understanding pilot credit

Hi Emmanuel, Strategy D encourages the project to balance direct lighting with indirect, indirect-direct, and other types of lighting. This helps minimize glare, reduces the perceived brightness of the direct luminaires, and reduces contrast between ceiling and luminaire. To meet this requirement, you must determine the total connected lighting load associated with all regularly occupied spaces and determine what percentage of that load is from direct-only overhead lighting. If this is 25% or less of the total connected lighting load then the requirements are met.

Hi Larissa, Do we have to add task lights to the total connected lighting load? Do we follow the rule of hard-wired/ plug-in rule where hard wired task lights are added to the total connected lighting load, plug-in task lights are not added to the total connected lighting load? Thanks in advance, Update - Step by step guidance on LEED BDC says that plug-in lights are included.

Dear Larissa, Can you be more specific about what exactly are direct-only lighting fixtures? Do for example luminescent fixtures with reflectors count as direct only? Or is this indirect light because of the (aluminium, transluscent or opaque) reflextors?

Lighting manufacturers classify fixtures as direct, direct-indirect, or indirect, based on what percentage of the light is emitted from which side of the fixture - the top or the bottom (or all sides). Downlights with a diffuser are still considered direct. Pendant fixtures can have a portion of their light output directed up to reflect off the ceiling. Autodesk has a simple diagram at http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/buildings/light-fixtures-and-layout to illustrate this. It's an interesting requirement because the more direct lighting fixtures you use, the higher percentage of the lumens are in the space, so it is more energy efficient. I believe this requirement is an attempt to recognize that sometimes the most energy efficient solution is not the highest lighting quality solution - having a high percentage of direct downlight, if not done carefully, can lead to glare.

Hi Jonathan, Thanx for the quick and clear reply!

Would a recessed LED Troffer with the LED lamping directed up into the reflector of the fixture or a recessed edge-lit fixture both be consider direct-only lighting?

Thanks Jonathan for the clarified answer!!