The education facilities industry will never get to net-zero, nor will its campuses ever be “smart”, if two specific passages in the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) are not changed to reflect the dramatic load reduction caused by outlet timers, variable frequency drives and LED lighting over the past 50 years.  In play is about $10 billion annually in #TotalCostofOwnership advantage for the education facilities industry; regarded by many power engineering experts as the largest contribution to our industry’s energy conservation agenda.  

We have covered this issue extensively here  (Link to previous coverage).  We do not mind when transformers are 2 to 3 times oversized; we mind when they are closer to 10 times oversized.  Today, ahead of the Public Comment hearings in San Diego November 2-14th, we will summarize our progress and chart a path forward.

1. Our advocacy in the 2014 NEC for Exception No. 3 in Section 220.12 for lighting loads was accepted so we can claim progress; covered in previous posts (Link).  Our proposals to the 2017 committee to advance the concept was rejected but another proposal might have received preliminary committee acceptance that will apply to offices and banks only.     
2. Our advocacy for Section 220.14, Part (L) for a rollback to 120 VA from 180 VA for receptacle (plug) loads did not succeed in either the 2014 revision or the 2017 NEC; ostensibly because we did not have the technical substantiation.  The more likely reason lies in the structure of the committee itself; fully ANSI accredited for balance.  In other words, to say it plainly, the reason we cannot get the 2/3rds vote to reduce receptacle transformer kVA is that the user/owner/final fiduciary is routinely outvoted by interests whose revenue stream is tied to the size of electrical systems.   When the NEC permits you to cut building distribution transformers down to half to two-thirds of the size they have been sized at for the past 50 years, the entire power chain — conduit, wire, panelboards, substations, etc. — and the associated cooling systems are dramatically downsized.  That’s what incumbent interests are voting against and its perfectly within the rules.  Eaton Corporation, to its credit, understands the bigger picture and has pledged $5000 toward the research (described below) needed to get building premises wiring systems “rightsized”.

It is important for visitors that understand that even the National Fire Protection Association knows that these two sections –originally written for fire safety as a primary concern — are not tracking energy conservation accomplishments as well as they could.  That is why its Fire Protection Research Foundation is keeping our proposal for an extensive study of feeder and branch circuit loading on its agenda.   The University of Michigan supports an appointment to the Electrical Advisory Board of the Fire Protection Research Foundation.  

As the largest non-residential building construction market in the US campuses and university-affiliated hospitals are more deeply affected by this energy waste inherent in NEC Article 220 than all other public sectors in the US.  An understanding of the importance of getting these changes into the NEC is demonstrated by the financial support of Eaton Corporation, the Michigan Association of Physical Plant Administrators and the University of Michgan.  As can be seen in this summary — Link to MIAPPA Senior Facilities Officers post — only $7000 remains to begin Phase I research.  Casey Grant (cgrant@nfpa.org) at the Fire Protection Research Foundation is the contact person for instructions about how a donation toward this project can be accomplished.

The status of this project will be on the agenda of the next IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee on October 19th; held from the Annual Industrial Applications Society Conference in Dallas, 9:00 – 1);30 AM Central Time.  Login-information for both the American and European teleconferences is available at this link: E&H Teleconference Info

Finally, we have the privilege of having the time of a respected voice in energy conservation for the past 50 years — Larry Schoff — who was kind enough to give us a short preview of a presentation he will deliver later this month at the annual conference of the Association of School Business Officials.

Issue: [13-33]

Contact: Mike Anthony, Bob Arno, Casey Grant, Jim Harvey, Paul Kempf

Category: Electrical, Energy Conservation