The oil embargo of the early seventies made energy an issue. While partially listening to the lessons of that period, codes were developed that specified the "worst building we'll let you build." This helped mitigate the worst examples of energy waste in buildings but saw limited adoption. But, more recently, the environment and its preservation have become of greater concern to the construction industry and to the public as a whole. While still a major issue, energy is less frequently viewed now as an entity by itself. Modern standards look to encourage the integration of energy issues with other disciplines, such as water conservation, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

At the same time the government has attempted to save energy by placing regulations on lighting equipment, setting minimum efficiency provisions and, lately, adding in non-energy issues to encourage market acceptance of these higher-efficiency products.

This module concentrates on some of the more common codes, standards, and regulations currently encountered in the market, providing information on how each code or standard is generally used and how lighting is treated therein. Three primary areas are covered here:

• Energy Efficiency Codes & Standards
• Sustainability Standards
• Product Regulations

When presenting any one specific code or standard, the version that was available at the time this module was written was used for providing specific details. The current version or the version needed for a particular situation should always be consulted for full details.

This document is for the Attendee-Participant and contains:

Background Information

Slides/Handouts