Let’s continue looking at what’s new and different in Chapter 2 of the Code.
210.70 Lighting Outlets Required. There are four changes in this section. Switches for control devices for lighting outlets will not be permitted to rely only on battery power unless the lighting outlets are energized upon battery failure. Lighting outlets powered by a listed wall-mounted control device are now required in dwelling unit laundry areas. Requirements for attached garages’ and detached garages’ lighting outlets have been revised to clarify that an exterior lighting outlet is required. Lighting dimmer control for lighting outlets for stairways is not permitted, unless the listed control devices can provide maximum brightness at each location for illumination.
215.15 Barriers. Barriers are now required in panelboards, switchboards, switchgear and motor controls supplied by feeder taps or transformer secondary conductors to prevent inadvertent contact with busbars or terminals that may be energized when the disconnect is in the open position.
215.18 Surge Protection. New requirements have been added for feeder surge protection that supply dwelling and dormitory units, guest rooms and suites of hotels and motels, and patient sleeping rooms in nursing homes and limited-care facilities.
Article 220 Branch Circuit and Feeder Calculations. To improve its usability, this article was reorganized by relocating sections into more appropriate article parts.
220.1 Scope. The scope of Article 220 has been revised to reflect the creation of new parts VI, Health Care Facilities, and VII, Marinas, Boatyards, Floating Buildings, and Commercial and Noncommercial Docking Facilities.
220.11(C) Floor Area. This section was relocated from 220.5(C) and revised to include the floor area of garages and unused and unfinished spaces, if the area is modifiable for future use as a habitable room or occupiable space.
220.42 Lighting Load for Non-dwelling Occupancies. This section was formerly in Part II, Branch-Circuit Load Calculations. It will now be in Part III, Feeder and Service Calculations. A new informational note points out that the minimum load conditions are based on a power factor of 0.8, which might not provide sufficient capacity.
220.50 Motors and Air Conditioning Equipment. This section’s title was changed to reflect that it references requirements for hermetic refrigerant motor air compressors in 400.6. It has been reformatted to delineate the motor requirements from the air conditioning ones.
220.53 Appliance Load—Dwelling Units. This section permits a demand factor of 75% to be applied to the nameplate rating of four or more appliances fastened in place. Electric vehicle supply equipment has been added to the list of equipment that is not permitted to use the demand factor.
220.57 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Load. A new requirement has been added for sizing the load for EVSE. It is required to be sized at 7,200 volt-amperes or the nameplate rating of the EVSE, whichever is greater.
220.60 Noncoincident Loads. This section was revised to require that if a motor or air-conditioning load is part of the noncoincident load and is not the largest of the loads, the larger of 125% of the motor or the air-conditioning load must be used.
220.70 Energy Management Systems. Energy management systems were first recognized in the 2014 Code with the creation of Article 750, Energy Management Systems. One of the primary applications is managing multiple EV charging stations. This new section will permit energy management systems to be used to reduce the loads on services or feeders. Malfunction of the system must result in the disconnection of loads.
Table 220.86 Schools. The table was reformatted to follow the same style as Table 200.88, Restaurants. There are no technical changes to the requirements.
220.110 Receptacle Loads—Health Care. This is a new section in a new Part VI, Health Care Facilities. This table is based on studies of receptacle loads in hospitals. The new requirements are referenced in Article 517.
220.120 Receptacle Loads. This is a new section in a new Part VII, Marinas, Boatyards, Floating Buildings, and Commercial and Noncommercial Docking Facilities. This information was relocated from 555.6. This change, along with the change that created 220.110, consolidates receptacle load requirements into one place.
225.41 Emergency Disconnects. This is a new requirement for an emergency disconnecting means for dwelling units that are supplied by a feeder. This is similar to the requirement for dwellings that are supplied by a service in 230.85.
225.42 Surge Protection. This is a new requirement for feeder surge protection that supplies dwelling and dormitory units, hotel and motel guest rooms and suites, and areas of nursing homes and limited care facilities that are used exclusively as patient sleeping rooms.
230.7 Conductors. Service conductors have been prohibited from being in the same cable or raceway with branch circuit or feeder conductors. This has been expanded to prohibit installation in underground boxes or handhole enclosures with branch circuit or feeder conductors. Grounding electrode conductors and supply-side bonding jumpers are permitted in the same enclosure as the service conductors.
230.24(A) Above Roofs. The minimum clearance of service conductors above roofs has been increased to 8½ feet. The clearance of feeder conductors above roofs was already 8½ feet. It didn’t make sense for service conductors to have a lower clearance requirement.
230.43 Wiring Methods for 1,000 Volts, Nominal, or Less. Type TC-ER that is identified for use as service conductors has been added to the list of conductors permitted to be used as service entrance conductors, if it is identified for use as such. Flexible bus systems have also been added to the list of wiring methods permitted to be used as service conductors. They are covered in new Article 371.
230.62(C) Barriers. The text was revised to clarify that the requirement for barriers is to prevent inadvertent contact with uninsulated and ungrounded service busbars and terminals when the disconnecting means is open.
230.67 Surge Protection. The requirement for surge protection of services has been expanded to include dormitories and guest rooms and guest suites of hotels and motels. It will also include sleeping rooms in nursing homes and limited-care facilities, if the rooms are used only as patient sleeping rooms.
230.71(B) Two to Six Disconnecting Means. A few changes were made to this section. The requirement for barriers between vertical sections was clarified by referencing the requirement in 230.62, which provides inadvertent contact protection for workers while performing work in adjacent sections. Also, transfer switches are now required to be in a separate compartment from a service disconnect.
If a metering center has a single disconnecting means, the disconnect will be counted as one of the permitted six disconnecting means.
A new list item (6) was added to permit motor control center disconnects to be among two to six service disconnects if the motor control centers have more than one disconnect in a motor-control center unit and a maximum of two service disconnects in a single motor-control center, as permitted by 430.95. A single motor-control center is permitted to have up to two disconnects, which are required to have barriers between the disconnects, or they must be in separate compartments to prevent inadvertent contact.
An exception was added to permit installation of up to six additional service disconnecting means in a single enclosure in existing service equipment that was installed in compliance with editions of the Code prior to the 2020 edition.
Header image by Shutterstock / Andrew Rybalko.
About The Author
EARLEY, P.E., is an electrical engineer. Retired from the National Fire Protection Association, he was secretary of the National Electrical Code Committee for 30 years and is president of Alumni Code Consulting Group.