restaurant Fc requirements
restaurant Fc requirements
ericlwinston said:
Does the NEC cover footcandles of light on prep. areas, walk-in freezers, hood tops,ect., in a restaurant? If so,please guide me in the right direction
Hi ericl,
Charlie b is spot on as the NEC does not use Footcandles (that are by design) but does specify General light loads using V-A per SF minimums by occupancy...see Table 220.12 and lighting load DF %...Table 220.42.
Reference to the IESNA will give illumination references for standards that may be adopted for local requirements, but this does not really address energy conservation levels for optimum task area lighting. Illumination guidelines may not apply in some States that require lighting strategies to conform to lamp efficacy range outputs such as California's Title 24 constraints.
The DOE Comcheck and Rescheck calculations are also not sufficient in addressing AHJ requirements in lighting efficiencies for energy saving minimums that are crucial in keeping down overhead costs and excess extended Utility Tier imposed penalties. I am relating to past (1980) energy management experiences where a single restaurant would consume enough electrical that would cost around 10K (USD) per month in utility bills.
As a quick reference,
www.energytrust.org/library/case_studies/Seasons_Region.pdf would be a good place to start for understanding restaurant lighting selection for what you are seeking. The data will be a plus on helping the client save overhead costs and get optimum workplane illumination for each task and environment lighting. rbj