Fire Protection Research Foundation report: "Data Assessment for Electrical Surge Protection Devices” (PDF, 756 KB)
Author: Eddie Davis, Nick Kooiman, Kylash Viswanathan, Hughes Associates, Inc.
Date of issue: October 2014
Introduction
Every year there are widespread anecdotal reports of homeowners’ property damage to electrical and electronic equipment resulting from electrical surges. The revision cycle of the 2011 edition of NFPA 70, National Electrical Code® (NEC®) included several proposals (e.g. NEC 4-53 and NEC 4-127) to add new requirements for a Surge Protective Device for all dwelling units. These proposals were rejected by the respective Code Making Panel (i.e., CMP-4) due to a lack of reliable data to support such requirements.
The goal of this project is to develop a data collection plan to assess loss related to electrical surge in homes, and address the potential impact electrical surge protection devices would have in mitigating these losses. The deliverables from this project represent a Phase I study in support of a potential second phase (not included in the scope of this effort).