arc fault circuit interrupters

advanced
technology

using

to reduce
electrical fires

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

Low Voltage Distribution Equipment Section

I N T R O D U CT I O N
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCIs) are required by he
National Electrical Code for certain electrical circuits in
the home. Questions have been raised regarding their
application and even the need for them. Various
technical opinions, organizational marketing
pitches, and misinformation is being distributed about
AFCIs that further mislead the public about the
purpose of the device as a part of overall electrical
safety for the public.

damage or destroy significant amounts of property.

Electrical fires can be a silent killer occurring in areas
of the home that are hidden from view and early
detection. The objective is to protect the circuit in a
manner that will reduce its chances of being a source
of an electrical fire.

T H E J O U R N EY TO D E V E LO P D ET E CT I O N
T E C H N O LO GY
Research in the arc fault area began in the late 1980s
and early 1990s when the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) identified a concern with the
residential fires of electrical origin. A large number of
these fires were estimated to be in branch circuit
wiring systems.
The concept of AFCIs gained more momentum
when code proposals were made to the 1993 NEC
to change the instantaneous trip levels of 15A and
20A circuit breakers. The Electronic Industries
Association (EIA) had studied the issue of electrical
fires and determined that additional protection
against arcing faults were an area that needed to be
addressed by electrical protection. This proposal first
attempted to do this by requiring that instantaneous
trip levels of a circuit breaker be reduced from a
range of 120 to 150 amperes down to 85 amperes.
However, it became clear that the lowering of those
levels below some of the minimums already available
on the market would result in significant unwanted
tripping due to normal inrush currents.

This brochure is intended to address the various aspects

of AFCIs and clear up the misinformation circulating in
the industry.

W H Y D O W E R E A L LY N E E D A F C I s ?
Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and escape ladders
are all examples of emergency equipment used in
homes to take action when a fire occurs. An AFCI is a
product that is designed to detect a wide range of
arcing electrical faults to help reduce the electrical
system from being an ignition source of a fire.
Conventional overcurrent protective devices do not
detect low level hazardous arcing currents that have
the potential to initiate electrical fires. It is well known
that electrical fires do exist and take many lives and

Furniture pushed against or

resting on electrical cords can
damage the wire insulation.
Damaged cords can become a
potential condition for arcing.

It was these early studies and code efforts that led to the
first proposals requiring AFCIs, which were made during
the development of the 1999 NEC. NEC Code-Making
Panel 2 (CMP2) reviewed many proposals ranging from
protecting the entire residence to the protection of living
and sleeping areas. In addition, the panel heard
numerous presentations on both sides of the issue.
After much data analysis and discussion, the CMP2
concluded that AFCI protection should be required for
branch circuits that supply receptacle
outlets in bedrooms.

Extension or appliance cords

that are damaged or have
worn or cracked insulation can
contribute to electrical arcing.

Parallel Arc

Series Arc

W H AT A R E A R C FA U LTS ?
The UL Standard for AFCIs (UL 1699) defines an
arcingfault as an unintentional arcing condition in a
circuit. Arcing creates high intensity heating at the
point of the arc resulting in burning particles that may
over time ignite surrounding material, such as wood
framing or insulation.
The temperatures of these arcs can exceed 10,000
degrees Fahrenheit. Repeated arcing can create
carbonpaths that are the foundation for continued
arcing, generating even higher temperatures.

typical causes

2004 NFPA

Cables that are improperly

nailed or stapled too tightly
against a wall stud can sever
insulation and cause arcing.

Wires located behind walls can

be accidentally punctured by a
screw or drill bit damaging the
insulation of the wiring.

Nails carelessly driven into

walls can break wire insulation
and cause arcing

of arc faults

Example conditions where arc faults may start include:

Subsequent editions of the NEC

further upgraded the requirements
to include protection on all outlets
(lighting, receptacle, smoke alarm,
etc.) in bedrooms along with other
enhancements.

Cord insulation can be

deteriorated by heat generated
by hot air ducts or sunlight.

Damaged Wires
Worn electrical insulation
Wires or cords in contact with vibrating metal
Overheated or stressed electrical cords and wires
Misapplied or damaged electrical appliances

Cords caught in door jams can

deteriorate the cable insulation
through the action of opening and
closing, allowing arcing to occur

F I R E DATA A N A LYS I S

H O W I S A N A R C FA U LT D ET E CT E D ?

The National Fire Protection Association, the insurance

industry and others track the incidence of electrical
fires across the United States and categorize those
fires based on their causes. In reviewing statistics
dating back to 1999, fires in the home electrical
system exceed 31,000 annually.*

Unlike a standard circuit breaker detecting

overloads and short circuits, an AFCI utilizes
advanced electronic technology to sense the
different arcing conditions. While there are different
technologies employed to measure arcs by the
various AFCI manufacturers, the end result is the
same, detecting parallel arcs (line to line, line to
neutral and line to ground) and/or series arcs
(arcing in series with one of the conductors).

Updated figures from a March 2006 report of

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) (Healthy Home Issues:
Injury Hazards) provides additional support for
the need to protect residences and their occupants:
Electrical problems spark an estimated 67,800
home fires on an annual basis, according to the
most recent data from the United States Fire
Administration (USFA). The USFA is an agency of
the federal government and is committed to
reducing the number of deaths and economic
losses due to fire and related emergencies. The
USFA also reports that electrical fires kill 485
innocent victims and injure approximately 2,300
others, while causing $868 million in residential
property damage each year. (USFA. 2006. On the
Safety Circuit: A Factsheet on Home Electrical Fire
Prevention. U.S. Fire Administration)
The HUD recommendation was to promote AFCIs
as one of the many devices that can be used to
prevent burns and fire related injuries. In addition, it
cites a 1999 CPSC Report recommending the use of
AFCIs to prohibit or reduce potential electrical fires
from happening.**
As you can see from the data above, fires of
electrical origin are a significant issue that must be
addressed. Frequently, it is argued that fires only
occur in older homes. However, it should be
recognized that new homes become older homes. It
is critical to install the AFCIs in the beginning so that
they can perform their protection function from the
start. Seldom are devices such as AFCIs added to
homes after they are constructed and occupied.

*Ref: 1999 Revised - 2002 Residential Fire Loss Estimates, U.S. National
Estimates of Fires, Deaths, Injuries, and Property Losses from
Unintentional Fires, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
November 2005
**Healthy Homes Issues: Injury Hazards, U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, Version 3, March 2006

How does arc fault detection work? In essence, the

detection is accomplished by the use of advanced
electronic technology to monitor the circuit for
the presence of normal and dangerous arcing
conditions. Some equipment in the home, such as
a motor driven vacuum cleaner or furnace motor,
naturally create arcs. This is considered to be a
normal arcing condition. Another normal arcing
condition that can sometimes be seen is when a
light switch is turned off and the opening of the
contacts creates an arc.
A dangerous arc, as mentioned earlier, occurs for
many reasons including damage of the electrical
conductor insulation. When arcing occurs, the AFCI
analyzes the
characteristics of the
event and determines if
it is a hazardous event.
AFCI manufacturers test
for the hundreds of
possible operating
conditions and then
program their devices
to monitor constantly
for the normal and
dangerous arcing
conditions.
T H E N E C A N D U L STA N DA R D
N a t i o n a l E l e c t r i c a l C o d e

The National Electrical Code specifically

defines and mandates the installation of
AFCIs. In the 1999 edition of the NEC, Section
210.12 required that dwelling unit bedrooms have
AFCIs installed to protect all branch circuits that supply
125-volt, single-phase, 15 and 20-ampere receptacle
outlets installed in the dwelling unit bedrooms. This
requirement became effective January 1, 2002.

In the 2002 edition, the update of section 210.12

expanded AFCI protection to all bedroom outlets
(lighting, receptacle, smoke alarm, etc.).
The 2005 NEC 210.12 revised the AFCI requirement
to provide for a technology upgrade. While previous
generations of product detected parallel arcing, this
new device a combination AFCI would also detect
series arcing, and at lower current levels.
UL S t a n d a r d
Product standards to cover AFCIs began
to be developed in the mid 1990s.
Underwriters Laboratories published UL
1699 Standard for Safety for AFCIs in 1996 to
cover a wide variety of conditions to evaluate an AFCI.
The standard includes requirements for the following
conditions:

Humidity Conditioning Leakage Current

Voltage Surge
Environmental Evaluation
Dielectric Voltage
Arc-Fault Detection
Unwanted Tripping
Operation Inhibition
Resistance to Environmental Noise
Abnormal Operation
One of the most frequent questions about AFCIs is
related to resistance to unwanted tripping. There are
four varieties of tests related to its ability to resist
unwanted tripping.

Inrush Current: High current draw devices such as

tungsten filament lamps and capacitor start motors.

Normal Arcing: Brush motors, thermostatic contacts,

wall switch and appliance plugs.

Non-Sinusoidal Waveforms: Examples of devices

creating these electrical waveforms include

electronic lamp dimmers, computer switching-mode
power supplies and fluorescent lamps.

Cross Talk: This test measures trip avoidance for an

AFCI when an arc is detected in an adjacent circuit.

Only the circuit with the arc should cause the
breaker to trip, not another circuit.

Through the use of the National Electrical Code

requirement and extensive UL testing, manufacturers
AFCI products provide superior protection against
arcing faults.

C O N T R A ST I N G A F C I A N D G F C I
There is a major difference between the functioning of
an AFCI as compared to a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter). The function of the GFCI is to protect people
from the deadly effects of electric shock that could
occur if parts of an electrical appliance or tool become
energized due to a ground fault. The function of the AFCI
is to protect the branch circuit wiring from dangerous
arcing faults that could initiate an electrical fire.
AFCI and GFCI technologies can co-exist with each
other and are a great complement for the most
complete protection that can be provided on a circuit.

W H AT A R E T H E VA R I O U S S A F ET Y A N D
G O V E R N M E N TA L A G E N C I E S S AY I N G
ABOUT AFCI?
The National Association of State Fire Marshals
(NASFM) strongly supports the broad adoption of AFCI
technology through national, state, and local building
codes. AFCIs are the most welcome addition to fire
prevention in decades. AFCIs promise to save
hundreds of lives every year.
John C. Bean, President, NASFM

The National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI)

strongly encourages its members to educate all
of their clients about the life and property saving
benefits of AFCI technology, especially those clients
considering the purchase of a home more than
20 years old.
Mallory Anderson, Executive Director
The National Electrical Contractors Association
(NECA) submitted comments to legislative committees
in Michigan and South Carolina, urging them to
retain requirements for AFCI protection of bedroom
receptacles in their state electrical codes. Cost cutting
pressure from homebuilders association in both
states led to code proposals to delete AFCI protection
required by the National Electrical Code, when
constructing new homes.
NECA Contractor Code Letter

CPSC has identified arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI)

technology as an effective means of preventing fires
caused by electrical wiring faults in homes.
U.S. Fire Administration
The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
urges that arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI)
technology be installed in all new and existing
housing to protect homes and families from fires
caused by electrical arcing.
Brett Brenner, President, ESFI

T Y P E S O F A F C I A R C FA U LT C I R C U I T
I NTERRU PTER (AFCI)
AFCIs are intended to mitigate the effects of arcing
faults by functioning to de-energize the circuit when
an arc fault is detected. AFCIs are required by the
NEC to be a listed product. This means that they
must be evaluated by a nationally recognized testing
laboratory to the national standard for AFCIs (UL
1699). NEC 210.12 establishes the requirement to
use AFCIs. Protection is required for branch circuits in
locations as specified in this NEC rule.
Branch/Feeder AFCI
A device intended to be installed at the origin of a
branch circuit or feeder, such as at a panelboard. The
branch/feeder AFCI provides for detection of arcing
faults that can occur line-to-line, line-to-neutral and
line-to-ground.
To be able to handle shared neutral circuits (a
common application in older homes), a two-pole AFCI
can be used. This will accommodate the three-wire
circuit arrangement used in shared neutral
applications.
Combination AFCI
In addition to the protection provided by the Branch
Feeder AFCI, the Combination AFCI provides for series
arc detection down to 5 amperes. This series arc
detection is beneficial
to detect lower level
arcing in both branch
circuits and power
supply cords.
Combination AFCI
protection is required
by the NEC as of
January 1, 2008*.
AFCI and GFCI
Protection
An AFCI can be used in conjunction with GFCI
protection to provide both arcing fault protection as
well as 5mA ground fault (people) protection. A
common way to provide both types of protection is to
use an AFCI circuit breaker and a GFCI receptacle.
AFCIs can also incorporate 5mA GFCI protection into
the same package. This solution for AFCI and GFCI on
the same circuit can be useful where the circuit design
requires both types of protection or where the installer
(or user) wants to have both types of protection.

* The 2005 NEC added the requirement for combination AFCI

protection, but implemented an effective date of January 1, 2008.

W I R I N G A N D I N STA L L AT I O N G U I D E L I N E S
There are no special requirements of an AFCI circuit
other than proper installation and wiring practices. There
are various special considerations that must be given to
certain circuits that vary from the norm, such as shared
neutral applications, but in general the application of an
AFCI is as simple as following the installation instructions
that come from the manufacturer.
The basic difference between installing the AFCI versus
a standard thermal magnetic circuit breaker is the
requirement to connect both the
hot and neutral conductor to the
proper terminals of the AFCI. In a
circuit wired with a conventional
circuit breaker, the hot conductor
is connected to the breaker and
the neutral conductor is
connected directly to the neutral
bar of the load center.

defining the

arc fault
risk
to people and property

As with any change in the required protection for the

electrical system, there have been many discussions
and deliberations both for and against arc fault
protection being a part of the National Electrical Code.
Some have argued that the cost of the AFCI is higher
than a standard circuit breaker and, as such, it costs
too much to provide the increased protection. Others
have argued that since it is a relatively new type of
protection, it does not have the history on which to
base a decision as to whether to support or not.
These issues have been debated thoroughly and
completely. It is important to keep a few critical facts
in mind.

The cost to install AFCI circuit breakers in the home is

insignificant when compared to the number of lives
and property the device helps protect. According to
Electrical Wholesaling Magazine (Sept. 2006), for an
average sized home of 2,500 square feet the average
total cost is $192,846. A quick survey of hardware
stores and do-it-yourself home centers found AFCIs
priced between $30 and $35, not including
installation. With the average number of circuits

requiring AFCIs being 12, this equates to an approximate cost

increase of $372-$396 to the homeowner, or one-fifth of one
percent of the national average home cost.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission staff report on

Estimated Residential Structure Fires on Selected Electrical

Equipment (October 2006) from 1999-2003 reported that
142,300 electrical distribution fires occurred on all distribution
components. Installed wiring fires were estimated to have
occurred in 50,200 instances.

Using the same report, the CPSC projected that there were 910

deaths attributed to electrical distribution equipment during that

five-year period. Installed wiring led to approximately 210
deaths as a part of that total.

Applying technology to improve the electrical safety of the home is

a wise investment for both the homeowner and the community at
large. Reducing fires of electrical origin and saving lives is an
important responsibility of the entire construction and regulatory
community. Taking these CPSC statistics into account, one has to
ask that if a portion of the 50,200 fires could have been prevented,
would the increase in cost have been worth the added protection
AFCIs provide the homeowner?

what is the price of new

safety technology worth?

When Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) were

introduced in the 1970s, similar discussions took
place regarding the cost/benefit to the consumer,
homebuilder and others. GFCIs have been a standard
requirement in homes for over 30 years with
additional locations and circuits being added over
time as well. GFCI also has a statistical track record
over time as to the reduction of electrocutions. On an
annualized basis, in 1983, there were almost 900
electrocutions total per year with approximately 400
being consumer product related. Ten years later, the
total was reduced to 650 annually and slightly over
200 consumer product electrocutions annually.

Removing AFCI as a local or state code requirement is

reducing safety requirements. These rules are
established by a national body of experts that have
heard testimony from many sources as well as
reviewed a significant amount of data to make their
recommendation. Shouldnt we trust the safety experts
that develop our safety procedures?
To learn more about the safety benefits of AFCIs,
please visit our AFCI web site at www.afcisafety.org.

With over 20 years of history, statistically based

analysis of GFCIs was built on a solid foundation of
data. AFCIs are new and have only been installed in
new construction on bedroom circuits for a few years.
As with all products, given time, they too will be able
to provide a solid statistical base of measure.
Some have argued that it should be shown how many
times an AFCI has prevented a fire from occurring.
Of course, this is not a feasible request. The AFCI
disconnects the power when an arc fault occurs,
therefore no incidence of fire or arc is reported to
authorities. The same can be true when a smoke
alarm siren alerts the homeowner and the small
smoking event is extinguished without incident. Is that
statistic reported to the Federal Government or local
fire department? Of course not. Safety prevention is
just that ... prevention. The only statistics that are
reported are those that have resulted in a fire or a
response of a fire department. Many safety protection
actions go unreported.
If we are to offer consumers a safer home, then the
appropriate technology should be put into place.

N E M A A N D E L E CT R I C A L S A F ET Y
For more than 80 years, manufacturers of Low Voltage
Distribution Equipment have been working to ensure
public safety through standards writing efforts and the
dissemination of important industry information
through the National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA), one of the most respected
standards development organizations in the world.
Headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia, NEMA has
approximately 400 electroindustry companies,
including large, medium and small businesses. To
learn more about NEMA visit www.nema.org.

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

Low Voltage Distribution Equipment Section
1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1752 Rosslyn, Virginia 22209
(703) 841-3200 Fax: (703) 841-5900
www.nema.org
National Electrical Code, NEC and NEC logo are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection
Association. UL logo is a registered trademark of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.