Over the decades, California has been a pioneer in adopting policies and regulations to protect the environment.
Currently, there are two state regulations that cover energy efficiency.
-Title 20, also known as the Appliance Efficiency Program, and
-Title 24, California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards.
Title 20 is a set of energy efficiency regulations established by the California Energy Commission (CEC) that defines standards for all types of appliances including setting minimum efficiency levels for water and energy use.
What is CA Title 20?
It affects three main types of light bulbs, referred to in the regulations as “lamps”:
– General Service Lamps (GSLs),
– State-Regulated LED Lamps (SLEDs) and
– State-Regulated Small Diameter Directional Lamps (SSDLs).
Qualified light bulbs
To be Title 20-compliant, bulbs must produce light for general illumination with a brightness ≤ 2600 lumens, and ≥ 150 lumens (with E12 or E17 base) or ≥ 200 lumens (with E26 or GU-24 base). They must also be capable of emitting white light with a correlated color temperature (CCT) between 2200K and 7000K.
LED lamps manufactured on or after July 1, 2019, must meet the following:
– CRI of 82 or greater.
-Min Efficacy of GSLs (min 45 LPW), while SSDLs & SLEDs (min 80 LPW and min compliance score of 297).
-Min PF of 0.7.
-A color point that meets the requirements in Table B1 of Annex B of ANSI C78.377-2015 for color targets and color consistency.
-Rated life of 10,000 hours (25,000 hours for MR16s).
-Light Distribution: Omnidirectional lamps (A-lamps) meet ENERGY STAR Lamps v2.0 requirements. Decorative lamps (B, BA, C, CA, F, or G) meet ENERGY STAR Lamps v1.1.
-Standby power of 0.2W or less.
Small-Diameter Directional Lamps (Non-E26 bases):
-Min Efficacy of 80 LPW or Min Efficacy of 70 LPW and a min compliance score 165.
-Rated life of 25,000 hours or greater.
Light bulbs are now required to produce a minimum number of lumens per watt used or they cannot be sold in California. Practically no standard halogen or incandescent light bulbs will meet these stricter standards. All products approved for sale in the state must be listed in California’s MAEDBS (Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System).
What is Title 24 (JA8)?
Title 24 is a broad set of requirements for “energy conservation, green design, construction and maintenance, fire and life safety, and accessibility” that apply to the “structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems” in all residential and non-residential buildings in California. The most updated Building Energy Efficiency Standards is the 2022 version, which came in effect in January 2023. Within this code, the Joint Appendix Section 8 (JA8) requirements cover residential light sources. JA8 requirements are very similar to the Title 20 requirements listed above, including the LPW prerequisites.
Title 24 (JA8) requirements
Title 20 and Title 24 (JA8): The Difference
Title 20 is a product-specific standard
Title 24 (JA8) covers how a building is set up & controlled
Title 20 means every GSLs, SLEDs, and SSDLs light bulb sold in the state of California must be Title 20 compliant and is registered on MAEDBS database. It’s important to note that lighting products that meet Title 20 requirements may not automatically meet Title 24 (JA8) regulations. In other words, products do not need to be Title 24 (JA8)-compliant to be sold in California — but new constructions or major retrofitting projects do need to meet Title 24 (JA8) standards. Title 20 sets performance criteria for lamps like GSLs, SLEDs, and SSDLs to meet efficiency regulations. On the other hand, Title 24 (JA8) focuses on improving energy performance in buildings with strict lighting control & dimming requirements.
We currently offer a wide range of products that are compliant with Title 20 and Title 24 (JA8). https://naturaled.com/led-lamps/
