Many organizations have established standards that address lighting design, safety, performance, mounting, and testing, as well as illumination levels.

Standards are norms or requirements that establish a basis for the common understanding and judgment of materials, products or processes. Standards are an invaluable tool in industry and business, because they streamline business practices and provide a level playing field for businesses to develop products and services. They are also critical to ensuring that products and services are safe for consumers and the environment.

Lighting was the original purpose of electricity, and numerous standard-making bodies address nearly every aspect of Efficient Lighting and LED safety, performance, testing, and illumination levels. Lighting standards are also frequently revised and amended to take into account the latest technology or the needs of particular industries.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Definitions/Specifications

  • ANSI C82.13-2002: Lamp Ballasts—Definitions for Fluorescent Lamps and Ballasts
  • ANSI C82.9-2016: Lamp Ballasts—High-Intensity Discharge (HID) and Low-Pressure Sodium (LPS) Lamps—Definitions

Ballasts

Fluorescent Lamps

LEDs

  • ANSI C78.377-2017: Specifications for the Chromaticity of Solid State Lighting Products

Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)

Definitions/Specifications

  • IES RP-16-17: Nomenclature and Definitions for Illuminating Engineering
  • IES DG-3-10/R15: Application of Luminaire Symbols on Lighting Design Drawings
  • IES LM-72-97/R10: Directional Positioning of Photometric Data
  • IES LM-74-05: Standard File Format For the Electronic Transfer of Luminaire Component Data

Design

  • IES TM-15-11: Luminaire Classification System for Outdoor Luminaires
  • IES RP-29-06: Lighting for Hospitals and Health Care Facilities
  • IES RP-1-12: American National Standard Practice for Office Lighting
  • IES LM-61-06/R14: Identifying Operating Factors for Installed Outdoor High Intensity Discharge (HID) Luminaires (Reaffirmed 2014)

Illuminance Levels

Installation

  • IES LEM-3-13: Upgrading Lighting Systems in Commercial and Institutional Spaces

LEDs

  • IES G-2-10: Guideline for the Application of General Illumination (“White”) Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Technologies
  • IES TM-16-17: Solid State Lighting Sources and Systems

Measurement / Testing

  • IES LM-79-19: Approved Method: Optical and Electrical Measurements of Solid-State Lighting Products
  • IES LM-80-15: Measuring Luminous Flux and Color Maintenance of LED Packages, Arrays and Modules
  • IES TM-21-19: Technical Memorandum: Projecting Long Term Lumen, Photon, and Radiant Flux Maintenance of LED Light Source
  • IES LM-9-09/R17: Electrical and Photometric Measurements of Fluorescent Lamps
  • IES LM-46-04/R12: Photometric Testing of Indoor Luminaires Using High Intensity Discharge or Incandescent Filament Lamps
  • IES LM-62-06: Laboratory or Field Thermal Measurements of Fluorescent Lamps and Ballasts in Luminaires (Reaffirmed 2015)
  • IES LM-78-17: Approved Method for Total Luminous Flux Measurement of Lamps Using an Integrating Sphere Photometer
  • IES LM-45-15: The Electrical and Photometric Measurement of General Service Incandescent Filament Lamps
  • IES LM-40-10/R17: Life Testing of Fluorescent Lamps
  • IES LM-65-14: Life Testing of Single-Based Fluorescent Lamps
  • IES LM-66-14: Electrical and Photometric Measurements of Single-Ended Compact Fluorescent Lamps

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)

Ballasts

Fluorescent Lamps

LEDs

Luminaires

Underwriters Laboratories (UL)

Ballasts

General Lighting

Lamps

LEDs

Luminaires

Mounting

Specialty Lighting

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Definitions/Specifications

Ballasts

Fluorescent Lamps

HID Lamps

Incandescent Lamps

Installation

  • IEC 60364-1:2005 : Low-Voltage Electrical Installations - Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of general characteristics, definitions

LEDs

Luminaires

Mounting

Rural Systems

  • IEC TS 62257-9-5:2018: Recommendations for Renewable Energy and Hybrid Systems for Rural Electrification - Part 9-5: Integrated systems - Laboratory Evaluation of Stand-Alone Renewable Energy Products for Rural Electrification
  • IEC TS 62257-12-1:2020 : Recommendations for Renewable Energy and Hybrid Systems for Rural Electrification - Part 12-1: Laboratory evaluation of lamps and lighting appliances for off-grid electricity systems

Specialty Lighting

International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)

Lighting Power Densities

  • IECC 2012: 2012 International Energy Conservation Code
Image
Three sub-compact fluorescent coil light bulbs
When used properly, sub-compact fluorescent coil light bulbs last up to 10 times longer, use 1/4 the energy with equivalent light output, and produce less heat than incandescent bulbs. They also fit in most incandescent lamp fixtures.
U.S. Department of Energy