Illuminating Engineering Society


The Illuminating Engineering Society, formerly the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, is an industry-backed, not-for-profit, learned society that was founded in New York City on January 10, 1906. The IES's stated mission is "to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge into actions that benefit the public."
The Society is still headquartered in New York City, with offices at 120 Wall Street.

Membership

The IES has about 8,000 members worldwide, mostly in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Members include engineers, lighting designers, consultants, lighting equipment manufacturers, sales professionals, electrical contractors, architects, researchers and academics.

Notable members

The IES is divided into approximately 100 local sections. The IES holds its Annual Conference and Street and Area Lighting Conference. The IES is a sponsor of LIGHTFAIR International. Local sections offer lighting education classes and meet regularly to offer a technical program to its members.

Publications

The IES is credited with over 100 publications on the subject of lighting such as The Lighting Handbook: 10th Edition. Other publications, many of which are American National Standards Institute standards, include recommended practices for a variety of specific lighting applications such as office, sports, and outdoor lighting, and lighting for healthcare facilities. All IES publications are developed through consensus committee work. The National Institute of Standards and Technology references several IES publications for Optical Radiation Calibrations. The International Dark-Sky Association makes several references to the IES and its publications in its Outdoor Lighting Code Handbook.
The IES is a joint sponsor of ASHRAE 90.1 and 189 and collaborates with ASHRAE on other documents. In addition, the IES publishes LEUKOS, the Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society, and LD+A, a monthly magazine.