Energy-efficient lighting mandated for Queensland dwellings

The Lighting Council of Australia has recently issued a technical news bulletin alerting the Queensland electrical and lighting industries to recent changes to the Queensland Development Code QDC MP4.1 which came into effect 1 March 2009.

In the code, the government approved a range of energy-efficiency requirements, including new requirements for lighting. The superseded 2006 code required 40% of a dwelling’s gross floor area to be fitted with energy-efficient fixed internal lighting. The new code doubles the requirement to 80%.

All new buildings, together with the renovation of dwellings or homes that are single, attached, apartment, boarding or guest house, are affected by these requirements. Note that existing dwellings undergoing major renovations or extensions will only require energy-efficient lighting (EEL) in the area covered by the new work.

The new requirement for EEL to be installed at a minimum of 80% of total fixed lighting positions is based on the number of lights installed internally in the home. This applies to all areas inside the walls under the roof, including garages, but not necessarily sheds, carports, porches or verandas. The code stipulates “lighting with a minimum efficacy (output) of 27 lm/W (excluding lamps used in bathrooms for the purposes of radiating heat)”.

The minimum lighting efficacy of lm/W can be determined using the lamp’s packaging or the manufacturer’s data sheet. This is done simply by dividing the lamp’s luminous flux (light output indicated as ‘lm’) by the wattage (lamp power indicated as ‘W’). For example, a 60 W household incandescent lamp with 720 lm has an efficacy of 12 lm/W. This would not be acceptable under QDC MP4.1, while an 11 W compact fluorescent lamp with 630 lm output and 57 lm/W efficacy is acceptable.

All lamp types (other than those progressively banned by government legislation) are still available for use in new and renovated buildings in Queensland; however, the types that can be used in 80% of the internal floor area are restricted to those with a minimum efficacy of 27 lm/W.

The most common household lamps used internally are the ‘pear’ shaped general lighting service (GLS) light bulbs and low-voltage tungsten-halogen lamps. GLS lamps have ratings of only 7–10 lm/W. Low-voltage tungsten halogen lamps are approximately 15 lm/W. Therefore, because of their poor energy performance, these types of lamps are restricted to a maximum of 20% of the dwelling.

All forms of fluorescent lamps — linear, circular and CFLs — have lm/W ratings that qualify for use in the 80% area of the dwelling. LED luminaires may also be used, provided they achieve an efficacy of greater than 27 lm/W.