8.   Electrical Power Distribution

This chapter covers Section 130.5, which covers energy efficiency requirements for electrical systems. It is addressed primarily to electrical engineers and to enforcement agency personnel responsible for electrical plan checking and inspection.

This chapter is new to the 2013 version of the Nonresidential Compliance Manual. It been developed because the Standards themselves have been restructured to create a new section (Section 130.5) for electrical power system requirements, distinct from lighting control system requirements (Sections 130.1 through 130.4).

In deliberations concerning the 2013 standard, the Commission determined that important emerging issues of circuit metering and disaggregation, plug load (receptacle) controls, demand response systems, and energy management and control systems (EMCS) were cost effective provisions that would either save energy directly, or serve the invaluable purpose of allowing cost effective energy use monitoring for management purposes. 'In 'addition, the Standard was changed to make voltage drop limits mandatory that had previously been recommended but not required by the California Electrical Code (Title 24 Part 3).