I don't live in CA, but I like the idea of using fluorescents overhead, paired with dimmable xenon undercabinet lights. If your ceilings are high then you could also buy yourself some room to maneuver by installing fluorescent over-cabinet lighting.

Hi Jennm:
I have quite a bit of Title 24 compliance experience, and I think you are on the right track. However, I would point out there are many dimmable CF bulbs available now, and most can use a regular dimmer. They are more expensive than non-dimmable CF's, but not that much to be a budget buster. Pantry, range hood and most accent lighting (above cabinets, for example) do not count for Title 24 compliance, but I've definitely seen a wide range in the interpretations of compliance by the various jurisdictions I've worked with. Some take it very seriously, others not so much. It can also just depend on which inspector you get that particular day, and how busy they are that day.

I used a combination of small halogen spots on a dimmer and line-voltage track lighting, also on a dimmer, in our great room, as well as in several remodels I've done recently. I have CFs in the pendants, but without a dimmer they would not count for T24 compliance because they are the basic screw-in type base for regular incandescent bulbs. But because I have them on a dimmer, they comply.

I personally do not like recessed fixtures, for several reasons. For one, it's difficult to get them with the pin-type CF bases, which is required in order to meet Title 24. They also waste energy by displacing insulation. But the main reason, in our house, is that I put in a cedar tongue-and-groove ceiling, and the last thing I want to do is put holes into it for recessed lights. Others swear by them, of course, so it's all in your personal preference.

Thanks to both of you. Unfortunately, we can't buy ourselves maneouvering room with overhead cabinet lighting, as our uppers (of which there are very few b/c of the configuration of the room) go to the ceiling.

RemodelerMatt, I thought that I couldn't comply in the kitchen with standard fixtures on a dimmer, even with CF bulbs? Am I wrong about that? In a great room, the non-kitchen portion if separately switched would comply. Ours isn't a great room, though it is a fairly sizable, eat-in kitchen. From my admittedly still limited Title 24 knowledge, I think I could argue that the breakfast nook shouldn't fall into the kitchen restrictions as long as it's separately switched, but that doesn't really help me, as using non-CF recessed in that part of the room might look weird in terms of light quality with CF recessed in the rest of the room, right?

If my pendents would count as CF for compliance if I used CF bulbs and a dimmer, I'd be thrilled, so if my interpretaion is wrong, please tell me! (I'd really love my recessed lights to be dimmable. . . that's the frustration here. . .I'm perfectly willing to use CF bulbs nearly everywhere, and the slight upcharge for dimmable CF bulbs doesn't faze me. But this isn't permitted, or at least so I've been told?!?)

I went to a big lighting store here in LA yesterday to at least try to see some of the recessed CF lights. And they had zero on display. Probably 15-20 recessed lights were on display, but none were CF. The salesperson looked at me like I was nuts when I said that I had no choice but to install CF recessed in my kitchen. . .Title 24? Ever heard of it? Sigh. . .

The link is the official Title 24 guide. Screw in fluorescents donÂt meet title 24. Dimmers don't meet Title 24 in kitchens.

Here is a link that might be useful: Title 24

Yes dimmers on an incandescant fixture do not count for compliance in the kitchen. However, up to 50 percent of your total wattage in the kitchen can be low efficacy (basically, lumens per watt), which is why your plan of mixing CF fixtures with incandescants will probably work just fine, assuming you get the pin-type CF fixtures. You can also install under-cabinet fluorescents for task lighting, to help meet the goal.

And no, I don't think you'll have any problem mixing the two types. You can get fluorescents in essentially any color, from warm to daylight, and match any other kind of light you have. I also believe there are some pin-type CF pendants for line-voltage track lights out there now, which would comply with or without a dimmer.