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NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, will next be updated in 2014. Here's a look at what to expect.
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In 2011, 3745 proposals were submitted to NFPA to be considered for incorporation into the upcoming 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC) [http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/aboutthecodes/70/70-a2013-ropdraft.pdf]. Technical committees reviewed these proposals, commented on them, and gave a recommended action (e.g., accept or reject) in a document called the report on proposals (ROP) [http://www.nfpa.org/Assets/files/AboutTheCodes/70/70-A2013-ROP.pdf]. The ROP was published and open for comments, which will be considered and addressed in the report on comments (ROC) to be presented for action at the NFPA Technical Meeting in 2013. The 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code will be available in the fall of 2013.
Some of the new NEC articles and changes are indicative of the code progressing to address new and evolving technologies. Proposals currently listed as accepted include four new articles, which are representative of technology advances that are either not currently covered in the NEC or require a more detailed set of requirements. The articles and changes serve the NEC's mission to provide practical safeguards from the hazards that arise from using electricity.
In addition to changes addressing new technologies, there are also proposed changes to existing articles that will impact the status quo for electrical design. Electrical engineers and designers should take note, for example, of the additional locations requiring GFCI and AFCI protection (Article 210), the additional requirements for installations involving generators (Article 445), and the increased minimum number of receptacles required for patient bed locations and operating rooms (Article 517).
New articles
393 Low-voltage Suspended Ceiling Power Distribution Systems A proposed new article would cover installations of low-voltage suspended ceiling power distribution systems. These systems have similar characteristics to track lighting, where the ceiling grid is used as an electrical system for distributing power to lighting fixtures and other powered devices. The substantiation for adding this article states that alternative and renewable energy sources (e.g., photovoltaics, wind turbines, batteries, fuel cells, etc.) are increasingly being installed and, "this coupled with the reality that many of the loads installed ultimately use electricity in its dc form has renewed an interest in dc power and its distribution in buildings."...