By Darin Fowler

Zaniboni Lighting is now on the California Energy Commission website.  

Why is this important for California and the rest of the planet?  

Title 24 JA8 Compliance is the most sophisticated set of state requirements worldwide, shifting the focus from energy efficiency to human wellbeing.

It takes into account:

- Energy efficiency

- Start time

- Color Rendition Index

- Quality of color above CRI standards

- Minimum dimming

- Audible noise level

- Flicker

Even though you may not be from California, knowing the Title 24 JA8 standards should be important to you.

Below is how Zaniboni Lighting was rated, plus some interesting facts about lighting and wellbeing. 

Specification                  Requirements            Achievement 

Initial Efficacy                - 45 lumens/Watt       61 lumens/Watt

Power Factor                  - 0.90                           0.99

Color Rendering Index  - 90 CRI                       97 CRI

Color Rendering R9       - 50                              84

Start Time                       - 0.5 seconds             .45 seconds

Minimum Dimming        - 10%                            0.28% 

Audible Noise                 - 24 dBA                     21.8 dBA

Flicker                              < 30%                          12.8%

Initial Efficacy 

An efficacy of 61 lumen/watt was achieved at 97CRI, which is well over the required 45 lumen/watt at 90CRI.  The measurement is based on how well the light source produces visible light, which is an index of your energy savings.  

Power Factor

The power factor defines how well the electronics of your driver has been designed, whether it is efficiently utilizing the energy of the grid.  

Color Rendering Index (CRI)

This measurement describes the ability of how well a light source can show an object's accurate, natural colors when compared to other sources.  The maximum score is 100.  Sources with CRI of 85 to 90 are considered good, while sources with 90 or higher are considered excellent, and ideal for tasks requiring the most accurate color discrimination.

R9

R9 is the score that represents how accurately a light source will reproduce red colors.  The red color (R9) is crucial for many applications including photography, textiles and human skin tones.  A high CRI combined with a high R9 value creates the most vivid representation of actual color.

Start Time

LEDs and drivers naturally have a slight delay when turned on. Poor LED fixtures can make you wait seconds which will contribute to a less than excellent experience.  

Minimum Dimming

The ability to create very low dimming in an environment is important, especially considering how sensitive our eyes can be in perceiving small changes in intensity at low levels.   

Audible Noise

Electronic noise, including high-frequency bands of which we are often unaware, emitted by LED sources and electronic drivers can be extremely annoying, and negatively impact the daily activity of occupied space.   

Flicker

Whether it is perceived or not by the person in the environment, flicker is disruptive and can have negative physiological effects.

If you'd like more information on these topics, please comment below.