Lighting control requirement in City of Chicago?

[jkblu11]

I am currently designing a project in city of chicago for a retail store and just had a question about the lighting controls. I provided a timeclock to shut-off all the lighting (referring to IECC 2009 code s505.2.2.2) for a requirement of an automatic lighting shutoff. Buildings larger than 5,000 sq.ft. are required to have these. The tenant space is under 5000 sq ft but the building that is associated with tenant is larger for sure.

My question is.. the contractor there is saying the local code does not enforce the timeclock requirement and there is no need for one. I looked up the chicago city codes but couldn't really find an answer. Anyone know about city of Chicago lighting control requirements?

Help!:?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

We have a few members from that area- hopefully they will chime in. The fact that it isn't enforced still does not mean it isn't code. If it is code I would do it regardless of whether the inspectors push it.

 

[mike1061]

I would like to preface this by saying I do not consider myself an expert, but I have not herd of this. Nor do I understand what the reason you would even want this would be. There is something in an energy guide (or something like that, Edison printed maybe), where in offices (size matters?) that you have to be able to turn off 1/2 of the lights. The logic behind this seemed to be that you don't always need all of the lights, like if a couple of people stay after work. I wish I could remember more spacifics about it.
Thanks
Mike

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Illinois has adopted one of the energy codes but I am not sure which one and it is probably one of the many laws in Illinois that does not apply to municipalities with a population of over 500,000.

 

[jumper]

Chicago Municipal Code

See 18-13-505 Electrical power and lighting systems. (Mandatory.)

 

[mike1061]

That link proves it, it also proves my point of having to be able to turn the lights down by 50%.
What do you think the resoning behind the automatic shut off is? I see the part about the occupant being able to over ride the shut off and other things, but it seems to me that it would be more logical to do in small places, rather than large. With a large place a single person (a small group) could get caught off gaurd. There should be some emergancy lighting, but I could see a person looking a long time for the light switch.
Thanks
Mike

 

[Leestarkweather]

Whole Area Lighting Shutoff

Whole Area Lighting Shutoff

This is in CA's Title 24 lighting controls requirements. For a cycle or 2 it was only for area's over 5000 SF, now it applies to all areas.

I have a major customer (Time Warner Cable) that is building a number of 4,200 SF "Hub" buildings. Smaller cities accept the fact that this is an unmanned hub, and almost always a tech comes to the site on off-hours, in response to an outage or chassis failure. So they don't require the 24/7 programmable time clock (around $700.00+) that has all the weekend/holiday bells and whistles. But the City of LA will not exempt any of the sites from this (totally unapplicable) requirement. So I bought the T Clock 6 years ago, and have moved it from site to site for 5 installations/inspections so far. BTW, the field inspector has never once opened the cover, just looked to see if the T Clock is
there and looks like the (big) one that meets Title 24. We have
never even wired up the branch circuits, just the 120V or 277V input to control terminals.

There should be a logical exception to this rule, but that applies to many, many "one size fits all" rules. BTW--I have never yet met a Electrical Plan Checker that has had any field experience, unless it is in a smaller city where the PC is also the field inspector. Then they are usually much more reasonable to deal with on issues that are in need of logical interpretation/enforcement.