Residential

Electrical safety matters

Electrical safety and the NEC 2020 code is important to Eaton and to electrical professionals like you. Discover what you need to know about electricity safety and code compliance.

What you need to know about the NEC code changes and compliance

Significant NEC 2020 code changes and Eaton solutions help with the installation and inspection processes. Consult with your AHJ or manufacturer for selecting and interpreting products and/or code-compliant installation.

GFCI protection - Expansion of GFCI protection in section 210.8 of the NEC for receptacle GFCI and Circuit Breaker GFCI (BR circuit breaker and CH circuit breaker) to help reduce electrical shock. GFCI products should be installed in a readily accessible location as defined and required by the NEC. Also, both circuit breaker and receptacle types are available in fual-function technology to provide AFCI and GFCI protection in a single product
Receptacle outlets – The evolution of larger island and peninsular countertops has outgrown the previous requirement of at least 1 receptacle outlet, along with additional requirements for garage bays in multi-family applications
AFCI protection – The requirements and locations for AFCI protection are covered by section 210.12 of the NEC for areas in dwelling units, dormitory units, guest rooms and guest suites and patient sleeping rooms in nursing homes and limited-care facilities. There are specific requirements for circuit breaker type AFCI (BR circuit breaker and CH circuit breaker) and for receptacle type AFCI (outlet branch circuit AFCIs) on how they shall be used. Also, both circuit breaker and receptacle types are available in dual-function technology to provide AFCI and GFCI protection in a single product
Service equipment - The requirements for barriers in service equipment are in NEC 230.62(C) and require barriers to be placed such that no uninsulated, ungrounded service busbar or service terminal is exposed to inadvertent contact while servicing load terminations. Loadcenters such as BR type and CH type that are rated as service equipment come with barriers to comply with this requirement
Surge protection - All services supplying dwelling units shall be provided with a surge protective device (SPD)
Service disconnects (Two to six service disconnects) - Each service shall have only one disconnecting means unless the requirements of 230.71(B) are complied with. This significant change is related to safety for the worker and has impact on the compliance of certain products for this application. Refer to the Eaton 2020 NEC Code Change document on section 230.71 for detailed information
Arc energy reduction - When technologies are installed to reduce incident energy, technicians must conduct performance testing at the time of installation. In addition, requirements regarding larger OCPDs must respond to lower arcing currents that can occur in equipment.

NEC state adoption

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NEC code updates

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2020 NEC significant changes

The National Fire Protection Association has completed the 2020 National Electrical Code-making process. It is time to cover some significant code changes for one- and two-family residential and commercial electrical installations.

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Get an in-depth view on the NEC 2020 updates and related Eaton solutions

Watch to see a quick outline of some of the 2020 NEC code changes that help aid in the installation and inspection processes of residential electrical systems.

Helping electrical professionals stay ahead of the game

Electrical safety matters not only to us, but to professionals like you. We spend countless hours researching and finding new ways to stay ahead of the game to help meet the constant evolution of code requirements. This helps position us one step ahead of your goals by implementing electrical safety into our everyday work lives.

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