Utah recently passed its Construction Code Modifications bill, updating the commercial building energy efficiency code from the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to the 2018 IECC, effective July 1, 2019.
Several lighting control provision changes were made, designed to increase energy efficiency and lower operation costs for commercial buildings. Harold Jepson, vice president of standards and industry affairs, building control systems at Legrand, has highlighted the key lighting control changes:
- Occupancy sensor control shut off time delay is lowered to 20 min. from 30 min.
- Occupancy sensor controls for lighting shut off are required for open plan offices. Additionally, open plan offices must limit the size of the occupancy sensor-controlled area to separate 600-sq-ft zones. When occupancy is no longer detected in these individual zones, general lighting must automatically shut off or reduced by at least 80%. When all individual lighting zones no longer detect occupants, the entire open office space must shut general lighting completely off.
- A new code provision addresses the use of Luminaire Level Lighting Control (LLLC) technologies as an alternate lighting control option, so long as the luminaires have embedded occupancy sensors, daylight sensing controls, dimming, and wireless zoning capability, along with other setpoint and adjustment parameters.
- An exception was made that allows a trade-off for daylighting controls that requires an overall reduction of total building lighting power allowance equal to 40% of the allowed power for any daylight responsive zones using the exception.
Neither of the two lighting-specific efficiency options was changed from the 2015 IECC code.
The adoption of the 2018 IECC permits the use of the ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2016 standard, giving building owners and design teams an alternative compliance path to the 2018 IECC. Any plans submitted for permitting on or after the effective date are required to follow 2018 IECC new energy code requirements.
