Systems integration and low voltage motor control centre expert, Boulting Technology, has released a quick and easy guide to the new BS EN 61439 standard. The recent regulation, a mandatory requirement starting November 1 2014, aims to improve the safety and performance of electrical assemblies. Boulting Technology’s one page guide can be downloaded from the news section of the company’s website. The new BS EN 61439 standard implements a series of changes in the design and testing of low voltage switchgear assemblies (LVSA) used in power generation installations for buildings, including shopping centres, hospitals, universities and office buildings. LVSAs are also used for powering data centres and communication networks, as well as industrial applications.
“New industry standards are often challenging at first,” explained Gordon Mullis, managing director of Boulting Technology. “The BS EN 61439 standard is meant to make the lives of original equipment manufacturers and panel builders easier. It offers more flexibility when it comes to the design and testing of low voltage electrical assemblies. However, the new standard is just as complex as the old one in places and changes can be difficult to spot.
Boulting Technology’s quick guide offers a swift view of the modifications and the benefits of the BS EN 61439,” continued Mullis. “As a general rule, the best way to make sure a company is compliant with the new regulation is to work with an experienced partner who designs, manufactures and tests BS EN 61439-compliant products.”
The previous version of the standard, BS EN 60439, was published 35 years ago and has been frequently contested in the industry. The rules stipulated a highly unpractical testing procedure that required each and every design to be individually tested. This was time-consuming and extremely costly.
The new standard brings several changes to the design and testing procedures of LVSAs. It introduces alternative testing routes and the possibility to derive the rating of similar variants without additional testing. BS EN 61439 also eliminates ambiguities featured in the previous standard, including diversity, circuit rating and rules regarding device substitution.
Boulting Technology has developed a new BS EN 61439-compliant range of low voltage switchboards called the Boulting Power Centre. The range is available in 100kA, 80kA, 50kA and 25kA specifications. Each one offers simple integration and high levels of reliability thanks to their design.
