I have spoken with building department officials who have seen an increase of five to ten times in solar permit applications over the last few years. It is a tough task for them to keep up with the volume with no increase in budget or resources.

Let's continue our journey through the National Electrical Code (NEC) by looking at Articles 695, 700, 701 and 702 for Combination Inspectors.

Chapter 5 covers Special Occupancies, including areas such as hazardous locations, medical facilities, carnivals, mobile home parks, and more.

My field inspector was calling about a couple of items that he had discovered while performing a final electrical inspection for a new restaurant.

So what are transformers, and why do we need them in our systems?  Transformers are power conversion devices that allow us to change the operation voltages within our facilities.

In many applications, LEDs are replacing neon as a light source for signs, causing confusion as to what is required by the NEC.

As we continue our journey through Chapter 4 in the 2011 National Electrical Code, I will point out highlights in the material that I believe will be most relevant for inspectors.

Article 410 is another example of an article in Chapter 4 of the NEC that often doesn’t get a lot of emphasis from multi-trade inspectors.

How much do you know about Articles 408 and 409? From my experience, this question often results in a long pause, and then perhaps a couple of requirements from Article 408 get quoted.