Publication of the 5th amendment to standard NF C15-100 on electrical installations in residential buildings:

The NF C15-100 standard for electrical installations is changing to reduce the construction costs of residential buildings. Amendment 5 revises the structure of the standard and retains only the requirements for safety and proper functioning.
Initiated at the request of the Ministry of Housing as part of the "Objectifs 500,000" project, the published amendment updates the section of standard NF C15-100 dealing with residential premises.

It reorganizes the provisions of the standard in chronological order of construction, making them easier to understand and improving efficiency on construction sites. This is the case, for example, with electrical installations in bathrooms, which have been simplified.

The amendment creates a new structure for the standard, with two new chapters replacing sections 7-771 and 7-772:

• Title 10 "Low-voltage electrical installations in residential buildings";
• Title 11 "Communication installations in residential buildings."

Users will also see a reduction in requirements for comfort-related installations. This is the case, for example, with the minimum number of power outlets to be installed in a large living room, which has been reduced from 10 to 7.

New requirements are also emerging to improve safety. This is the purpose behind the creation of a new area: the electrical technical space in the home, which will become the hub of the home's electrical installation by bringing together electrical equipment and networks and prohibiting gas pipes, heating networks, and water pipes. Another example is the installation of residual current devices (for protection against electrical contact), which is now based on the number of circuits rather than the surface area of the home.

The link with regulations

The NF C15-100 standard was made mandatory by the decree of October 22, 1969. From the date of its publication, amendment 5 will be voluntary for six months, until the end of December 2015. It will then be mandatory for all professionals concerned, unless, as planned by the Ministry of Housing, this measure is amended by a new order published before then.

The changes brought about by the new amendment were defined by the AFNOR "Electrical Installations" standardization committee, which brings together nearly 40 companies, unions, inspection bodies, federations, and government agencies. Their goal remains to define essential requirements to ensure user safety, while taking into account the level of constraints faced by the professionals who will have to apply them.

Order amendment NF C15-100/A5 "Low-voltage electrical installations"