On today's show, we're talking about a sneaky regulatory change that could cost your next development project tens of thousands of dollars.
If you'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.
But if you're pulling permits under the new 2023 National Electrical Code, you're in for a rude awakening. Those cheap, side-mounted outlets are now strictly prohibited. They have been entirely banned.
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.
The new code does allow for top-mounted, pop-up outlets installed directly into the surface of the island. However, these aren'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're easily looking at four to five hundred dollars per island.
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