A Surprise in the New National Electrical Code

<p>On today&#39;s show, we&#39;re talking about a sneaky regulatory change that could cost your next development project tens of thousands of dollars.</p><p>If you&#39;ve built, flipped, or remodeled a property in the last thirty years, you know the drill. When you design a kitchen island or a peninsula, the electrical code required you to install at least one electrical outlet on the island or the peninsula. For decades, the standard practice was simple and cheap: you had your electrician cut a standard wall outlet into the side of the cabinetry, just beneath the countertop overhang. It cost maybe ten bucks in parts and a few minutes of labor.</p><p>But if you&#39;re pulling permits under the new 2023 National Electrical Code, you&#39;re in for a rude awakening. Those cheap, side-mounted outlets are now strictly prohibited. They have been entirely banned.</p><p>Why the sudden change? It all comes down to safety data. The Consumer Product Safety Commission analyzed emergency room reports from 1991 to 2020. They found a disturbing trend of severe injuries and burns—particularly involving young children. What was happening is that people were plugging heavy appliances—like slow cookers, hot plates, and blenders—into these side-mounted island outlets. The power cords would drape over the edge of the counter. A toddler walking by would grab the cord, give it a tug, and pull a crockpot full of boiling hot soup onto themselves.</p><p>The new code does allow for top-mounted, pop-up outlets installed directly into the surface of the island. However, these aren&#39;t your standard five-dollar hardware store outlets. Because they are mounted horizontally on a kitchen counter, they must be highly specialized, UL-listed, spill-proof, and water-resistant assemblies tested to withstand spills. A single unit can cost anywhere from a hundred and fifty to three hundred dollars. Add in the cost of having your stone fabricator precision-cut a hole in your granite or quartz slab, plus the specialized electrician labor to wire it, and you&#39;re easily looking at four to five hundred dollars per island.</p><p>-------------</p><p>**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**<br> Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1</a>)  <br> iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast