Motion Detecting Lights in Bathrooms - Code??

Codes are local, and you did say California. Makes perfect (non)sense to me

In article , "

Given that it is California, I have no doubt it is code. My guess, again since it is Ca, is that someone's honcho's worthless brother-in-law makes them... er I mean that it is an energy saving effort.

What's really annoying about mandating "energy saving" devices like that is that for those of us that conscientiously turn off lights when leaving a room, we wind up with higher electric bills as our lights are always on five minutes longer than necessary , not to mention the $30 to $50 for the switch

Energy saving code reqt would be my guess too. They want to ban the incandescent bulb in CA too. I'm trying a few of those CFL flood type bulbs that are supposed to be so great myself. So far, I'm not impressed. They take about 2 mins to reach any reasonable brightness. I put two in about two months ago, and one just went out already. 4X Life? I don't think so!

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Yes, it is.

You said it yourself, to save electricity. An occupant sensor is now required in many rooms, incl. bathroom & kitchen, unless you use energy efficient bulbs.

-frank

I haven't seen any of the timer switches that don't allow to you manually control the light as well.

-frank

The other thing is the mercury. While I admit that each one is small, DOE says 55 millions light bulbs are sold PER day in the US. My calculator doesn't go high enuff to figure out yearly. If all (or even a hefty %age are CFL, and they get thrown out into landfills, why will that not cause problems over the years. Reminds me of the EPA calling for the additive EBDT (IIRC) to gasoline as a oxygenator and then after

clipped

I did a quick Google search and found this:

That's true, but the switch is typically an inconvenient three position slide type that's a pita to operate

From further down in the same document:

A luminaire is the lighting industry?s term for light fixture. A luminaire consists of the housing, power supply (ballast), lamp, reflector, and in some cases a lens. A lamp is the lighting industry?s term for a light bulb. Luminaires can be designed to be recessed into the ceiling, suspended by a rod or chain, or surface mounted on the wall or ceiling.

A high efficacy luminaire is one that contains only high efficacy lamps and must not contain a conventional (medium) screw-based socket. Typically, high efficacy luminaires contain, pin-based sockets, like compact or linear fluorescent lamp sockets, though other types such as screw sockets specifically rated for high intensity discharge lamps (like metal halide lamps) may also be eligible for exterior use.

Luminaires with modular components that allow conversion between screw-based and pin-based sockets without changing the luminaire housing or wiring shall not be considered high efficacy luminaires. These requirements prevent low efficacy lamps being retrofitted in high efficacy luminaires. Also, compact fluorescent luminaires with permanently installed ballasts that are capable of operating a range of lamp wattages, the highest operating input wattage of the rated lamp/ballast combination must be use for determining the luminaire wattage.

There are two qualifying requirements for a high efficacy luminaire: that the lumens per watt for the lamp be above a specified threshold and that electronic ballasts be used in certain applications.

So, I guess the guy who decided to put those motion detectors in our office building's bathrooms over ten years ago was way ahead of his time.

Jeff

Remember that the lifespan of a CFL bulb is measured in years instead of months -- so the number of CFLs going into the landfills isn't going to be anywhere near the number of incandescent bulbs.

I'd amend that to "the lifespan of a CFL bulb *in a suitable application* is measured in years instead of months." I suggest not replacing the incandescent bulb inside your oven with a CFL, for example, unless you want a bulb lifespan measured in minutes instead of years. And most CFs don't work so well at subzero temperatures when used outdoors or in your freezer.

I hope whoever is banning incandescent bulbs provides exceptions for applications where incandescents are the most suitable technology.

Surely these get disabled in the majority of bathrooms as soon as the owner figures out how to do it? Or am I the only person who doesn't

That's fer damn sure. Anything brighter than a night-light triggers the 'morning' subroutine in my head, and I can forget about getting back to sleep.

I'll control how the lighting circuits in my damn house work, thank you very much NannyState. I'm no wastrel- I keep things pretty dark. But choose what goes on and off, and when.

aem sends...

I have motion lights all over my house for "walking around light" at a low level and once you get used to them you won't want to go back to switches. I also have "task lighting" that is switch controlled when you need it. This all started with a motioned controlled light in the kitchen because the wife and kids were using the refrigerator as a night light.

Oops- accidently send via e-mail instead of posting. (Gotta quit using Usenet to distract me when sinuses wake me up at 0300....

----- Original Message ----- From: "ameijers" To: Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 3:36 AM Subject: Re: Motion Detecting Lights in Bathrooms - Code??

on 9/3/2007 8:14 PM Norminn said the following:

Well, if California was on the east coast, it would run from NYC to the Georgia border. How much electricity is used in those 7 or so states in hot weather? (exclude the rest of NYS, since it is all north of NYC)

I put a string on LED holiday lights in my bathroom. I don't need anything else just to pee.