Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

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steve66

Senior Member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
Engineer
110.26(D):

"In electrical equipment rooms, the illumination shall not be controlled by automatic means only"

What does "automatic" mean?

Does everyone agree a motion sensor is automatic?

Would a programmable lighting control panel be considered "automatic only"? It has a low voltage wall switch that signals the panel to turn the light on or off. The panel would also be programmable to turn lights off at a set time, but the switch could turn them back on (last command wins).

Steve

[ March 04, 2005, 01:31 PM: Message edited by: steve66 ]
 

rr

Member
Location
Georgia
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

Originally posted by steve66:
110.26(D):

"In electrical equipment rooms, the illumination shall not be controlled by automatic means only"

What does "automatic" mean?

Does everyone agree a motion sensor is automatic?

Would a programmable lighting control panel be considered "automatic only"? It has a low voltage wall switch that signals the panel to turn the light on or off. The panel would also be programmable to turn lights off at a set time, but the switch could turn them back on (last command wins).

Steve
I've come across the same problem. I consider an occupancy sensor or a Lighting Control Panel an "automatic" means. But since Title 24 in California is becoming more strict in 2005, it might be required regardless.
 

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

I think the intent is to prevent the lights from going off while you are working in the room. So long as there is a mechanism that allows you to override any automatic features, and to keep the lights on while you are working, you will satisfy this requirement.
 

steve66

Senior Member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
Engineer
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

Charlie:

I agree 100% with the intent, but I'm not sure my lighting controller qualifies.

The local switch in the room can't stop the lights from shutting off, but can only turn them back on after they are off. I don't see any difference between that and a motion sensor.

OK, I do see one difference. Someone could program the panel not to turn off the lights. But that's not really accessible to the electrician working in the equip. room.

Steve
 

hurk27

Senior Member
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

Steve a easy way to fix this is to use a 3-way switch. Connect the common from the 3-way to the fixture(s) ungrounded conductor, connect one travler to the controled source, connect the other to the same source before the controler. If you have the travler terminals correct when you flip the switch up it removes it from the "controled" source and connects it to a continous source. This give the person in the power room full control of the lighting.

Just a idea.
 

George Stolz

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
Occupation
Service Manager
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

It's a good idea, but one problem would be that if the lights are on when someone walks in, they're not going to flip the switch to turn the lights on. Midway through the servicing, the lights might shut off, leaving the person fumbling back to the door to turn the lights back on.

A motion sensor would actually be superior to this, as when the person starts fumbling back over to the door, the lights would come back on. :D
 

pierre

Senior Member
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

Most wall mounted motion sensors have a manual override switch (as required), so they will not be as concerned with the lights going out while working in the room.
 

charlie tuna

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

i believe the intent is to have some lighting that is locally controlled only! like the "night lights" of some portion to prevent all the lights from being turned off without warning
 

sceepe

Senior Member
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

I have been dealing with a similar problem: ASHRAE90.1 which is used as the energy code in many states requires an override of automatic lighting controls in EVERY SPACE. This is a commercial requirement that has been overlooked by many folks for a long time. We are looking at specifying a $50.00 wall switch in every room instead of a $1.00 switch to meet the code. Owners are gonna flip out when the electrical numbers come in on bid day. Has anybody else delt with this? (Californians need not respond, the use of electricity was banned by your energy codes a while back :p )

[ March 07, 2005, 06:22 AM: Message edited by: sceepe ]
 

steve66

Senior Member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
Engineer
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

I do like Hurk's idea. Even better if the switch can be labeled with "manual on" or something like that. The lighting control panel can be programmed to flash the lights as a warning before turning them off. That might eliminate the problem George mentioned.

Sceepe:

I haven't had to deal with ASHRE 90.1 yet (but its coming). but, Triatek lighting control panels work on "last command" wins. So you could use a 3 position momentary contact switch, and the user would have full capability to overide the controller.

Steve
 

sceepe

Senior Member
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

I like Hurks idea also. However, energy codes limit the amount of time you can override the automatic lighting controls to 4 hours for Ashrae or 2 hours for IECC. The 3 way switch is an indefinite override. From an energy perspective, it defeats the purpose of the automatic lighting control

I think the solution is not to use any type of automatic lighting control in an electrical room. This satisfies NEC 110.26(D). The energy codes give exemptions for spaces where auto shutoff would endanger the safety or security of the room or building occupants. I think I could argue with the AHJ that having the lights turn off while working inside a 480V switchboard would endanger the electrician.
 

hurk27

Senior Member
Re: Lighting control in electrical equipment rooms

I was just giving a idea for a quick fix if the light in the room was already wired to be on the controller. I have also used this at clubs to turn on ? of a 4 lamp fluorescent fixture to give a little light on the stage for the band to set up and when flipped back down all the lamps in the fixture would work off the regular switch for the clean up crew light thru out the building. You have to remember that the hot feeding the one side has to come from the same circuit the the other source comes from. which could be a draw back in some cases.
 

starbright28

Senior Member
Location
Minnesota
to elborate and throw in something else...

to elborate and throw in something else...

I now understand what the code is meaning by automatic, but I have a good one to throw at you regarding all of this.

We have a service room in an office complex that is in the middle of the back wall of the parking garage. (lowest floor in building.)

There is lights specified for this whole area that is located on the Emergency panel (one where the lights would come on after power is lost). These lights include one in the service room. The lights are on 24/7.

Is there a need to run a switch to turn on and off this light in the Mechanical Room, or is letting it burn 24/7 going to be okay, and be "by code"? Or with the lights going to be on 24/7 this factor doesn't matter.

Since the room is like an L shape, should more than 1 light be in there as well. It contains the switchboards, panelboards, and some mechanical equipment.

Just curious to know, and hope to get a response ASAP. Thanks.
 

Ragin Cajun

Senior Member
Location
Upstate S.C.
sceepe said:
I like Hurks idea also. However, energy codes limit the amount of time you can override the automatic lighting controls to 4 hours for Ashrae or 2 hours for IECC. The 3 way switch is an indefinite override. From an energy perspective, it defeats the purpose of the automatic lighting control

I think the solution is not to use any type of automatic lighting control in an electrical room. This satisfies NEC 110.26(D). The energy codes give exemptions for spaces where auto shutoff would endanger the safety or security of the room or building occupants. I think I could argue with the AHJ that having the lights turn off while working inside a 480V switchboard would endanger the electrician.



I have been chewed out for "gold plating the job by putting in those stupid motion detectors." "We don't want them, don't put them in" is another.

I do churches and it kills me to put them in - BUT that's what the "code" says.

Of course, what actually gets installed is quite another matter!

Another way around using a motion detector is to use dual switches on the ballasts. Two switches and an extra wire is cheaper than a motion detector.

RC
 

peteo

Senior Member
Location
Los Angeles
Steve,

There's nothing I've seen in any of the state energy codes which overrides basic common sense. To put it another way, there's almost certainly an exemption in your state's codes for automatic control in any required common area or life safety lighting. You can find a link to your state's codes here:
http://www.energycodes.gov/implement/state_codes/index.stm


Pierre,

Residential motion controls typically have 'auto - on - off' selections. A utility room would, of course, use a commercial type motion. These have a single option, 'push this button to shut off the lights when you leave the room,' or 'auto - off' selections.
 

starbright28

Senior Member
Location
Minnesota
please help me!

please help me!

iI'll ask this question again with this forum to see if I get any responses....


We have a service room in an office complex that is in the middle of the back wall of the parking garage. (lowest floor in building.)

There is lights specified for this whole area that is located on the Emergency panel (one where the lights would come on after power is lost). These lights include one in the service room. The lights are on 24/7.

Is there a need to run a switch to turn on and off this light in the Mechanical Room, or is letting it burn 24/7 going to be okay, and be "by code"? Or with the lights going to be on 24/7 this factor doesn't matter.

Since the room is like an L shape, should more than 1 light be in there as well. It contains the switchboards, panelboards, and some mechanical equipment.
 

W6SJK

Senior Member
Amanda, it depends on what codes you have to follow. Does the jurisdiction have an energy code? In CA for example you can have up to 0.5W/sq ft of unswitched lighting for security or emerg egress per the energy code.
 

starbright28

Senior Member
Location
Minnesota
MN Has an energy code, and that only determines the number of lights you can put in a room depending on the wattage of your lamps, square footage of the room, the unit power density formulas, etc.

But since I read the code about having nothing automated, and was wondering, gee I've always seen a switch for Mechanical / Electrical equipment rooms, so we changed out the light that was on 24/7 to 2 fluorscents that are on the Emergency panel with a switch.

I was just merely trying to figure out if a 24/7 light didn't need to have a switch or not, and I took my own judgment and we changed the lights.
 

steve66

Senior Member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
Engineer
Amanda:

In my area, I have to follow the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The IECC generally requires switches for all lights. However, I generally think any "life safety" or "security" issues take priority over the IECC. So I often put in Night Lights that are unswitched. The IECC does have an exception for needing to switch lights in means of egress, or designated security or emergency areas.

I'm not sure you can call the electrical room a security area. But who is to say the circuit breaker isn't the switch to control these lights.

You might have another issue with all these lights coming off an emergency panel, if they aren't really necessary for egress. It depends somewhat on if you have lights with internal batteries, or a generator. See Article 700 of the NEC.

Steve
 

dlhoule

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
Amanda, If these are emergency lights per NFPA 101, they do not have to be switched. They do, however, need a monthly iispection to ensure that they are operating properly including documentation for the inspections.

Most areas do not follow this requirement.:mad:
 
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