Builders fight new circuit breaker rule

RALEIGH -- **************************************** CORRECTION: A story Wednesday in the Triangle & Co. section about a new requirement for new homes incorrectly stated the retail cost of an arc fault circuit interrupter, a type of circuit breaker. The devices cost between $30 and $55 apiece. ****************************************

In January, new homes will be required to have a special circuit breaker that can prevent electrical fires.

But a move is under way to repeal the new requirement because homebuilders say the device is an unnecessary precaution that will add a few hundred dollars to the sale price of a new home.

Supporters say the homebuilders are risking the safety of North Carolina residents for devices that would add as little as $60 to the cost of a smaller home. Even at the higher cost estimates used by home builders, a few hundred dollars is worth preventing a house fire, they say.

"It all comes down to the value of a single life," said Kim Reitterer, a Charlotte electrical engineer and member of the Building Code Council, a state body that will decide whether to require the devices. "If we're not careful, this will be changed, and North Carolina homeowners will lose out."

On the other side of the debate, Mack Nixon, a Perquimans County homebuilder and member of the Building Code Council, said modern electrical codes already make homes safe from many of the risks the circuit breakers are designed to guard against. Add the cost of the circuit breakers to other new building code requirements, Nixon said, and the price of a 3,000-square-foot home could rise by as much as $1,000.

The devices are already required in bedrooms, he added, and electricians don't see evidence that they are preventing electrical fires.

"I'm all in favor of safety," Nixon said. "If there's some proof here that shows us we've got a real issue in North Carolina, I'd like to see it."

The devices, called arc fault circuit interrupters, are advanced versions of the circuit breakers found in homes. The newer devices can detect smaller fluctuations in current often caused by frayed wire. If left unchecked, those fluctuations can generate enough heat to start a fire. Those circumstances account for 40,000 home fires a year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"It's passive protection for the occupant of a residence from something they can't see," said Rob Kinniburgh, deputy fire chief and fire marshal for the city of Charlotte.

From 2005 to 2008, Charlotte fire officials identified 379 fires that might have been prevented by the devices.

"Yes, it's going to add a little more to the cost of a residence. The fire service doesn't feel it's going to add an amount that's going to prohibit somebody from purchasing a residence," Kinniburgh said.

The devices electronically sense the problem and cut voltage to the frayed wire before it can start a fire. They retail for $30 to $55. Contractors would pay considerably less.

Ordered to rethink it

The breakers are already required for bedrooms in new North Carolina homes and were recently added to a national building code standard, Reitterer said. And earlier this year, the Building Code Council, whose 17 members are appointed by the governor, narrowly approved requiring the devices in nearly all rooms in new homes.

The issue appeared to be settled until a routine bill adopted by the legislature this summer included language ordering the council to rethink its decision. The bill required the council to report back on whether the breakers and two other code changes are cost-effective and wise.

When the council meets early next week, it is scheduled to consider a move to reverse its decision to expand use of the breakers. The council could not change the code until June.

"The public of North Carolina depends on that council to bring them the safety they need," said John Minick, a field representative with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group that has advocated the devices.

Exactly who in the legislature required the code council to revisit the issue is murky.

"I don't know who proposed it, but it sounds like a good idea to me," said Sen. David Hoyle, a Gastonia Democrat and developer. "Anything we can do in North Carolina to make housing more affordable, we ought to be thinking about doing that."

Hoyle said an additional $1,000 would actually end up costing a homebuyer $3,000 over a 30-year mortgage. And adding unproven or unnecessary upgrades adds up over time, he added. "It's a little bit here and a little bit there," Hoyle said. "That's one of the reasons housing has gotten so unaffordable."