Commercial LED Tape and Linear Lighting: Title 24 Rules
LED tape and linear lighting is counted at its installed length times its rated watts per linear foot, or at the input rating of the driver or power supply feeding it, with tape tested to UL 2108, UL 8750 or IES LM-79. Whether it is classed as general, task or decorative lighting decides the allowance it uses and whether daylight controls reach it.
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Two ways to state the wattage
Section 130.0(c)5 gives the maximum rated wattage of LED tape and linear lighting with tape components as the sum of installed length times rated linear power density in watts per linear foot, or the maximum rated input wattage of the driver or power supply serving the system. The tape is tested under UL 2108 or UL 8750, or to IES LM-79.
The use decides the allowance
The Energy Commission manual says tape can be decorative, task or general lighting depending on how it is used. Tape under a shelf or cabinet is display or task lighting, not general. Tape in a cove may be decorative or display lighting, or general lighting if the cove is the only source of uniform illumination in the room. Cove light that provides general illumination counts against the general allowance, and task downlights earn an additional allowance only on a separate circuit. Additional allowances also need plans that identify the task areas, and tasks under two hours a day do not qualify (140.6(c)2G).
Dimming: the control is tested, not the tape
A dimmer must cut power by at least 65 percent at its lowest setting, limit light-output amplitude modulation to under 30 percent below 200 Hz, and offer an offset that produces zero lumens (110.9(b)3). A dimmable claim on a data sheet does not replace those rules; see lighting control devices.
Daylit zones and long runs
Cove tape that is the only light source is general lighting, so it needs daylight responsive control where a daylit zone holds 75 watts or more. Tape that crosses daylit zones is controlled in segments of 8 feet or less, each by the zone it is primarily in, with skylit first, then primary sidelit, then secondary sidelit. The threshold logic is on daylighting controls.
Track is counted differently; see commercial track lighting. Allowances are under lighting power allowance, and quotes start from the commercial page.
Common Title 24 Questions
- When does a commercial project need Title 24?
- Does an office tenant improvement need Title 24?
- Does a restaurant remodel need Title 24?
- Does a retail tenant improvement need Title 24?
- What plans are needed for a commercial Title 24 report?
- What is an NRCC certificate of compliance?
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Commission manual classes tape under a shelf or cabinet as display or task lighting, not general lighting.
Use installed length times rated watts per linear foot, or the maximum input wattage of the driver or power supply, as Section 130.0(c)5 provides.
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