Increased NFPA 72 Battery Capacity Safety Factor

Battery capacity — NFPA 72 has required an additional 20% safety margin when determining the minimum Ampere-hour capacity of batteries as a standby power source since the 2010 edition. The 2022 edition of the code now requires an increased 25% safety factor be applied to the Ampere-hour battery capacity.

The ACT Chrome Intelligent Battery Discharge Tester with Temperature Compensation built-in is an essential tool in measuring the true available capacity of standby C20 batteries commonly used in Security and Fire Alarm Panels.