To set a lighting retrofit scope, start by writing down the project objective and its boundary. Then sort every room or zone into one of three statuses: include it now, defer it, or exclude it from this project. Include an area when a documented need fits the objective and you can define its limits for this phase.
Defer an area only when a named open question could change that answer. Exclude it only when review finds no need tied to the objective, or when it sits outside the agreed boundary. This is a practical planning method, not an industry standard with fixed thresholds. It works because every area ends up with a status, a reason, and the one question that could still change it.
Make an area-by-area include, defer, or exclude decision
Write the objective and boundary in one or two sentences before you judge any single area. Without them, "include" has nothing to be measured against.
A useful objective names the result and the edges. For example, an illustrative objective might read: "Replace failing interior lighting in the two warehouse bays and the office wing during this fiscal year." Next, divide the building into workable areas, whether surveying general commercial lighting or separate tenant suites. Split a space into separate areas wherever its use, its lighting need, or its likely scope differs. A break room and the open office next to it may need different decisions, even under one ceiling.
When assessing common indoor lighting zones, apply one test to each area:
| Disposition | Use when | Scope result |
|---|---|---|
| Include | Documented need fits the objective; area limits are clear | Scoped in this phase |
| Defer | A named question, dependency, or constraint could change inclusion, extent, or timing | Held, with one question and a next check |
| Exclude | No need tied to the objective, or outside the agreed boundary | Out of this proposed project only |
The Exclude row has a limit that is easy to miss. Missing information is not proof of no need. An area nobody has walked yet belongs in Defer with the question "What is the current condition?" It does not belong in Exclude.
Defer also needs a real question, not "verify later." Take a fluorescent troffer area as an example. DOE's troffer retrofit guide lays out three options: replace the lamps only, install a retrofit kit, or replace the whole luminaire. Each option changes how much work happens at every fixture. If that choice would move the phase boundary or the timing, defer the area and name the choice as its open question. If the area clearly belongs in this phase whatever option wins, include it and carry the option forward as a remedy question.
Separate observed lighting conditions from suspected causes
Give each area two separate fields. One holds the condition, meaning what someone saw or reported. The other holds the suspected cause. This keeps a real need in the scope while its explanation is still unproven.
In the condition field, write what was noticed, where it happened, and what the space is used for at that spot. Note the source too: your own observation, a report from staff or tenants, or existing documents such as maintenance logs. If you are working through a small-business space, EPB's walkthrough guide suggests bringing a notebook or phone to jot down observations and checking lighting use and controls. Those raw notes sort neatly into these two fields.
The suspected cause goes in its own field because a symptom does not prove which equipment or system caused it. Here is an illustrative case. Stockroom staff report that labels in the back aisle are hard to read. The suspected cause might be aging lamps, or it might be new racking that blocks the light. The report supports a need either way. So the area can be included, and the cause stays open as a remedy question.
The answer changes only when the cause could change inclusion or extent. If the racking was moved from another area and the fix might involve both spaces, the cause now affects the boundary. Defer the area and name the next check, such as confirming the current racking layout. When the need is clear but the remedy is still uncertain, a commercial lighting pilot scorecard can help you test options in a sample area before rollout.
Check dependencies and operating constraints before fixing the phase
Before you lock a status, ask two questions about each area. Can its decision stand alone? And does anything change when the work can happen? A link or constraint usually changes grouping or timing, not whether the area has a need.
- Shared controls and system links. DOE defines a systems-based retrofit as going beyond a single component such as a lamp. It can add elements or controls within an end-use system, or use controls that interact with other building components or systems. If an area shares switching, sensors, or a control system with another area, write down the linked area. Then decide whether changing one would change the other. A shared link means the areas need coordination, not automatic bundling. If you find no link, keep the area separate.
- Use and access. Record occupied hours, restricted zones, and tenant access windows. If the only open issue is when crews can get in, log it as a timing constraint and keep the status. Defer only if the constraint stops you from deciding what belongs in this phase.
- Disruption limits. Some areas cannot go dark during operating hours. That limit shapes the schedule or the split between phases. It is not evidence that the area falls outside the project.
- Project-specific requirements. Energy code rules, utility program terms, and lease conditions vary by jurisdiction, program, and building. Name the specific locality or program, then record the exact rule that needs confirming. If an adopted energy code applies, our lighting control zoning guide explains ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC zoning ideas worth raising with your designer. Leave circuit and wiring questions open for a licensed electrician to answer rather than settling them in the scope.
Record each area's decision and what could change it
Give every area one entry with the same fields. That way another reviewer can follow the reasoning or reopen it later. Copy these fields into your project scope log:
- Area and use: a label a crew can find, plus what happens in the space.
- Status: Include, Defer, or Exclude from this project.
- Reason: one sentence tying the status to the written objective.
- Condition basis: what was observed or reported, and whether it is known, reported, or unresolved.
- Suspected cause: kept separate, marked "unconfirmed" until checked.
- Dependency or constraint: any linked area, shared control, access window, or requirement to confirm.
- Open question and next check: the exact question, who answers it, and how each answer would change the status, extent, or timing.
Work through the open questions next, starting with the Defer entries, because each answer moves an area into Include or Exclude. Once the statuses settle, the included areas and their notes feed a comparable lighting quote package. That way every bidder prices the same boundary.
FAQs
Does excluding an area mean it stays out of future work?
No. Exclude means outside this proposed project, based on the current objective and boundary. If the objective widens, the building's use changes, or new reports come in, reopen that area's entry and apply the same test again.
How should I handle an energy code or utility program question that is still open?
Name the specific jurisdiction or program first, because requirements are not uniform across the United States. Record the exact rule to confirm and who can answer it, such as the local building department or the utility. For any incentive, check the specific fixture model, the current qualified products list, the local program terms, and your project conditions. Don't assume a rebate.
Is a scope record the same as a quote package or submittal?
No. The scope record decides which areas are in the project and why. A quote package gives contractors plans, quantities, and controls to price. A commercial lighting submittal documents the chosen fixtures for review. Each one builds on the one before it.
Can a single area be split across two phases?
Yes, if the split follows a real difference in use, need, or access, and each part gets its own entry. Check any shared controls before you split, so the first phase doesn't leave the second phase with a control arrangement that won't work.
