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24Title 24 Efficiency StandardsWhat You Need to Know

FLEXIBILITY IN CONTROLS & GREATERLIGHTS -OUT TIME — A MANDATE

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Over the last 30 years, California’s per-capita energy use has remained nearly flat, while the rest of the

country saw a 50% increase. The new California Title 24, Part 6 of the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Stan-

dards — updated every three years by the California Building Standards Committee — went into effect on

July 1, 2014. This title covers window treatment, process, and HVAC equipment, as well as lighting controls

and other electrical apparatus. A normal redraft of the T-24 standards increases the demand of require-

ments an average of 15%; however, with the 2013 edition, we saw that number virtually double to 33%.

The continuous development of these regulations along with other programs and economic changes, since

establishment in 1978, is what we have to thank for keeping California’s energy use in check.

Title 24 applies to all buildings in California looking at both new construction and the renovation of office

businesses, retail and industrial facilities, as well as residential establishments. Buildings will incorporate

task-appropriate energy-efficient technologies that have proven cost-effective and will likely create further

economies of scale. The standards make extensive use of information technologies that monitor and con-

trol a building and equip them for real-time pricing arrangements.

Under state mandate by the California Public Utilities Commission, in its Long Term Energy Efficiency Stra-

tegic Plan, we see a push to make all new commercial buildings net-zero by 2030 and residential by 2020.

Requirements of Title 24, Part 6 are an incremental step toward achieving Zero Net Energy (ZNE) in struc-

tures — a building that only uses as much energy on an annual basis that is roughly equal to the amount

of renewable energy created on site or at a site nearby. T-24, similar to the requirements of the ASHRAE/

IESNA 90.1 2010 standard, which took effect in October 2013, is one of the nation’s major systems for mea-

suring and controlling buildings’ energy performance.

Flexibility in Controls and Greater Lights-Out Time — A Title 24 Mandate

California is waving a white flag and giving up some of its nocturnal glow through significant lighting con-

trol. This is a primary interest to electrical contractors, like our firm — DRE Power & Cabling — engineers,

and building owners. The goal? To eradicate lighting waste and pollution from intermittently used struc-

tures. Buildings will be equipped with appropriate technologies — sensors, timers, and dimmers — and will

be wired so that electric energy can be easily measured for each type of load: lighting, plug loads, charging

stations, etc. Demand response control systems are also required in all buildings 10,000 sq ft or larger, so

we see a more widespread importance on the time-dependent valuation of electric energy. When a build-



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ing receives a demand response signal from the electric utility provider, the total lighting power has to be

lowered a minimum of 15% below the maximum level. This is an experiment to watch and perhaps emulate

by the rest of our nation if California proves a success.

DRE Power & Cabling along with lighting designers, engineers, and owners have important new tasks to

follow in regards to the new Title 24 standard. In addition to the requirement for the separation of specific

electrical loads in new buildings, Title 24 requires a commissioning report to be created for the building

owner. This includes reports on all the functional performance tests for the various areas we will talk about

later in this article.

Six categories of lighting controls require acceptance testing, and these categories may change with each

new edition of Title 24, Part 6. After July 1, 2014, any project issued a building permit must undergo these

acceptance tests. For example, occupancy sensor timeout and sensitivity must be confirmed along with the

performance of photocontrols and demand response systems.

In addition, there is a new type of professional accreditation — the Certified Lighting Controls Acceptance

Test Technician (ATT) — this defines/classifies the professional who does the commissioning and accep-

tance testing. The requirement for ATTs begins as soon as a certain number of technicians are trained and

certified. David Hoover, DRE Power & Cabling’s president and principal owner, is a California Advanced

Lighting Controls Acceptance Test Technician Certified Contractor.

“This is a huge surge forward in terms of energy efficiency and the development of more sophisticated light-

ing controls,” said David. “Those who have worked to shape the standards and those who chafe under them

agree on one point: the new Title 24, Part 6 disrupts business as usual. As professionals, we are ready for

this emphasis on the controls and systems integration, and we’ll lead the way to help our clients meet the

stricter requirements.”

The Formula for More Efficient Lighting

As a way of satisfying various types of structures and occupancies, Title 24 reduces lighting energy usage

in two main ways: 1) It mandates automated lighting controls to cut wasted electrical consumption (i.e., a

wider use of automatic shutoffs); 2) It prescriptively requires maximum lighting power densities (watts/



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sq ft). The allowed lighting power densities for office and retail buildings have been reduced to the 2013

standards. However, the prescriptive requirement for lighting power density can be exceeded if the designer

claims certain “power adjustment factors” for advanced lighting controls (for example, occupancy sensors

used in a closely spaced grid or “partial-ON” occupancy sensors).

Three methods can be used to determine the allowed lighting power density: the Complete Building meth-

od, where the building has a single use or a single tenant; the Area Category method, where a building has

a variety of different uses; and the Tailored method for malls, auditoriums, retail stores, and similar spaces

that have multiple layers of light for specific purposes.

Now for the nitty-gritty, DRE covers it all.

Title 24 California Law:

Automatic Daylighting Controls

Daylighting is an effective strategy to reduce electric lighting energy by reducing electric lighting power in

response to available daylight. Additional lighting controls are required in daylit zones to shut off lighting

automatically when sufficient daylight is available. Daylighting controls are mandatory in all primary day-

lit zones that have at least 120W of installed load. For these luminaries, photocontrols should be located

where they are readily accessible, should provide multi-level lighting, and the zones must be controlled

separately. This affects nearly every office or commercial space with skylights or windows and significantly

expands the number of spaces required to use photosensor controls.

For the first time, lighting in parking garages, lots, and loading/unloading areas must have photocontrols

and occupancy sensors that allow lighting to be switched off or turned to a low level when no one is present.

Automatic daylighting controls must use multi-level, continuous dimming or ON/OFF control.

Now let’s take a closer look… Regions within a building that are close enough to a source of daylight, where

daylight harvesting is possible, are considered to be within one of three “daylight zones.” 1) Skylit Zone: an

area illuminated by one or more skylights. 2) Primary Sidelit Zone: an illuminated area directly adjacent to

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one or more windows. 3) Secondary Sidelit Zone: an area not directly adjacent to a window that still re-

ceives some daylight through its proximity to the window.

Shutoff Requirements

In addition to ON/OFF lighting controls — manual ON/OFF switches, multi-level lighting controls, daylight-

ing controls, and demand responsive controls — all installed indoor lighting must be equipped with auto-

matic shutoff controls when space is unoccupied. There must also be separate controls of lighting on each

floor, lighting in each room up to 5,000 sq ft, and the general, display, ornamental, and display case lighting.

Among exceptions and regulations, offices can maintain some lighting 24/7 but only up to 0.05 watts per

sq ft. Warehouses, library stacks, and all corridors and stairwells must incorporate sensing controls that dim

the lights whenever the space in unoccupied by at least 50%. Security lighting must also be switched off

automatically when buildings are unoccupied (not including exit signage). Guest rooms in hotels must have

occupancy controls linked to both HVAC equipment and all lighting fixtures, including table lamps and other

plug-in lighting.

Controllable Receptacles

One of the simplest and most efficient ways to improve lighting efficiency is to turn off the lights when they

are not in use. This receptacle control strategy automatically turns off plug loads when space is vacated.

Title 24 requires controlled receptacles to have the same automatic shutoff function as lighting using either

1) occupancy sensing: when controls monitor a space’s state of occupancy and will energize or de-energize

a controlled receptacle based on occupants or 2) schedule-based control: controls that allow the user to set

the day and time that a circuit will be energized and de-energized.

Area Lighting Controls

All interior luminaries are to be independently controlled with fully functioning manual ON/OFF light

switches. ON/OFF switches must be readily accessible to occupants and operated by a manual switch that

is located in the same area lighting. If controlling dimmable luminaries, there must be a dimmer switch that

allows manual ON/OFF functionality and is capable of manually controlling lighting through multi-level

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lighting control steps that are required. In addition, general lighting shall be separately controlled from all

other lighting systems in the area.

Multi-level Lighting Controls

This control requirement allows a room to have all of the lights turned on, part of the lights turned on, or

none of the lights turned on. The number of required lighting control steps varies depending on the lighting

technology installed. Multi-level lighting controls shall not override the functionality of other lighting con-

trols and should occur per luminary so one cannot meet this requirement by controlling alternate luminar-

ies.

Demand Response

Title 24 Code requires non-residential buildings larger than 10,000 sq ft to have a demand response func-

tion. The building’s total lighting power can, therefore, be lowered by a minimum of 15 percent below the

installed lighting power. In addition, non-habitable spaces with a total lighting power density less than 0.5

will not be counted toward total lighting power. There are two types of demand response: 1) Economic DR

is when an end-user reduces load during times when the value of consuming electricity is less than its cost.

2) Emergency DR is when an end-user agrees in exchange for a utility incentive to reduce load during times

when the power grid is stressed to the point of jeopardizing reliability.

Renovation Requirements

Consistent with changes to ASHRAE 90.1-2010, the renovation threshold for when lighting alterations must

comply with the standard is: 1) when 50% of the luminaries in a space are altered or replaced 2) when 10%

of the luminaries are moved or replaced. From this, we see the expansion of standards into existing build-

ings because automatic shutoff control is no longer limited to buildings larger than 5,000 sq ft. A new cat-

egory, Luminary modification-in-place, is met when you are only changing out lamps and ballasts and must

comply with 40 luminaries per tenant space.

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Outdoor Lighting

The outdoor lighting standards have reduced power density for a full range of outdoor luminaries. Photo-

controls, automatic scheduling, and occupancy-sensing devices are required for established outdoor light-

ing — a luminaire mounted 24 ft or less above the ground and for any incandescent luminaire rated more

than 100W. Controls must reduce lighting power to each luminaire by at least 40% when the area is unoc-

cupied, and those with automatic controls turn lighting off when daylight is available.

Code bodies have developed light pollution/trespass rules to reduce the glare made by most outdoor lights

during nighttime and darkness. The new law mandates that luminaries up to 150W must comply with the

uplight and glare portions of IESNA’s BUG assessment for outdoor lighting.

Title 24 outdoor lighting standards contain lighting power allowances for newly installed equipment and

specific alterations that depend on which lighting zone the project is located in. There are four zones cover-

ing from undeveloped rural areas to high-activity commercial districts.

Residential lighting changes are not as numerous, but they do introduce requirements for sources as well

as vacancy sensors and controls in bathrooms, utility rooms, and other spaces. Also, the standards call for

higher-quality skylights and high-performance windows.

The state of California is urging building design teams to assess the applicable codes, standards, and cri-

teria to find the best way to meet or surpass the lighting code requirements. With more than 25 years of

commercial and industrial electrical installation experience, the DRE Power & Cabling crew is well seasoned

and trained to understand, install, and maintain several state-of-the-art energy-saving features. Many of

these features include LED light sources and fluorescent luminaires circuited through daylight and occu-

pancy sensor-initiated controls: Integrated variable refrigerant flow systems control room temperatures and

software-initiated monitoring systems verified the building’s performance.

Our electrical professionals can help you determine how to meet Title 24 code requirements and fulfill all

your power and low-voltage needs — just contact DRE Power & Cabling at 714.279.9590 or email us at

[email protected].

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DRE Power & Cabling

Since 1989, a wide range of San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles County businesses have trusted our

company for their electrical and low voltage installation needs.

DRE is a fully licensed and insured C-10 contactor. Our 25+ years of diverse experience and team of highly

trained field technicians translates into seamless, efficient networking, building integration and other elec-

trical projects.

Every day, evolving technology reveals new ways to gather, store, control, distribute and utilize the energy

that powers Southern California’s leading businesses. At DRE, we’re passionate about operating on the front

lines of that energy frontier. As such, we invest our human and financial resources in ongoing training and

state-of-the-art equipment as a means to innovate power and cabling solutions that consistently deliver the

most efficient, effective and highest quality results for our customers.

Our business is guided by four enduring principles:

Create Lifelong Customer Relationships. We take nothing for granted in our efforts

to earn the confidence and loyalty of our customers. We’ve earned a reputation for listening,

problem-solving and providing customer solutions on their own unique terms.

Advance New Ideas and Solutions. DRE is known for creativity and leadership. We under-

stand that our competitive advantage comes from continuous improvement that empowers our

customers and their businesses.

Put Safety First. To ensure the safety of our people and our projects, we leave nothing to

chance. A robust training program and the latest equipment facilitate our industry-leading,

safety-first culture.

Make a Positive Difference. We strive to make a difference in our workplace and in our

world. Whether improving our business operations or achieving new efficiencies for our cus-

tomers, our organizational momentum is always tied to effecting positive change.

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David C. HooverPresident and Principal Owner

DRE Employee Since 1989

Becoming the founder of DRE should come as no surprise for those who know Dave. His vision to innovate

power and cabling solutions to deliver efficient, effective and the highest quality results was the catalyst be-

hind the creation of DRE Power and Cabling. His work ethic, leadership and relationships with his team and

clients have fostered the company’s success—enhancing profitability and targeted growth. With a career

spanning three decades, Dave is helping to foster development of the next generation of achievers. When

he’s away from the office, Dave spends any time he can outdoors cycling.

Dave’s Certifications and Memberships:

General Journeyman Electrician: #100371

License Holder: C10 and C7

Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Member

International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI) Member

National Fire Protection Association Member

California Advanced Lighting Controls Acceptance Test Technician Certified Contractor

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Commercial - Industrial Service & DesignElectrical ConstructionCopper & Fiber NetworksSecurity • Access Control • Fire Alarm • CCTVState Certified Journeymen • Registered TraineesC-7 • C-10 • License No. 609145

1665 O’Donnel WayOrange, CA 92867

T: 714.279.9590F: 714.279.9592

powerandcabling.com

My Work: DRE Power & Cabling Lead Magnet Ebook

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