Campus outdoor lighting systems are an essential part of public safety and central to creating the atmosphere for economic activity such as night-time athletic events; and safe passage home from classroom buildings and libraries.   Pathway illumination is usually complicated by the location and reliability of municipal lighting systems.  The design, construction, and maintenance of these systems are governed by four dominant standards:

Illuminating Engineering Society, which sets standards for the application of the illumination “arts”

ASHRAE, which sets standards energy consumption

NFPA, which set sets standards for occupant egress (NFPA 101), electrical safety (NFPA 70), and premises security (NFPA 730)

International Code Council, which sets standards for area lighting along a building perimeter in the International Energy Conservation Code

Most investor-owned and cooperatively owned public power organizations have their own set of standards that reference the foregoing, and add site-specific requirements of their own.   Their standards underlie public service obligations enforced by state and local utility commissions.

Largely absent from the conversation among these interlocking standards, or with a weaker voice in community lighting systems, has been the IEEE — until now.  In October 2014 a new subcommittee was established under the Industrial Applications Society — the Education and Healthcare Facilities committee (E&H) — which will set American national standards of its own within the education and healthcare industry; lighting among them.

The E&H committee meets bi-weekly in the Americas and Europe.  Near the top of the July 14th agenda is the condition of standards setting in the exterior lighting systems among the dominant, incumbent standard setting committees of IES, ASHRAE and NFPA.   A new IEEE standard 3001.9  (derived from the legacy “Color Books”) — Recommended Practice for Lighting of Industrial and Commercial Facilities — is under revision by the assigned technical committee.   Section 7.3 of the draft document contains recommended practice for outdoor lighting systems which we would like to develop into a more usable form for campus planners, designers, installers and safety officials — i.e. reconcile the competing requirements for safety and economy in the IES, ASHRAE and NFPA suites; as well as recommend practical solutions from the point of view of electrical engineers.   

Because of IEEE copyright restrictions upon draft standards circulation we are unable to post draft material here but a teleconference on this document will be held on Monday, July 27th | 1:00 – 2:00 PM EDT.   You may join the call with the information provided below:

 

 

Issue [15-199]

Contact: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Steve Townsend

Category: Electrical, Public Safety, Planning & Space Utilization, State and Local Legislation, Energy Conservation, Civil & Site