combining electrical service-Multiple Tenant Bldg

[thomas122051]

I have a multiple tenant building with 12 meters, each with a disconnect-1 for each unit. there is a main disconnect to shut down the entire building. I have commbined three suites for a particular tenant. The code enforcement inspector is requiring that I combine these services under one meter. He has not cited any NEC or Life Safety requirement. The expense is excessive and in2,3 or 5 years later I may need to subdivide and undo this work. Can some enlighten me on what the code may require. Advice?????????/

 

[tom baker]

The NEC does not require a meter.
Meters are required by the POCO. whats the POCOs requirement???
If the AHJ can not cite a particular code then I would appeal the requirement.

 

[jtester]

Our local utility has the same requirement. One meter unless you qualify for 2 meters under one of their rates. I regularly have to rebuild services because someone will take over 2 100 amp tenant spaces and I can't design a single 200 amp service without substantial rework.
It's not an NEC requirement, but one of the local utility.

Jim T

 

[mc5w]

combining electrical service for 3 suites

combining electrical service for 3 suites

Since NEC 230.71(A) permits 6 disconnects that are grouped together, I do not see a problem with this configuration just as long as plaques are installed indicating which 3 service switches service the combined suite.

As far as the electrical utility is concerned, there are 3 ways to totalize the 3 feeders. One of them is to use some current transformers, either 2 or 6 for single phase, and connect these to a form 5s, 45s, or General Electric form 9s Fitzall(TM) meter.

The other way is to use 3 General Electric KV2c or KV2c+ meters can be ganged together so that only 1 of them needs to be read. You would equip each meter with a type M i/o cord and equip each socket with a socket extender from Marwell with a 1 inch hub in the 6 o'clock position. 1 inch flexible liquidtight conduit would extend from there to a place to splice the wires together. Pulse output from 2 of the meter would be connected to the 3rd meter and this one would be the one that is read and would have time of use metering and so forth. I am not sure if meter 1 can be set to send pulses to meter 2 and meter 2 then sends subtotal pulses to meter 3 - I will have to ask Russ Grenier about this issue. Anyways, 1 way to terminate the #26 stranded wires is to use a Siemon multiflex type 66 punchblock to accept the wires.

Now if I were wiring this type of building and it were my building and lets say that load calculation amounts to 100 amps per suite single phase or 3 phase, I could install a 200 amp per position metering center and big enough conduits so that 1 panelboard can be upgraded to 200 amps and say a pair of 60 amp subfeeds run from there to the other 2 combinded suites. This would save a little hassle in the long run if this is an upscale building where some people want to combine 3 suites.

Mike Cole, mc5w at earthlink dot net

 

[pete m.]

Perhaps your inspector has stock in your local electrical utility?

The NEC does not require metering for your service.... regardless of the number of tenants.

Pete

 

[mc5w]

combining electrical service for 3 suites

combining electrical service for 3 suites

I have found out from Russ Grenier over at GE that I have to correct what I wrote. Meter 1 would have to send pulses to meter 3 and meter 2 would have to send pulses to meter 3. They cannot be daisy chained. This would allow totalization of KWHRs sold and apparent KVA to be totaled. These 2 variables are good enough for a residential account as a poor power factor penalty is built into using apparent power for demand metering.

If you want to totalize another 2 variable such as reactive power kilowatthours cogenerated you would need an extra meter that serves as a totalizer only for those 2 quatities.

There are all kinds of ways to lick this problem. The inspector is just not thinking of them.

In some of the commercial work that my buddies do the only reason why the service panel has ann 800 amp main breaker is so that the architect does not need to design in a double wide electrical closet. However, for a place like a grocery store you really do need a double width electrical closet even though the service is only 800 amps - the article 110 single working space does not consider the presence of ladders, wire spools, and so forth. A double width electrical closet makes things so much easier.

Therefore, another lie in National Electrical Code is that the working space requirement does not account for the number of people who are in there during initial construction.