UK Building Regulations
- New 2016 amendments of Approved Document L1A and L2A
- New 2013 version of the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guides
- New 2013 version of the Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance Guides
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Domestic Building Compliance Guide 2013
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Non-Domestic Building Compliance Guide 2013
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Scottish Domestic Building Regs Section 6.5
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Scottish Non-Domestic Building Regs Section 6.5
New dwellings must also comply with the new Code for Sustainable homes which has further requirements to Building Regulations for energy and CO² emissions

A Summary of Part L1
- At least 75% of fittings must be low energy, defined as
- Efficiency greater than 45 lamp lumens/circuitW
- Delivering at least 400lm
- Fittings less than 5W are exempt from the total count
- Fittings in infrequently accessed areas (such as cupboards) are exempt
- Halogen and GLS lamps are highlighted in the guidelines as non compliant
- A single light switch should normally operate no more than six light fittings with a maximum load of 100 circuit Watts.
All PhotonStar fittings comply, subject to the light engine choice:
- Titan
- Mercury
- Venus
- Aries
- Jupiter
- Loop
A Summary of Part L2
Area of Application | Minimum Requirement |
---|---|
General lighting in office, industrial and storage areas | 60 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
General lighting in other types of space | 60 lamp lumens per circuit Watt |
Display lighting | 22 lamp lumens per circuit Watt |
It is not necessary for individual luminaires to meet 60 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt, giving the designer flexibility to use a mix of technologies that average 60 lm/cW
Control Factors
Light output control | Control factor | Result of applying control factor |
---|---|---|
(A) Daylit space with daylight sensors with or without override | 0.90 | 54 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
(B) Daylit space with daylight sensors and dimming with or without override | 0.85 | 51 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
(C) Unoccupied space with auto on and off | 0.90 | 54 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
(D) Unoccupied space with manual on and auto off | 0.85 | 51 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
(E) Space not daylit, dimmned for constant illuminance | 0.90 | 54 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
A + C | 0.80 | 48 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
A + D | 0.75 | 45 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
B + C | 0.75 | 45 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
B + D | 0.70 | 42 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
E + C | 0.80 | 48 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
E + D | 0.75 | 45 luminaire lumens per circuit Watt |
Note that this expands the available control factors by adding presence and absence detection and also constant illuminance control.
In all cases to qualify for daylight control the orom must be a daylit space, which means any space:
- with 6m of a window wall, provided the glazing area is at least 20% of the internal area of the window wall; or
- below roof lights provided that the glazing area is at least 10% of the floor area.
The normal light transmittance of the glazing should be at least 70%; if the light transmittance is below 70%, the glazing area should be increased proportionately for the space to be defined as daylit.
All PhotonStar™ products exceed the requirements for display lighting, and the following light engines meet (and in many cases dramatically exceed) 60lm/cW in most fittings:
- Nix/Oberon
- Pluto
- Titan
- Mercury
- Venus
- Aries
- Jupiter
-
Loop