Combination AFCIs, which protect against all three possible types of arc fault, improve on the protection offered by the branch/feeder AFCIs currently required by the 1999-2005 NEC. Branch/feeder AFCIs protect only against line-to-ground and line-to-neutral arcs, known as parallel or high-energy arcs. Combination AFCIs protect against both of these arc faults plus series arcs, which can be caused by broken conductors, loose screws and a host of other invisible faults.
“Arc faults create extremely hot bursts that can easily start a fire if the circuit remains energized,” said Randy Dollar, AFCI Product Manager for Siemens Energy & Automation. “Because they generally occur in wiring that is behind drywall or in attics, the problem can go undetected until a fire breaks out.”
To protect property and save lives the 1999-2005 NEC, which is currently in force across the United States, mandated use of AFCIs to detect fault conditions and immediately cut the flow of electricity to the circuit before a fire can start. At the time these codes were adopted, branch/feeder AFCIs were the best available technology.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the 2005 NEC mandates the use of combination AFCIs in new residential construction. Proposals for the 2008 NEC have been submitted that would expand the use of combination AFCIs beyond bedrooms to protect more of the circuits in a residence, expanding on the 1999-2005 NEC, which requires AFCIs only on circuits in bedroom areas.
Protecting property, saving lives
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, electrical problems caused more than 41,000 fires in 1996 (the most recent year for which statistics are available) and $682 million in property losses.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Data Center, electrical problems were blamed for 2.1 percent of the 560 child deaths and 2.4 percent of the 1,930 child injuries that occurred in residential fires in 2002. Electrical problems were linked to 4.5 percent of the 720 elderly deaths and 3.0 percent of the 1,600 elderly injuries that occurred in residential fires in 2002, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
“Children and the elderly are our most vulnerable populations,” Dollar said. “In 2002, the statistics indicate that a dozen children and more than 30 elderly adults died in electrical fires. While we can’t say how many of those fires were caused by undetected arc faults, it is estimated that preventing arc-fault fires with combination AFCIs will add only $250 to $400 to the cost of a house. That’s a small price to pay to save innocent lives.”
Dollar also points out that while the technology is new to the marketplace, it has been extensively tested by Siemens and other manufacturers over the course of nearly a decade, both in laboratory settings and in actual residential beta tests. “We are confident not only that the technology works, but that contractors will not have to worry about nuisance trips when the units are properly installed.”
For more about Siemens Combination Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters for residential applications, log on to:
http://www.sea.siemens.com/reselec/product/rzafci.html.
About Siemens
Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. is one of Siemens’ operating companies in the U.S. and is headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Ga. Siemens Energy & Automation manufactures and markets one of the world’s broadest ranges of electrical and electronic products, systems and services to industrial and construction market customers. Its technologies range from circuit protection and energy management systems to process control, industrial software and totally integrated automation solutions. The company also has expertise in systems integration, technical services and turnkey industrial systems. For more information:
www.sea.siemens.com.
Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of 87.325 EUR billion in fiscal 2006. Founded nearly 160 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of 17.388 EUR billion and employs approximately 67,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 475,000 people in 190 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States:
www.usa.siemens.com.