National Electrical Installation Standards

Standards as High as Your Own

 
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Friday, August 5, 2022

Question:

Hello Code Gurus.

Can a 20-ampere, 277-volt circuit breaker be used to switch lighting on and off daily for a gymnasium? The existing lights are Metal Halide type but are going to be changed to LED types soon. There are no local switches for them. Is there a requirement for local switches? Any input would be welcome.

Paul Fontaine. 

A

Answer:

Hello Paul and thank you for participating. There are two questions here that we will respond to in sequence. First, a circuit breaker can be used as a switch for the lighting described in the question. The circuit breaker should be marked "SWD" and "HID" based on the information provided. See Section 240.83(D). As for the second question, there is no requirement for snap switches to be installed to control the lighting described in the question. Many facilities are changing traditional types of lighting equipment with more energy-efficient types based on locally adopted energy code requirements. Hope this is useful.  

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