International. Schneider Electric provided details of the Technical Regulation of Electrical Installations (RETIE); so that those who are planning to remodel their house, farm or commercial establishment, know that it is not only about hiring an electrician, but also you should know that there are specifications depending on the place. Avoid paying cost overruns for not taking that information into account.
Electricians will also have better information about how to design, develop, inspect and maintain safe, reliable, efficient, productive and eco-sustainable electrical installations, taking into account RETIE. When performing electrical work, the first thing you should do is hire an electrician certified by an institution or specialized electrical entity in the country, who can do a review of the home or site and thus verify that there is compliance with the standard.
"All specifications are relevant, the purpose of the RETIE is to ensure that the facilities, equipment and products used in the generation, transmission, transformation, distribution and use of electrical energy, meet the following legitimate objectives:
the protection of human life and health; protection of animal and plant life; preservation of the environment; and the prevention of practices that may induce user error," explained Francisco Hurtado, head of loyalty at Schneider Electric.
Taking into account these details, it is worth noting that you must also ensure that the people who will carry out a maintenance, adaptation or construction of some infrastructure, know of the different measures to be complied with:
- Places with a high concentration of people: if you are one of those who manage a place that can simultaneously gather more than 50 people such as bars, sports venues, supermarkets or gyms - just to name a few - you must take into account (among other things) that the facilities must be provided with an emergency power system, intended to automatically supply electrical energy within 10 seconds of a cut, to lighting and power systems for previously defined areas and equipment, and in the event of failure of the system intended to power circuits essential for safety and human life.
- Prefabricated buildings: prefabricated buildings or dwellings and prefabricated components incorporating electrical installations must meet the requirements established in section 545 of the NTC 2050.
- Buildings for agricultural or livestock uses: Electrical installations in buildings with high moisture content, dust, dust with water or corrosive atmospheres, such as those present in stables, agricultural or poultry farms, must meet the requirements set out in section 547 of NTC 2050.
- Swimming pools, fountains and similar facilities: the resistance of the human body to electric current, with wet or submerged skin is much lower than in dry skin conditions, so it is required that electrical installations are executed by competent qualified persons and fully comply with the following requirements: the construction of electrical installations (conductors and equipment) that are located inside or near sports pools, recreational, therapeutic and decorative, fountain, thermal baths and permanent and portable hot tubs, as well as their auxiliary electrical equipment such as pumps, filters and the like must meet the requirements set out in section 680 of the NTC 2050.
In addition, the lighting installations inside the pool must be fed from an insulation transformer of 12 V of output not grounded and with electrostatic screen between the windings, which must be certified for this particular use and its primary must work at a voltage less than or equal to 150 V. Likewise, the electrical installation of the pool can be fed directly from a branch protected by a differential fault switch to ground for luminaires operating at more than 15 V but not more than 150 V.
"In the end, a product certified by RETIE or following these regulations to the letter, guarantees quality and safety standards that seek to protect the life and integrity of people. Hence the importance that the owners or managers of different infrastructures make sure that the people or electricians who work with them really know that implementing an electrical system depends on the site, it is not about installing an outlet anywhere, you have to be aware of it, "concluded Hurtado.
