target=\"_blank\">Alphabet<\/a>, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lightingservicesinc.com\/sites\/default\/files\/_\/resources\/lsi_tm-30_shedding_new_light_on_color_rendering_1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Lighting Services Inc.<\/a> Then there are the articles in trade magazines and sites such as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.luxreview.com\/2018\/03\/09\/it-s-official-tm-30-is-better-than-colour-rendering-index\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lux Review<\/a> and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.architectmagazine.com\/technology\/lighting\/tm-30-ies-method-for-evaluating-light-source-color-rendition_o\" target=\"_blank\">Architect Magazine<\/a>, not to mention many articles in <em>Lighting Design and Application<\/em> and <em>Leukos<\/em> (no links because they&#8217;re behind the IES login).  In addition, there have been presentations at other conferences (some given by me) at the IES Annual Conference, LightFair, and LEDucation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that&#8217;s not enough for you, let me know.  I have a presentation approved for one AIA HSW LU, so if you&#8217;re architectural firm wants to learn more let&#8217;s set up a presentation.  Ditto for lighting design firms and teachers of lighting.  If I&#8217;m not available there are a half dozen others on the IES Color Committee who regularly give TM-30 presentations.  You <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">can<\/span> learn TM-30.  I&#8217;m here to help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, a well-known lighting designer gave a presentation at a well-known lighting conference. During the Q&amp;A he was asked his opinion of TM-30 and replied that it was too hard so he just specified CRI>90. At the risk of sounding like a jerk I have to say that maybe it was too hard for him, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=1555\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">TM-30 Is Not Too Hard To Learn!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12,18,21,17,19],"tags":[27,68],"class_list":["post-1555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-color","category-design","category-education","category-light","category-lighting-profession","tag-color-rendering","tag-tm-30"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4gZSw-p5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":778,"url":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=778","url_meta":{"origin":1555,"position":0},"title":"Who&#8217;s Afraid of TM-30?","author":"Jason Livingston","date":"October 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As the Co-Chair of the IES Color Committee, I have seen too many statements that full-scale adoption of TM-30 is too difficult and will create confusion in the market.\u00a0 Often, these assertions come from major manufacturers who want to control market disruption, not be disrupted.\u00a0 In my professional lifetime there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Color&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Color","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":787,"url":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=787","url_meta":{"origin":1555,"position":1},"title":"TM-30 Rf: So Big, So Strong, So Smart!","author":"Jason Livingston","date":"November 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As we know, CRI Ra and TM-30 Rf are both measurements of color fidelity. \u00a0That is, they compare a test light source to a known reference light source and measure how well the test source matches the reference source. \u00a0One of the many shortcomings of CRI Ra is that it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Color&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Color","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/designinglight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/CES-F32T8830.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/designinglight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/CES-F32T8830.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/designinglight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/CES-F32T8830.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/designinglight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/CES-F32T8830.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4538,"url":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=4538","url_meta":{"origin":1555,"position":2},"title":"Get a Grip on Lighting","author":"Jason Livingston","date":"April 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm interviewed on this week's Get A Grip On Lighting podcast. \u00a0You can listen, watch on YouTube, and more here.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Color&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Color","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"get a grip on lighting logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/designinglight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cropped-get-a-grip-on-lighting-big-logo-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5394,"url":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=5394","url_meta":{"origin":1555,"position":3},"title":"A Brief History of TM-30","author":"Jason Livingston","date":"April 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Next Wednesday I\u2019ll be giving a presentation on LP-30 at LEDucation (hope to see you there!), and in preparing for it I\u2019ve been reflecting on how far we\u2019ve come in our understanding and evaluation of color rendering. \u00a0 The Color Rendering Index (CRI) was published by the International Commission on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Color&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Color","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":642,"url":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=642","url_meta":{"origin":1555,"position":4},"title":"Measuring and Reporting LED Life","author":"Jason Livingston","date":"May 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m putting the finishing touches on a lighting design and as I look at cut sheets I continue to be disappointed that many fixture manufacturers still don\u2019t seem to understand the proper methods of measuring and reporting LED life. For example, an Edison Price cut sheet says that lamp life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lamps&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lamps","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1264,"url":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?p=1264","url_meta":{"origin":1555,"position":5},"title":"Standard 189.1 Now Includes TM-30 Requirements","author":"Jason Livingston","date":"August 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"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:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Codes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Codes","link":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1556,"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions\/1556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/designinglight.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}