Resource library

Every source this manual relies on, grouped by chapter, with who publishes it and what it settles. Each link was checked on the date shown.

Every link was checked on 2026-10-14. The next check is due 2027-10-14. Nothing here is sponsored, and no link carries a referral or tracking parameter.

How light works in a room

• Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), SP 811, Appendix B, National Institute of Standards and Technology (government standards body). Official unit definitions and conversion factors, including footcandles to lux. It does not say how much light a room needs.
• Inverse Square Law, Light, HyperPhysics, Georgia State University (university). The physics of light falling off with distance from a small source. It does not cover large or wall-washing sources.
• Learn About Brightness, ENERGY STAR, U.S. EPA (government agency). The lumens-for-watts table for replacing older bulbs. It does not say how bright your room should be.
• Consumer Guide to Energy-Efficient Lighting (DOE/EE-2465), U.S. Department of Energy (government agency). A consumer fact sheet on lumens, color and the label. It is general and not specific to any one room.
• Paint color pages for White Dove, Hale Navy, Black Beauty, Benjamin Moore (paint manufacturer). The manufacturer's definition of light reflectance value and real values across the range. Other brands may measure differently.
• Natural Light and Daylighting, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Science Education (government agency). Window orientation basics. It does not predict daylight in your room.
• CIE e-ILV terms: discomfort glare, disability glare, shielding angle, International Commission on Illumination (standards body). Authoritative definitions of the glare terms this manual uses. It gives no home targets. Also Layers, fixtures and glare.
• Lighting Ergonomics: Survey and Solutions, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (government agency). A lux-meter survey procedure, glare self-tests and a reflectance measurement. It was written for workplaces. Also Survey and test your rooms, Layers, fixtures and glare and Kitchens, bathrooms and desks.
• Home Nighttime Light Exposures: How much are we really getting in our residences?, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy (national lab report). Measured light levels in real homes, as a reality check on targets. It reports measurements from a set of homes, not a target. Also Survey and test your rooms and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• UFC 3-530-01 Interior and Exterior Lighting Systems, section 3-9 Housing, U.S. Department of Defense, hosted by the Whole Building Design Guide (government). Room-by-room target illuminances and measurement planes for military housing. It is not a rule for private homes. Also Survey and test your rooms, Layers, fixtures and glare, Switches, dimmers and evening light, Kitchens, bathrooms and desks and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Lighting Rooms: Kitchen, Bathroom, Dining Room, Living Room, Bedroom (archived copy of a page the Lighting Research Center no longer hosts), Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with the AARP Andrus Foundation (research center). Placement principles for each room. It dates from the original site and has not been revised. Also Layers, fixtures and glare, Kitchens, bathrooms and desks and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• What can I do to make lighting more effective for older adults? (archived copy of a page the Lighting Research Center no longer hosts), Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (research center). Light-level targets for older occupants. It does not settle how much more light any one person needs. Also Survey and test your rooms, Layers, fixtures and glare and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Lighting Your Way to Better Vision (IES CG-1-20), a copy hosted by the Center of Design; derived from IES RP-28-20, since revised as RP-28-25, Illuminating Engineering Society (standards body, consumer guide). Room-by-room guidance for older adults and people with low vision. The mirror copy is not the current edition. Also Kitchens, bathrooms and desks and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Aging and Your Eyes, National Institute on Aging, NIH (government agency). The federal list of normal age changes and low-vision home tips. It does not diagnose. The site blocks scripts, so a browser may be needed. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Illuminate Your Independence: Low Vision Lighting and Glare Control, VisionAware, APH ConnectCenter (nonprofit). Practical low-vision lighting and glare tips. Its figures are not sourced on the page. The site blocks scripts, so a browser may be needed. Also Kitchens, bathrooms and desks and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.

Bulbs, labels and color

• 16 CFR 305.23, Labeling for lighting products, Federal Trade Commission, via the eCFR (government agency, regulation text). The legal content of the Lighting Facts label. It says what must be printed, not whether a bulb suits your fixture. Also Your lighting plan.
• Energy Labeling Rule, notice of proposed rulemaking, 89 FR 7566, Federal Trade Commission, via federalregister.gov (government agency). Why the estimated-cost figure on bulb labels has not been updated. It is a proposal, not a final rule.
• Bulb Purchasing Guide (checklist PDF), ENERGY STAR, U.S. EPA (government agency). Color-name labels for color temperature and the same lumen table. It predates the end of the bulb program.
• ENERGY STAR Lighting Products 2023 Key Messages, ENERGY STAR, U.S. EPA (government agency). EPA's own consumer messages before the sunset. It does not describe the program today.
• Letter finalizing the sunset of ENERGY STAR lamps and luminaires specifications, U.S. EPA, ENERGY STAR (government agency). The date and reasons the ENERGY STAR label left light bulbs. It does not say which bulbs are good.
• Light Fixtures for Partners, ENERGY STAR, U.S. EPA (government agency). Confirms the sunset and the one remaining lighting specification. It addresses manufacturers, not shoppers.
• ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Lamps (Light Bulbs), Eligibility Criteria Version 2.1, U.S. EPA (government agency). The quality criteria certified bulbs had to meet, a benchmark for good-bulb numbers. The specification is retired. Also Switches, dimmers and evening light.
• 10 CFR 430.32(dd), General service lamps, U.S. Department of Energy, via the eCFR (government agency, regulation text). The federal efficiency standard in force and the later one as codified today. It changes when the agency revises it.
• Energy Conservation Program: Backstop Requirement for General Service Lamps, 87 FR 27439, U.S. Department of Energy (government agency). The history and legal basis of the 45 lumens-per-watt floor. It is a rulemaking record, not a buying guide.
• Energy Conservation Standards for General Service Lamps, 89 FR 28856, U.S. Department of Energy (government agency). The later efficacy levels with worked examples. Its dates and levels may be revised.
• LED Color Characteristics (PNNL-SA-84900), U.S. Department of Energy, prepared by PNNL (government agency, national lab). Definitions of color temperature, Duv, CRI and R9 and their limits. It predates TM-30 adoption. Also Survey and test your rooms and Kitchens, bathrooms and desks.
• LED Basics, U.S. Department of Energy, Solid-State Lighting program (government agency). A one-page LED primer with the lifetime definition and CRI guidance. It does not rate any product. Also Layers, fixtures and glare.
• TM-30: The Sequel (LD+A, August 2019), Michael Royer, PNNL, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (national lab author, trade-journal article). The specification levels in IES Annex E for TM-30. Few consumer packages print TM-30 values.
• Emerging Specification Guidance for TM-30 (LED Watch, June 2018), Michael Royer, PNNL, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (national lab author). The evidence case against treating CRI of 80 as a quality cutoff. It does not settle which number you need.
• Flicker: Understanding the New IEEE Recommended Practice, Naomi Miller (PNNL) and Brad Lehman (Northeastern University), hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (national lab and university slides). A plain summary of IEEE Std 1789-2015 limits and flicker metrics. It is a recommended practice, not a law. Also Survey and test your rooms.
• Joint Appendix JA8, Qualification Requirements for High Luminous Efficacy Light Sources, California Energy Commission, via Energy Code Ace (state agency program site, regulation text). The only binding U.S. flicker limit for home lighting, for California new construction. It is an example, not the rule where you live. Also Kitchens, bathrooms and desks.
• LED Luminaire Lifetime: Recommendations for Testing and Reporting, third edition, Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance with the U.S. Department of Energy (industry and government consortium). What an LED life number means and why heat matters. It does not promise any bulb's life.
• CIE Position Statement on the Blue Light Hazard (April 2019), International Commission on Illumination (standards body). The definition of blue light hazard and its position on home lighting. It does not address sleep or comfort. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Optical Safety of LEDs (Solid-State Lighting Technology Fact Sheet), U.S. Department of Energy, prepared by PNNL (government agency, copy hosted by the Lighting Global program). Plain definitions of the IEC 62471 risk groups and the DOE conclusion on white LEDs. It is from 2013.
• Opinion on Potential risks to human health of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), European Commission, Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (government scientific committee). An EU review of LED health effects, including children, older people and flicker. It is European and from 2018. Also Switches, dimmers and evening light and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• ICNIRP statement on potential health effects of light-emitting diodes, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (summarizing ICNIRP) (government agency). The radiation-protection body's position, through a government summary. The site blocks scripts, so a browser may be needed.
• LEDs: ANSES's recommendations for limiting exposure to blue light, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (government agency). The most cautious government position, shown so the disagreement is stated fairly. It is French guidance.
• Should You Be Worried About Blue Light?, American Academy of Ophthalmology (professional medical association). The ophthalmologists' public position on screens and blue-light glasses. It is not medical advice for you.

Survey and test your rooms

• Measurement of Lighting Levels in the Work Place, IPG-039, Employment and Social Development Canada, Labour Program (government agency). How to hold and read a lux meter, and the error allowance. It was written for workplaces.
• T-10 and T-10M Illuminance Meters (brochure), Konica Minolta Sensing (manufacturer). What the two key accuracy specifications on a real lux meter mean. It describes one product line, not a recommendation.
• Comparison between Lux Meter Apps and Illumination Measuring Devices, University of Maribor, DAAAM International Scientific Book 2022 (university). The most recent controlled test found of phone light-meter apps against a reference meter. Results depend on the phone and the app. Also Your lighting plan.
• Smartphone Sensors for Citizen Science Applications: Light and Sound, Citizen Science: Theory and Practice (peer-reviewed journal, open access). Calibrated phone accuracy by light range. Accuracy varies by light range. Also Your lighting plan.
• Do smartphone Apps Provide Accurate Illumination Measurements for Occupational Health and Safety applications? (poster), Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) (university poster). A larger phone sample with a finding that apps vary. A poster is not a full paper.
• 8.3 How Much Lighting is Needed, Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, EGEE 102 (university). The widely repeated footcandle table, attributed there to older IES guidance. It is not the current IES text. Also Kitchens, bathrooms and desks.
• Diagnosing and Resolving LED Flicker Issues, Waveform Lighting (manufacturer and seller). The phone slow-motion check, step by step, with stated limits. A phone camera cannot rate flicker.
• Characterizing Photometric Flicker: Handheld Meters (PNNL-28203), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy (national lab report). How well field meters, including a free phone-camera app, measure flicker. It tested the meters available in 2018. Also Switches, dimmers and evening light.

Layers, fixtures and glare

• Electrical lighting design (lecture slides, Chapter 15), An-Najah National University (university). The lumen-method formula and its stated assumptions. It is a lecture, not a design standard.
• Ambient Environment: Zonal Cavity (DEA 3500 notes), Cornell University, Department of Design and Environmental Analysis (university). A worked zonal-cavity example with real utilization and loss-factor numbers. Your room's factors will differ.
• IES Indoor Report Summary (Photometric Toolbox help), Lighting Analysts, AGi32 documentation (software publisher). The definition of the spacing criterion printed on photometric reports. It documents one program.
• UGR method: application and limits (position paper), ZVEI Lighting Division (trade association). A plain explanation of the unified glare rating and why it does not suit most homes.
• Recessed Lighting Code Compliance Brief, PNNL for the U.S. Department of Energy, Building America Solution Center (research center, government). What IC and airtight ratings mean and the model-code requirements. Your local code may differ. Also Working with an electrician.
• The Height Of A Light Over A Dining Table, Hunker (home-design publication). Common dining-fixture conventions, with a statement that designers disagree on one. These are conventions, not standards. Also Kitchens, bathrooms and desks and Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.

Switches, dimmers and evening light

• Dimming LEDs with Phase-Cut Dimmers: The Specifier's Process for Maximizing Success (PNNL-22945), U.S. Department of Energy GATEWAY program, prepared by PNNL (national lab report). Why LEDs misbehave on dimmers and what to ask for. It does not test your dimmer and bulb pair. Also Working with an electrician.
• How to Make Phase-Cut Dimmers Compatible with LEDs, Lighting Controls Association (trade association (NEMA coalition)). The name and purpose of the current NEMA standard for dimmer and LED compatibility. It is trade-group material.
• Selecting Lighting Control Systems (PNNL-SA-180668), U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Lighting Campaign, PNNL (government and research center). The definition of occupancy and vacancy modes. It targets commercial buildings.
• 2025 Residential Energy Code: Mandatory Measures for New Lighting, City of Roseville, California, Building Inspection Division (city government, California example). A plain-table summary of California's 2025 residential lighting rules. It is one state's example for new construction. Also Kitchens, bathrooms and desks and Working with an electrician.
• 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, California Energy Commission (state agency, California example). The edition and effective date for the Title 24 example. It does not apply outside California.
• NEC 2023 210.70 reprint, Captain Code 2023, Leviton (manufacturer, reprinting NFPA 70). The 2023 text on switched lighting outlets in dwellings. Your area may use a different code edition. Not linked: the reprint page did not load on 2026-10-26.
• Code Q&A: Lighting Outlet Requirements, EC&M magazine, Mike Holt (trade publication, practitioner). The habitable-room requirement and its two exceptions, from 2017. It does not say what your home requires.
• Why do I Need a Neutral Based Dimmer, Lutron Electronics (manufacturer). Why many smart switches and dimmers need a neutral wire. It does not say whether your box has one. Also Working with an electrician.
• Diva LED+ Dimmer product page, Lutron Electronics (manufacturer). An example of two-location dimming rules and LED ratings. It describes one product.
• Hue in-wall solutions (support article 000016), Signify / Philips Hue (manufacturer). Smart bulbs need constant power, and the wired and battery workarounds. It describes one brand.
• Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wake, PLOS Biology (Brown and colleagues) (peer-reviewed journal, open access). Expert consensus numbers for day, evening and sleep light in melanopic EDI. They were written for healthy adults on daytime schedules, and households lack the meters. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• CIE Position Statement on Integrative Lighting: Recommending Proper Light at the Proper Time, 3rd edition, International Commission on Illumination (standards body). The standards body's position on non-visual effects of light, with terminology and plain guidance. It is not medical advice. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs and Your lighting plan.
• CIE S 026/E:2018, CIE System for Metrology of Optical Radiation for ipRGC-Influenced Responses to Light, International Commission on Illumination (standards body). The defining standard for melanopic and other alpha-opic quantities. It is technical and written for measurement labs.
• Circadian Rhythms (fact sheet), National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH (government agency). A plain statement of the light, body-clock and melatonin link. It sets no light levels.
• Exposure to room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin onset and shortens melatonin duration in humans, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (peer-reviewed journal). Evidence that ordinary room light, not only screens, can suppress melatonin. It studied people in a laboratory, not in homes.
• Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness, PNAS (Chang and colleagues) (peer-reviewed journal, open access). A controlled study of a screen before bed, with its actual light levels. It does not show effects at home.
• High sensitivity of melatonin suppression response to evening light in preschool-aged children, Journal of Pineal Research (University of Colorado Boulder) (peer-reviewed journal, open access). The best-sourced evidence on young children and evening light. It studied preschool-aged children and gives no nightlight specification. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Migraine and light, The Migraine Trust (health charity). A description of light sensitivity in migraine, without medical advice. See a doctor for treatment.
• Light Sensitivity, American Academy of Ophthalmology (professional medical association). A medical definition and a list of associated conditions. It does not diagnose.
• Migraine photophobia originating in cone-driven retinal pathways, Brain (Beth Israel Deaconess and Harvard Medical School) (peer-reviewed journal, open access). University research on light color and migraine pain. It is research on migraine patients and gives no home fix.
• Response to Optical Lens Tinting: A Review of its Functional Mechanism, Efficacy, and Applications, US Ophthalmic Review (University of Essex) (academic commentary). An expert history of invisible flicker and headaches and its return with LEDs. It is a commentary, not a trial.
• Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STEADI (government agency). The federal checklist items on lighting. It does not assess your home. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.
• Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room, National Institute on Aging, NIH (government agency). The lighting items for fall prevention. The site blocks scripts, so a browser may be needed. Also Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs.

Kitchens, bathrooms and desks

• Residential Undercabinet Lighting with LEDs (PNNL-SA-60356), U.S. Department of Energy Solid-State Lighting program, PNNL (government). The stated job of undercabinet lighting and the efficiency logic of directional sources. It is from 2008.
• Demonstration Assessment of LED Residential Downlights and Undercabinet Lights in the Lane County Tour of Homes, Eugene, Oregon, PNNL for the U.S. Department of Energy (OSTI 985591) (national lab report). Real countertop footcandle readings under undercabinet fixtures. The products are 2008 models.
• The Difference Between Dry, Wet, and Damp Locations (specification sheet), H.E. Williams (fixture manufacturer). The code and listing definitions of dry, damp and wet locations and the shower zone. It does not state the code edition. Also Working with an electrician.

Living rooms, bedrooms and stairs

• Lighting and perceptual cues: Effects on gait measures of older adults at high and low risk for falls, BMC Geriatrics (Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) (peer-reviewed journal, open access). Laboratory evidence on nightlights versus full light for older walkers. It does not show that any lighting prevents falls.

Working with an electrician

• How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission (government agency). A general federal checklist for hiring any contractor. It is not specific to electrical work.
• Learn About Home Improvement Contracts, California Contractors State License Board (state licensing board, California example). A state's required contract contents, useful as a model for an installer brief. Your state's rules may differ.
• What You Should Know Before Hiring a Contractor (pamphlet 13P-078/0525), California Contractors State License Board (state licensing board, California example). California's license-check steps and thresholds. They apply to California only.
• C-10 Electrical Contractor classification, California Contractors State License Board (state licensing board, California example). Shows that electrical work has its own license class, so a check should confirm the class. Other states classify differently.
• Electrical Permits, City of St. Louis Building Division (city government, St. Louis example). An example of who may pull an electrical permit. Your building department sets the rules where you live.

Your lighting plan

This chapter draws on sources listed under Bulbs, labels and color, Survey and test your rooms and Switches, dimmers and evening light and under Electrical safety and recalls: phone light meters, the Lighting Facts label, recall checks and fire-safety messages.

Electrical safety and recalls

• Educational Messages Desk Reference for the Fire Service, 2026 Edition, Chapter 12 Electrical, National Fire Protection Association (standards body). NFPA's approved consumer wording on electrical and lighting safety, including the warning-sign list. It is a general message set. Also Bulbs, labels and color, Survey and test your rooms, Layers, fixtures and glare, Kitchens, bathrooms and desks, Working with an electrician and Your lighting plan.
• Home Fires Caused by Electrical Distribution and Lighting Equipment, National Fire Protection Association (standards body, research). National fire numbers for the electrical and lighting category, with data years. It does not rank individual products. Also Working with an electrician.
• Indoor Electrical Safety Check: Tips for the Safe Indoor Use of Electricity, Electrical Safety Foundation International (nonprofit, trade association). A home self-check booklet with the warm-versus-hot switch-plate rule and bulb guidance. It dates from 2004. Also Survey and test your rooms and Working with an electrician.
• Home Electrical Safety Checklist (Pub 513), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (government agency). A room-by-room checklist with a fallback wattage rule for unmarked fixtures. It dates from 2008. Also Bulbs, labels and color, Survey and test your rooms, Layers, fixtures and glare and Working with an electrician.
• Recalls & Product Safety Warnings, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (government agency). How to check a lamp, bulb or string light for recalls. It lists only products reported to the agency. Also Bulbs, labels and color, Survey and test your rooms and Your lighting plan.
• SaferProducts.gov, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (government agency). The public database for reading and filing reports of unsafe products. Reports are unverified. Also Survey and test your rooms.
• Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (government agency). A neutral explanation of what a testing-lab mark (UL, ETL, CSA and others) means. A mark does not guarantee a product is right for your use. Also Survey and test your rooms.

Paid courses we compared

We read the syllabi of these paid courses to see what is taught elsewhere. We do not link them, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy. Prices as listed on 2026-10-14, for reference only.

• Domestika: Lighting Techniques for Interior Design (Mónica Vega).
• Udemy and Skillshare: How to Use Lighting Design to Transform your Home (Erikka Fogleman).
• Coursera (EDUCBA): Master & Apply Apartment Lighting Layout Techniques.
• University of the Arts London, Chelsea College of Arts: Interior Lighting Design Online Short Course.
• University of the Arts London, Chelsea College of Arts: Lighting for Residential Interiors Short Course.
• UCLA Extension: Lighting Design (ARCH X 467.15).
• Italian Design Institute: Course in Commercial and Residential Lighting Design Online.
• Illuminating Engineering Society, Milwaukee Section: Fundamentals of Lighting (ED-100).
• Lighting Industry Association (UK): Enhance Certificate in Residential Lighting Design.
• Bond University: Residential Lighting Design (microcredential).

Our other manuals

• Observe your light, Learn Color Design. Our manual on observing light for paint color.
• Feasibility and verification, Learn General Contracting. Our manual on permits and checking what a project allows, for larger projects.
• Trades and proposals, Learn General Contracting. Our manual on hiring trades and comparing bids, for larger projects.