Dedicated electrical space

Grouch

Grouch

Senior Member
Location
New York, NY
Dedicated electrical space is required, per 110.26(E), above switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers. I believe the answer is no, but does this apply to meter centers?
 
I came across this thread:

Meter banks and NEC 110.26

Simply put a meter or poco owned Meterbase is the only thing allowed to encroach in the zone. Yea but meter and meter bank is totally different things
forums.mikeholt.com

Looks like meter centers with circuit breakers are considered panelboards. I think the code section in the NEC is not clear on this. It should say "above switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, meter centers, and motor control centers." It has circuit breakers, yes, but it is not your typical panelboard.
 
Grouch1980 said:
It has circuit breakers, yes, but it is not your typical panelboard.
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Do the innards include "buses and automatic overcurrent devices," and are the innards "designed to be placed in a cabinet or cutout box placed in or against a wall, partition, or other support; and accessible only from the front"? If so, that meets the NEC definition of a panelboard. See Article 100.

Cheers, Wayne
 
Grouch1980 said:
What about an enclosed circuit breaker? is that considered a panelboard?
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Not a panelboard. Remember dedicated equipment space is for equipment that may require entry after it's already been installed like a panelboard where in the future someone may come in and run new conduits out of the existing equipment. The same wouldn't be true for a single circuit breaker used as an OCPD for a feeder.
 
Went through another thread from 2016.

Splicing in a meter bank

First of all, it is my understanding that the wireway section of a meter bank is considered a panelboard. Based on this, is it OK to splice the SER cable inside the wireway? We've got a 40 unit apartment building and each unit is getting a 1.5 kw PV system. Each unit is metered separately...
forums.mikeholt.com

Post #6 seems to say a meter bank is not a panelboard. The meter bank in this thread is Siemens WMM52125RJB... which consists of meters and circuit breakers. Am I reading this wrong?
 
Grouch1980 said:
Went through another thread from 2016.

Splicing in a meter bank

First of all, it is my understanding that the wireway section of a meter bank is considered a panelboard. Based on this, is it OK to splice the SER cable inside the wireway? We've got a 40 unit apartment building and each unit is getting a 1.5 kw PV system. Each unit is metered separately...
forums.mikeholt.com

Post #6 seems to say a meter bank is not a panelboard. The meter bank in this thread is Siemens WMM52125RJB... which consists of meters and circuit breakers. Am I reading this wrong?
Click to expand...
No.
 
infinity said:
Correct the meter bank is not a panelboard and therefore does not require dedicated equipment space.
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I agree.

If I look at the definition of 'panelboard' in Article 100... it mentions towards the end of the definition that a panelboard is 'designed to be placed in a cabinet or cutout box'. A cabinet or cutout box, also in Article 100, is defined as a box with a swinging door.

The meter bank with circuit breakers, such as the Siemens version that I posted in Post #12, does not come with a swinging door... so is this the correct way to present the fact that a meter bank is not a panelboard?
 
Three questions that bear on this topic; sorry I don't have time to research them now:

What is the reason that "switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers" require dedicated space, and does that reasoning apply to meter centers?

If you conclude that the meter center does not meet the definition of panelboard, have you also confirmed it does not met the definition of any of the other 3 items in the list?

And as far as the previous question, what listing standard is the meter center listed under?

Cheers, Wayne
 
From the UL Guide Information for "Panelboards (QEUY)"
Some enclosed panelboards have one or more openings for plug-in watt-hour or similar meters. Such panelboards, when marked for outdoor use have, except for the joint between the plug-in meter and opening, been investigated for rain tightness.
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wwhitney said:
What is the reason that "switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers" require dedicated space, and does that reasoning apply to meter centers?
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To have space above the switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers for conduit / electrical work in the future... that I understand.

But if we go with the exact text of the NEC, meter centers are not placed in a cabinet or cutout box, which is the definition of a panelboard in Article 100. There are no swinging doors. If we add meter centers to switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers, now we're opening the door to interpretation, and can include any device that has at least 2 circuit breakers or 2 sets of fuses, when they are not a panelboard.
 
wwhitney said:
Three questions that bear on this topic; sorry I don't have time to research them now:

What is the reason that "switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, and motor control centers" require dedicated space, and does that reasoning apply to meter centers?

If you conclude that the meter center does not meet the definition of panelboard, have you also confirmed it does not met the definition of any of the other 3 items in the list?

And as far as the previous question, what listing standard is the meter center listed under?

Cheers, Wayne
Click to expand...
If they have breakers they are listed under UL 67
 
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