PHILIPPINE

ELECTRICAL CODE
( P E C)
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 OBJECTIVES

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 OBJECTIVES

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Government Authorities who
implement PEC
1.Office of the Building Official
2. Office of the City Electrician ( City Electrical
Supervising Engineer )
3. Office of the Municipal Electrician ( Municipal
Electrical Supervising Engineer)
4. Regional Office of the DOLE
 SCOPE OF THE PEC
– PEC covers the electric conductors including optical fiber
cable and installed within or on, to or from:

1.Public and private buildings 4. Industrial plants

2. Electrical generating plants 5. Transformer stations

3. Temporary and permanent 6. Railway switchyards

substations
7. Yards, carnival, parking, etc.

8. Watercraft 12. Mobile homes, travel

trailers and recreational
9. Dockyards vehicles

10. Airfields 13. Offshore facilities

11. Quarries and mines

14. Other premises which requires electrical
installation except to those which are done in;
a) Aircraft
b) motor vehicles
c) railway rolling stocks
 PERMITS AND INSPECTION
CERTIFICATES
A permit is required before undertaking any electrical
installation.

An inspection is also required after which certificate of final

electrical inspection (CFEI) is issued by the authority.
 EXCEPTIONS
A permit is not required for;
1. The installation of electrical portable equipment rated not
more than 1,200 VA.

2. reconnection of disconnected service due to non-payment

of electric bill or change of occupants for a period of one
year.
Requirements for Electrical Permit
a) An application form (DPWH form No. 77-001-E) shall be
accomplished, signed and submitted by a duly registered Professional
Electrical Engineer. However, if the installation does not exceed 20
lighting and/or receptacle outlets or 4000 volt-amperes, 230 volts, the
application may be prepared, signed and submitted by a duly
registered electrical engineer or master electrician.
b) The application shall include additionally, the name and signature
and seal of the electrical practitioner who will take charge of the
installations as well as the signature of the owner or his authorized
representative.
c) Five (5) sets of plans and specifications bearing the signature and
seal of the responsible Professional Electrical Engineer shall be
submitted together with the application. However, if the installation
does not exceed 20 lighting and or receptacle outlets or 4,000 VA, 230
V; five (5) sets of sketches and bill of materials may be prepared
signed and submitted by the responsible Registered Electrical Engineer
or Master Electrician. According to P.D. 1096, no plans is required for
building made of indigenous materials or which cost is not more than
P15,000.00.
ELECTRIC CIRCUITS IN BUILDING 4. Capacity Requirements. Two or
– SERVICES more services shall be permitted:
No. of Service
a) Where the capacity
– A building or other structure served requirements are in excess of
shall be supplied by only one service. 2,000 amperes at a supply voltage
of 600 volts or less; or

EXCEPTIONS b) Where the load requirements of

1. For fire pump where a separate a single-phase installation are
service is required. greater than the serving agency
2. For emergency electrical system where normally supplies through one
a separate service is required. service; or
3. Multiple-Occupancy building
5. Building of Large Area THE OVERHEAD SERVICE-
( 10,000 m2 or more DROP CONDUCTOR
Total Area ).
– This is the overhead service
6. For different voltage conductor from the last pole or
characteristics, such as other aerial support to and
for different voltage, including the splices if any,
connecting the service entrance
frequencies, or phases, or
conductors at the building or
for different uses, such as
other structure.
for different rate
schedules.
 SIZE AND RATING
a) General : Service drop shall have sufficient ampacity to carry the load
without a temperature rise detrimental to the covering or
insulation ofthe conductors and shall have adequate mechanical
strength.

b) Minimum Size. The conductors shall not be smaller than 8 mm2

copper, 14 mm2 aluminum or copper-clad aluminum.
CLEARANCES
a) Abo:ve Roofs. Conductors shall have a vertical clearance of
not less than 2,500 mm from the roof
surface.

b) Vertical Clearance from Ground.

3,100 mm – at the electric service entrance to buildings, or at
the drip loop of the building electric entrance, or above areas or
sidewalks
3,700 mm – for those areas listed in the 4,600 mm classification
when the voltage is limited to 600 volts to ground.
4,600 mm – over residential property and
driveways, and those commercial areas not subject
to truck traffic.

5,500 mm – over public streets, alleys, roads,

parking areas subject to truck traffic, driveways on
other than residential property, and other land
transversed by vehicles such as cultivated, grazing,
forest, and orchard.
 UNDERGROUND SERVICE-LATERAL CONDUCTOR

– This is the underground service conductor between

the street main, including any risers at a pole or other
structure or from transformers, and the first point of
any connection to the service-entrance conductors in a
terminal box or meter or other enclosure with adequate
space, inside or outside the building wall.
 INSULATION
– Service-lateral conductor shall withstand exposure to atmospheric
and other conditions of use without detrimental leakage of current.
EXCEPTIONS
A grounded conductor shall be permitted to be uninsulated as follows:
a) Bare copper used in a raceway.
b) Bare copper for direct burial where bare copper is judged to be suitable for
the soil conditions.
c) Bare copper for direct burial without regard to soil conditions where part of
cable assembly identified for underground use.
d) Aluminum or copper-clad aluminum without insulation or covering where part
of a cable assembly identified for underground use in a raceway or for direct
burial.
SIZE AND RATING
a) General. Service lateral conductors shall have sufficient
ampacity to carry the current for the load and shall have adequate
mechanical strength.
b) Minimum Size. The conductors shall not be smaller than 5.5
mm2copper or 8.0 mm2 aluminum or copper-clad aluminum.

Where two to six service disconnecting means in separate

enclosures supply separate loads from one service drop or lateral,
one set of service entrance conductors shall be permitted to supply
each or several such service equipment enclosures.
EXCEPTION:
– For installations to supply only limited loads of a single branch circuit
such as small polyphase power, controlled water heaters and the like, they
shall not be smaller than 3.5 mm2 copper or 5.0 mm2aluminum or copper-
clad aluminum.

SERVICE ENTRANCE
– Service is defined as the portion of the supply which extends from the
street main duct or transformer to the service switch or switchboard of
the building supply.
-it is the conductor and equipment for delivering energy from the
electricity supply system to the wiring system of the premises served.
TYPES:
1. Overhead Service Entrance
The most common type of service entrance employed by the power
companies supplying electricity which is either a 2, 3 or 4-wire connection.
Generally, the overhead service cable between the building property line
and the supply point is supplied by electric company to a limit of 30
meters.

2. The Underground Service Entrance

The underground service entrance consists of a raceway conduit
extending from the building to the property line where it is tapped to the
main. The type of cable recommended is the underground service
entrance cable commonly referred to as USE.
EXCEPTIONS:
1.Buildings with more than one occupancy.
2. Where two to six service disconnecting means in a separate enclosures are
grouped at one location and supply separate loads from one service drop or
lateral.

SIZE AND RATING:

– Service entrance conductors shall be of sufficient size to carry the computed
loads.
Ungrounded conductors shall not be smaller than:
1.100 A —- For one family dwelling with six or more 2-wire branchcircuits.
2. 60 A —- For one family dwelling with an initial computed load of 10 kVA
above.
3. 40 A —- For other loads.
EXCEPTIONS:
1. For loads consisting of not more than 2 – wire
branch circuits, 5.5 mm2copper or 8.0 mm2 aluminum
or copper-clad aluminum.
2. By special permission, for loads limited by demand
or by the source of supply, 5.5 mm2 copper or 8.0
mm2 aluminum or copper-clad aluminum.
3. For limited loads of single branch circuit, 3.5 mm2
copper or 5.5 mm2aluminum or copper-clad aluminum.
INSTALLATION OF SERVICE CONDUCTORS
Service entrance conductors shall be installed in accordance with the applicable
requirements of this Code covering the type of wiring method usedand
limited to the
following methods:

1. Open-wiring on insulators
2. Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC)
3. Intermediate Metallic Tubing (IMT)
4. Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT)
5. Service-Entrance Cables
6. Wireways
7. Busways
8. Auxiliary gutters
9. Rigid Non-Metallic Conduit (RNMC)
10. Cable Bus
11.Mineral-Insulated Metal-Sheated Cable
PROTECTION:
Service entrance conductors subjected to physical damage shall be
protected in any of the following ways or methods:
1.By RMC
2. By IMC
3. By RNMC suitable for the location
4. By EMT
5. Type MC cable or other approved means

THE SERVICE EQUIPMENT-DISCONNECTING MEANS GENERAL:

The service-disconnecting means shall be provided to disconnect all
conductors in a building or other structures from the service-entrance
conductor.
NUMBER OF DISCONNECTING MEANS:

The service disconnecting means for each set or each subset of service
entrance conductor shall consist of not more than six switches or six circuit
breakers mounted in a single enclosure, or in a switchboard.

LOCATION:

The service disconnecting means shall be installed either inside or outside

the building or other structure at a readily accessible location nearest the
point of entrance of the service entrance conductor
RATING:
The service disconnecting means shall have a rating of not less than the load
to be carried. In no case shall the rating be lower than specified through:

1.One circuit installation — The service disconnecting means shall have a

rating of not less than 15 amperes.
2. Two circuit installation — The service disconnecting means shall have a
rating of not less than 30 amperes.
3. One family dwelling — The service disconnecting means shall have a
rating of:
60 A — where the initial computed loads is 10 kVA or more 100 A — where
the initial installations consist of six or more 2-wire branch circuit.
4. Others —For all other installations, the service disconnecting means shall
have a rating of not less than 40 amperes.
NOTES:
The service disconnecting means shall simultaneously disconnect all
ungrounded conductors and shall be capable of being closed on a fault
equal to or greater than the maximum available short-circuit current.

Service entrance conductor shall have a short-circuit protective device in

each ungrounded conductors. Fuses shall have an Interrupting Rating no less
than the maximum available short circuit current in the circuit at their supply
terminals.

Circuit breakers shall be free to open in case the circuit is closed on an

overload. Circuit breakers shall have an interrupting rating not less than the
maximum available short-circuit current at its supply terminals.
FEEDERS AND MAIN
Essential considerations being adapted or followed.
1. On large installation, one feeder is provided for each floor.
2. In small installations, one or two feeders is satisfactory.
3. Feeder for motor must be separate and independent from the light
circuits.
4. Feeders requiring more than 50 mm diameter conduit should not be
used.
5. Feeders should be subdivided if there are several bends or offsets
because a 50 mm conduit is the largest that could be economically used.
6. Feeders radiating from the distributing panel should be provided each
with a properly rated switch and circuit breaker.
7. Good practice dictates that feeders and main shall be installed inside a
conduit pipe as it carries high voltage that should be well protected.
REQUIRED PARTS OF A STANDARD ELECTRICAL PLAN
A. GENERAL NOTES / SPECIFICATION
Specification written on electrical plan should indicate :
1.That the design is done in accordance with the P.E.C. and all electrical
works shall comply with the provisions of all authorities having jurisdiction
on the use of electrical power.
2. The nature of the service including voltage, phase and frequency.
3. The type of approved wiring to used in installing service entrance,
feeders, sub-feeders, branch circuit conductors, remote control system, fire
protection, signal and communication system.
4. All other aspects and details that the designer and the owner would
want to be done in the actual construction of the project.
EXAMPLE :
1.Works here under shall comply with the latest edition of the P.E.C, the national
building code, municipal or city ordinances, office of the municipal or city
electrician, & Meralco.
2. Type of services shall be 230 volts, 1 phase, 2 wire system, 60 hertz and there
shall be only one service drop to the building.
3. Method of wiring shall be EMT both exposed and embedded work with proper
fitting and supports. In cases where concealed conduits wiring is impracticable to
use, metal moulding may be applied.
4. All materials and equipment shall be new and approved type for both
location and purpose intended.
5. All lighting and convenience outlet circuit homeruns shall be wired with no less
than 2 sq. mm and 3.5 sq. mm respectively, unless otherwise indicated on the
plan.
B. LEGEND AND SYMBOLS
The legend or symbols shall show symbols or configurations and figures of
devices and equipment used. Standard Electrical symbols can be obtained
from the appendix – a of the Philippine Electrical Code.

C. LOCATION PLAN
Location or site plan with proposed structures and owner’s land drawn to
appropriate metric scale shall show:
1.Bordering areas showing public or well known streets.
2. Location of service drop, service equipment and nearest pole of the
utility company furnishing electrical energy.
3. Clearance of the path or run of service drops and service structure wires
to adjacent existing or proposed structures.
6. Lighting and power panel board shall be circuit breaker type surface
or flushed mounted or as indicated on the plan; door shall be provided
with locked and milled key, a line circuit directory card and holder shall
be provided in innerface or door.
7. Whenever required and necessary, full boxes and junction boxes of
proper sizes shall be installed at convenient and inconspicuous locations
although such boxes are not shown on the plans nor mentioned in the
specification.
8. All outdoor installation shall be weather proof type.
9. All electrical work shall be done under the direct and immediate
supervision of a duly
licensed Electrical Engineer.