kenman215
Senior Member
- Location
- albany, ny
Let me start off by saying that I don't want this thread to be about the merit of AFCIs. The question that I'm posing is that it would seem that the ultimate future of AFCIs will be for them eventually to become smart breakers installed in a separate, dual
voltage panel, with network access, so as to enable updates on arc detail to be uploaded to the panel. I don't know what the numbers would be on this, but I could easily see the cost of the panel and breakers to be upwards of three grand. If you look at the cost of materials of a typical residential home, three to four thousand more dollars would double how much the EC would have to shell out for the whole job.
There are a lot of ECs out there who are just a guy and a truck, I used to be one. Residential builders have a nasty habit of not paying on time, and I'm wondering how that added cost the small time guys would be forced to carry would affect their sustainability. Back in the old days, it wasn't uncommon for my builders to be three or four houses, aka a month, behind. That would typicall amount to about 9-12K I'd have to carry. That was a stretch at times and sometimes I had to get creative with funding the materials for the next job, but there is no way that I could have swung twice that. Thought?
voltage panel, with network access, so as to enable updates on arc detail to be uploaded to the panel. I don't know what the numbers would be on this, but I could easily see the cost of the panel and breakers to be upwards of three grand. If you look at the cost of materials of a typical residential home, three to four thousand more dollars would double how much the EC would have to shell out for the whole job.
There are a lot of ECs out there who are just a guy and a truck, I used to be one. Residential builders have a nasty habit of not paying on time, and I'm wondering how that added cost the small time guys would be forced to carry would affect their sustainability. Back in the old days, it wasn't uncommon for my builders to be three or four houses, aka a month, behind. That would typicall amount to about 9-12K I'd have to carry. That was a stretch at times and sometimes I had to get creative with funding the materials for the next job, but there is no way that I could have swung twice that. Thought?