What Is Power Factor Correction, and How Much Can It Lower Energy Costs?
Quick Answer: Power factor correction improves how efficiently a facility uses electricity by adding equipment (usually capacitor banks) that offsets the reactive demand of inductive loads like motors. It can reduce electricity costs by roughly 10–30%, eliminate utility low-power-factor penalties, free up system capacity, and reduce losses — often with a payback period of […]
What Are the Code Requirements for Installing Commercial EV Charging Stations?
Quick Answer: Commercial EV charging is governed primarily by NEC Article 625. Key requirements include a dedicated branch circuit for higher-output chargers, conductors and overcurrent devices sized for at least 125% of the continuous load, GFCI protection on qualifying receptacles, cable management for long cords, proper mounting heights, and adequate load planning for the building’s […]
How Often Should Electrical Equipment Undergo NETA Testing?
Quick Answer: NETA acceptance testing is done once, on new equipment before it is energized. NETA maintenance testing is recurring, and the ANSI/NETA standard generally recommends testing roughly every three years as part of a condition-based program — but critical equipment, harsh environments, and heavy duty cycles all justify shorter intervals. “How often should we […]
How Often Should an Arc Flash Study Be Updated?
An arc flash study isn’t a one-and-done document. The moment you change a breaker, add a transformer, or the utility adjusts the available fault current at your service, the incident-energy numbers on your equipment labels may no longer be accurate and inaccurate labels put workers at risk. So how often should an arc flash study […]
What Is the Arc Flash Boundary, and How Is It Calculated?
Quick Answer: The arc flash boundary is the distance from energized equipment at which the incident energy from an arc flash equals 1.2 cal/cm² — the level that would cause a second-degree burn to bare skin. Anyone crossing that boundary during energized work must wear arc-rated PPE. It is calculated from available fault current, protective […]
NETA Testing Explained: What It Covers and When Your Facility Needs It
If your facility runs on switchgear, transformers, breakers, and relays, those assets are only as safe and reliable as the last time they were properly tested. NETA testing is the independent, standards-based process that confirms your electrical power system will perform when it matters — and shut down safely when something goes wrong. Yet many […]
NFPA 70E vs NFPA 70B: What’s the Difference, and Why Does Your Facility Need Both?
Quick Answer: NFPA 70E is the standard for electrical safety in the workplace — it protects people from shock and arc flash through safe work practices, risk assessment, and PPE. NFPA 70B is the standard for electrical equipment maintenance — it keeps the equipment itself reliable and safe through preventive maintenance. They are complementary: 70E […]
Arc Flash Study Done. Is Your Team Trained to Read the Labels?
Short Answer: An arc flash study and its labels only protect workers if those workers are trained to interpret them. The label communicates incident energy, working distance, arc flash boundary, and required PPE, but a worker who cannot read those values correctly cannot select the right protection. NFPA 70E requires both the study and qualified, […]
What Records Prove Your Team Completed NFPA 70E Training? What OSHA Asks For in an Audit
Short Answer: To prove NFPA 70E training during an OSHA audit, an employer should retain dated training records, individual completion certificates, the training content or curriculum, the instructor’s qualifications, and documentation of which workers were determined qualified for which tasks. Training that cannot be documented is treated by OSHA as training that did not occur. […]
What Is a Qualified Electrical Worker Under NFPA 70E, and Who Decides?
Short Answer: Under NFPA 70E, a qualified electrical worker is a person who has demonstrated skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of specific electrical equipment, and has received safety training to identify and avoid the hazards involved. Qualification is task and equipment specific, not general. The employer is responsible for determining and […]