California residents who are planning lighting solutions for new homes or additions must be sure to consider the Title 24 lighting code, which is the strictest state-enforced energy mandate in the nation. First established in 1978 in response to the energy crisis, the standards are updated every few years to keep up with evolving technologies and expanding options. The current standards went into effect in October, 2005, and will remain through the end of this July. For residential buildings, the rules break down as follows:

• Incandescent lighting is allowed in most rooms, provided they are controlled either by a vacancy sensor that turns them off when no one is in the room, or by a dimmer switch.
• In kitchens, energy efficient light sources such as CFL or LED bulbs must make up at least half of the lighting, and incandescent lights must be wired on separate circuits.
• For outdoor lighting, all light fixtures that are attached to the main building or to any outbuildings on the same lot must either use energy efficient bulbs, or must be controlled by light and motions sensors.
• These standards apply to permanently installed light fixtures and not to plug-in lamps.

Title 24 was updated again in 2008, and the revised standards will go into effect on August 1st, 2009. They differ from the 2005 in the following ways:

• Home lighting is divided into three distinct zones: the kitchen; bathrooms, garages, laundry and utility rooms; and hallways, dining rooms, family rooms, home office, and bedrooms.
• Kitchen lighting requirements remain much the same, with the added provision that internal cabinet lighting cannot exceed 20 watts per linear foot of cabinet space. There is no penalty for use of low-efficiency incandescents for low-wattage cabinet lighting.
• The second zone will now require vacancy detectors to have a manual “on” switch, rather than an automatic motion-sensor, to prevent lights from coming on automatically in rooms that are well-lit by daylight.
• The third zone, which comprises all of the main living areas, also remains much the same, with the requirement that low-efficiency lighting be controlled by a dimmer switch or a vacancy detector.

The good news about these standards is how easy it is to comply. Simply switch out all of your old light bulbs for a more energy efficient option such as CFL or LED bulbs. Even better, since energy efficient bulbs also have a longer lifespan than incandescent's, the long-term savings more than make up for the short-term expense of upgrading your lighting. It's a small change that can make a big impact on both the environment and on your wallet, no special wiring required.