Article #1309 - Building Energy Codes Glossary - G

This listing contains terms and acronyms that are used throughout the BECP website and compliance tools.

General Lighting

Lighting that provides a substantially uniform level of illumination throughout an area. General lighting shall not include decorative lighting or lighting that provides a dissimilar level of illumination to serve a specialized application or feature within an area.

General Service Lamp

A class of incandescent lamps that provide light in virtually all directions. General service lamps are typically characterized by bulb shapes such as A, standard; S, straight side; F, flame; G, globe, and PS, pear straight.

Generally Accepted Engineering Standard

A specification, rule, guide, or procedure in the field of engineering, or related thereto, recognized and accepted as authoritative.

Glazed Wall System

A category of site-assembled fenestration products, which includes, but is not limited to, curtain walls and solariums.

Glazing

Any translucent or transparent material in exterior openings of buildings, including windows, skylights, sliding doors, the glass area of opaque doors, and glass block.

Glazing Area

The area of a glazing assembly is the interior surface area of the entire assembly, including glazing, sash, curbing, and other framing elements. The nominal area or rough opening is also acceptable for flat windows and doors.

Glazing U-Factor

Based on the interior-surface area of the entire assembly, including glazing, sash, curbing, and other framing elements. Center-of-glass U-factors cannot be used.

Grade

The finished ground level adjoining a building at all exterior walls.

Gross Floor Area

The sum of the floor areas of the spaces within the building including basements, mezzanine and intermediate-floored tiers, and penthouses with headroom height of 7.5 ft or greater. It is measured from the exterior faces of exterior walls or from the centerline of walls separating buildings, but it excludes covered walkways, open roofed-over areas, porches and similar spaces, pipe trenches, exterior terraces or steps, chimneys, roof overhangs, and similar features.

Gross Wall Area

The gross wall area includes the opaque area of above-grade walls, the opaque area of any individual wall of a conditioned basement less than 50% below grade (including the below-grade portions), all windows and doors (including windows and doors of conditioned basements), and the peripheral edges of floors.

Gross Window Area

Includes the rough-opening area of the window, not just the transparent-glass area.

Gutter

The space available for wiring inside panel boards and other electric panels; a separate wireway used to supplement wiring spaces in electric panels.