Battery Sizes & Fire Code
Hi,
It was recently brought to SELCO's attention by Shrewsbury's Fire Chief that battery systems (residential or commercial) of 20kWh or more are subject to extensive National fire codes to ensure safety in case of a run-away fire, described in Chapter 52 of NFPA 1 (attached). We are wondering if any other utilities have run into issues with this. We are also wondering what you are seeing for typical battery system sizes. 1 of the 3 residential battery system in Shrewsbury is at the 20kWh threshold, but installed before the effective date of this relatively new code.
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A simple summary from our fire dept.: "20KWh systems or greater requires permitting through the FD. The code says the system must be supervised for smoke alarms and the NFPA 13 sprinkler system must be supervised. It also states the room the system is stored in must have a 2 hour fire rating. There are no specific provisions for residential one or two family homes. Massachusetts Department of Fire Services (DFS) says the code applies as written."