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Posted On: 10/06/2004

NECA breaks new ground

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) standard 90-2004, titled “Recommended Practice for Commissioning Building Electrical Systems,” is the latest in National Electrical Installation Standards (NEIS) from the organization. It also represents a new direction for the construction standards program.

“Most other NEIS are product-based,” says Brooke Stauffer, the organization’s executive director of standards and safety. “We’ve published standards about how to install lighting, switchboards, transformers, cables, raceways and so on. But NECA 90 takes a broad, ‘horizontal’ perspective across the entire electrical installation.” 

It defines the process of commissioning building systems and provides guidelines for attaining optimum system performance that conforms to the designer’s intent as represented by the plans, specifications, industry codes and standards, she adds. The NEIS are the first performance workmanship standards for electrical construction and are approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

ANSI-approved technical documents are generally regarded as the official U.S. standard on any given subject. NECA 90-2004 is the 27th volume of the NEIS series. The standard costs $15 for NECA members, and volume discounts are available. Contact the NECA order desk at (301) 215-4504 for more information. You can also download NECA 90 in PDF format; visit www.neca-neis.org and click on "wiring methods."