Before you start: this is practical guidance, not legal advice. For the full acceptance-testing procedure, take the NLCAA course.
The six steps to a smooth inspection
A failed lighting-controls inspection usually traces back to something that could have been caught before the inspector arrived. Work through these steps in order:
- 1
Make sure your tester is certified
The person running the tests must be a certified Acceptance Test Technician (ATT) working under a certified Acceptance Test Employer (ATE). Not sure of the difference? See ATT vs ATE.
- 2
Confirm the installed controls match the approved plans
Before any testing, verify that the lighting controls actually installed on the job are the ones the approved plans call for.
- 3
Verify each control type functions
Walk each control type and confirm it operates — occupancy, daylighting, automatic shut-off, and multi-level controls.
- 4
Complete the required acceptance-test documentation
Fill out the acceptance-test forms the building department will ask for — incomplete paperwork holds up approval just as much as a failed test. NLCAA's Acceptance Testing Software generates this documentation for you and runs the required calculations automatically, so there are no manual math errors to hold up sign-off.
- 5
Schedule and perform the acceptance test
Have your certified ATT run and document the functional tests, leaving time to correct and re-verify anything that fails.
- 6
Submit the documentation to the building department
Turn in the completed acceptance-test documentation so the department can approve the lighting-controls work.
Common failure points
The same few problems cause most failed lighting-controls inspections:
- Sensors wired but not commissioned — they power up but never got configured for the space.
- Daylighting controls not calibrated, so the electric lighting doesn't respond to available daylight.
- Missing or incomplete documentation — the testing happened, but the forms can't prove it.
Software that prevents errors
Most of the failure points above come down to two things: manual calculations and incomplete documentation. NLCAA built a CEC-approved Acceptance Testing Software to take both off the technician's plate:
- No manual math — the software runs every required calculation, removing the human error that fails inspections.
- All documentation in one place — it generates the acceptance-test forms and records automatically as you test.
- Web-based, so it works from a phone or tablet right on the job site.
- CEC-approved and updated every code cycle (roughly every three years) with the new Energy Code rules.
Web-based and mobile: your technicians run the whole test from a phone or tablet in the field, while the software does the calculations and builds the documentation as they go. It's CEC-approved and updated every code cycle, so it always reflects the current Energy Code — and it's part of the NLCAA program once your team is certified.