Page 20 - GSABA Builder Brief June 2020

FEATURED ARTICLE
2020
National Electrical Code
Brings Big Changes
By David Yelovich, Tilson Homes
The 2020 National Electric Code (NEC) has been published and some big changes are in store for new homes being built in Texas. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) oversees the electricians in our state. TDLR automatically adopts these new electrical codes on September 1st of the year that code is published. So as of September 1, 2020 Texas, electricians will be tested and audited to the new electric code. Electrical work for new homes and remodeling will be done to this new code.
The NEC covers all types of electrical work. For this article I will focus on 13 changes that affect the home building community. Some of these changes are minor while others may add significant costs to your project. Here is a brief description of what is coming so you can start discussing how these changes will affect your company.
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JUNE 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
NEC210.8 Whenmeasuringthe 1 distance from an outlet to a sink (to
3 NEC 210.8(A) GFCI protection is now required for electric dryers and ovens / ranges.
NEC 210.8(E) GFCI protection will be required for the outlet in the attic since it is used to service the equipment in the attic. (The outlet near the A/C unit on the exterior is already GFCI protected).
NEC 210.8(F) This will require that the A/C unit on the exterior be supplied with GFCI protection.
determine if it needs to be GFCI protected)
the code would now have you measure
through doors or doorways. The
measurement taken would be the shortest 4 path the cord would take from the edge of
the sink to the outlet in question. This could require some outlets in a bedroom, hallway, or inside a cabinet to be GFCI protected.
NEC 210.8(A)(11) Item 11, “Indoor damp
2 or wet locations,” was added to the list of 5
places where GFCI protection is needed for all outlets in this space. This could include something like a dog washing station.