Title-24 Question of the Week
Question:
In our residential kitchen we’ve specified undercabinet LED strip fixtures instead of linear fluorescent fixtures however the building inspector is asking for paperwork to verify that the LED fixtures are Title-24 compliant. The LED manufacturer is stating that LED’s do not have to be Title-24 compliant. How do I resolve this problem?
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Answer:
The building inspector is correct on this one. Starting January 1, 2010 the new 2008 Title-24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards establish specific rules for fixtures to qualify as high efficacy. LED lighting must meet the efficacy requirements of Table 150-C in the standards (shown below) and must be certified by the California Energy Commission.
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You best option at this point is to go to the CEC’s website and download the Appliance Directory which is a database of all appliances, including LED fixtures, that have been certified by the CEC. Look under the LED category and find a LED fixture that suits your purpose and specify that fixture. You can provide a printout from the CEC Appliance Directory to the building inspector to document the LED fixture qualifying as high efficacy. Without this CEC certification the LED fixture will need to be considered low-efficacy in the kitchen lighting wattage calculation and will make it difficult to achieve the target of 50% high efficacy wattage that is documented on the CF-6R-LTG-01.
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click on image below to enlarge
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Labeling of lighting fixtures:
The CEC has taken the position that it is inappropriate for lighting fixture manufacturers to place a “Title-24″ or “Title-24 compliant” label on a product. Also a lighting fixture which has been certified by Energy Star does not automatically comply with the 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The CEC does not grant endorsements so it is illegal for a manufacturer to use the CEC’s logo anywhere including products, packaging, and marketing materials. However there are acceptable statements that may be included on a lighting fixture label:
- “Can be used to comply with Title-24 high efficacy requirements”
- “Can be used to comply with Title-24 airtight requirements”
- “This is a high efficacy fixture according to the 2008 Title-24 Standards”
- “This lighting control device has been certified by the California Energy Commission for use in a Title-24 project”
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Regardless of the lighting fixture label the only way to confirm that a fixture is really CEC certified to refer to the latest Certified Appliance Directory which is maintained on the CEC’s website and updated periodically.
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For additional information on the Title-24 residential lighting requirements click here
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