Forum discussion
NC-v4 SSc6: Light pollution reduction
Is existing lighting required to be included in the BUG rating prescriptive method? We have a project where only some site lighting is being upgraded; the rest will remain. Since these features are older, it will be difficult to determine the BUG ratings.
Thank you.
LEEDuser is supported by our premium members, not by advertisers.
Go premium forTo post a comment, you need to register for a LEEDuser Basic membership (free) or login to your existing profile.
Is existing lighting required to be included in the calculations? What are the exceptions?
Does athletic field lighting need to be included in this credit?
What’s the difference between the Project Boundary and the Lighting Boundary?
Bill Swanson
Sr. Electrical EngineerIntegrated Design Solutions
LEEDuser Expert
731 thumbs up
September 8, 2017 - 11:00 am
Any lighting within the project boundary should be included. You can ignore fixtures that are outside of the project boundary but inside of the lighting boundary.
I don't do it much any more, but I used to find IES files for similar products when I didn't have info on an existing light. If you know the wattage of the lamp in the older fixtures you may be able to find a similar product with an IES file or BUG rating. You may need to include a photo of the existing fixture and explain this is the best data on it you could provide.
New fixtures are a lot better than older ones. I strongly encourage people to update site lighting. Performance and energy savings are often enough to convince them. And all of the lights will look the same now if they are all new. But I understand everyone is on a budget.