Date
Inquiry

The Reference Guide states, on page 357, that EQ credit 6.1 requires provision of (1) "individual lighting controls for 90% (minimum) of the building occupants to enable adjustments to suit individual task needs and preferences" AND (2) "lighting system controllability for all shared, multi-occupant spaces to enable adjustment that meets group needs and preferences." On the following page under Calculations, requirement (1) is interpreted to mean that 90% of people occupying "workstation locations intended for individual use" must have "task lighting that enables adjustment to suit individual task needs" (on/off at minimum). We struggle to interpret these requirements for multifamily residential units where task lighting is usually provided by the future tenant/owner, and where spaces don\'t easily fall into the categories of "workstation locations intended for individual use" or "shared multi-occupant." Although the term "regularly occupied" is never mentioned in the relevant sections of the Reference Guide, several CIR rulings have established that the requirements of EQc6.1 and EQc6.2 apply only to "regularly occupied" spaces (3/15/07 and 10/22/07), and that, for residential units, "regularly occupied" spaces refers to "all spaces except closets or other storage areas, utility rooms, and bathrooms" (5/23/07). Please clarify the following for regularly occupied spaces in multifamily residential units: 1) For a space that could be considered "intended for individual use" (e.g. a kitchen or bedroom), assuming the fixed lighting serving this space has been designed to meet the intended needs of the space, does providing on/off control of the fixed lighting meet requirement (1) above? 2) If not, does providing an additional wall receptacle intended for task lighting or providing dimming controls for the fixed lighting meet this requirement? 3) For a space that could be considered "shared multi-occupant" (e.g. a large space for group activity such as eating or entertainment), assuming the fixed lighting serving this space has been designed to meet the intended needs of the space, does providing on/off control for the fixed lighting meet requirement (2) above? 4) If not, does providing additional wall receptacles intended for task lighting (one for each expected occupant) or providing dimming controls for the fixed lighting meet this requirement?

Ruling

Typical on/off controls in regularly occupied spaces will meet the intent of this credit for multi-family residential projects. Specifically, 1. YES, on/off controls meet the intent of this credit. 2. Not applicable, since 1 is a Yes. 3. YES, on/off controls meet the intent of this credit. 4. Not applicable, since 3 is a Yes.

Internationally Applicable
Off
Campus Applicable
Off