Emergency Power System 5ec2f6d145b73

NEC Requirements for Emergency Systems

May 19, 2020
Highlights of Art. 700

Emergency systems are legally required if certain criteria are met. The criteria are set by municipal, state, federal, or other codes. An emergency system automatically provides light, power, or both to designated areas and equipment if the normal supply is lost or something accidentally happens to elements of a system that supplies, distributes, or controls light and power essential for human safety [700.2].

Article 700 provides the requirements for installation, operation, and maintenance of these systems. Some highlights include:

  • Specific testing and maintenance requirements must be met [700.3].
  • The emergency system must be able to support the entire designated load. A common strategy is the implementation of automatic selective load pickup and load shedding [700.4(C)].
  • Because this is an emergency system rather than an optional standby system, transfer equipment must be automatic. In addition, it must be listed for emergency use [700.5(A)].
  • All emergency switchboards and panels must be SPD-protected [700.8].
  • All emergency circuits must be permanently marked by the methods provided in 700.10(A).
  • Those circuits must be kept separate from other circuits, except as allowed in 700.10(B).

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.

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