Department of Facilities Management

Electrical Design Guidelines

Table of Contents
C NC NA

16.1 General

16.2 Single Line Diagrams

16.3 Electric Motor Equipment and Controls

16.4 Lighting

16.5 Emergency Lighting

16.6 Lighting Control System

16.7 Electrical Cable & Conduit

16.8 Electrical Equipment Finishes

16.9 Electrical Equipment Identification

16.10 Locations of Outlets & Switches

16.11 Electrical Vaults & Switchgear Rooms

16.12 Electrical Metering

16.13 Ancillary Systems

16.14 Electrical Coordination Study

16.15 Emergency Generators and Automatic

Transfer Switches

Electrical Consultant’s Signature

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Electrical Consultant’s Name

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C: Compliant Rev. 1 Dated May 11 ‘09

NC: Non-Compliant
NA: Not Applicable
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

16.1 General

A. Electrical supply to any new building or facility shall be provided from the existing
Dalhousie 23kV underground distribution system, and will only be supplied directly from the
NS Power distribution system where this is economically justified. All primary electrical
equipment supplied from the Dalhousie23kV underground distribution system must be rated
for 25kV.
B. Complete installation must be in accordance with all governing standards and codes
including:
i. Current version of the Canadian Electrical Code CSA C22.1
ii. The Canadian National Building Code
iii. Local building and fire regulations
C. Refer to BAS schedule for electrical equipment monitoring points.
D. Refer to and abide by Dalhousie’s University Life Cycle Guidelines for equipment selection.

16.2 Single Line Diagrams

1. Device designations on all single line diagrams will conform to the Dalhousie University
Electrical Equipment Labeling Standard.
2. Maximum voltage and full load current rating for all electrical devices must be indicated
on all single line diagrams.
3. Fault interrupting ratings of all protective devices must be indicated on all single line
diagrams.
4. One copy of the building main power distribution single line diagram will be provided,
under Plexiglas, in main electrical room.

16.3 Electric Motor Equipment and Controls

1. All motor starters, disconnect switches and MCC enclosures must be labeled as per the
Dalhousie University Electrical Equipment Labeling Standard.
2. Where variable speed function is required, VFDs shall be the acceptable standard of
acceptance.

16.4 Lighting
1. Exterior lighting for all driveways, walkways, parking areas, and building perimeters
shall be equipped with metal halide luminaires. All outdoor area lighting applications are
to be controlled by a single photocell located on the north face of the building, and
mounted approximately 14’ above ground level.
2. Fluorescent lighting equipment for interior applications shall employ T8 lamps and
ballast which have received a “high performance” designation by Conserve Nova Scotia
(48” long tubes maximum) with the following characteristics:
• 4100 Deg Kelvin
• Color Rendition Index (CRI) 80
• Electronic Ballast.
• Maximum tube length = 48in
Common areas may include compact fluorescents or Metal halide with electronic ballast.
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3. In new buildings the lighting supply voltage shall be 347 volts.

Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

4. Automatic occupancy based lighting controls should be used in all large common areas,
washrooms and auditorium, if a building lighting control system is not used. Lighting
will be manually controlled through low voltage relay switching.
5. Location of light fixtures must not interfere with maintenance access of other equipment.
6. Ceiling lighting in parking garages must maintain, at minimum, six inches greater ground
clearance than indicated at the garage entrance.
7. All sinks and desk spaces in residence bedrooms, will have separately switched
fluorescent task lighting installed directly above.
8. Provide three-way light switching for all rooms having two doors.
9. Custodial closet lights must be provided with protective cage.

16.5 Emergency Lighting

1. Emergency lighting will be fed from the essential services bus where there is an
emergency generator installed.
2. Where there is no emergency power available, emergency lighting will consist of
appropriately sized fluorescent fixtures having special energy storage ballasts providing
a minimum of 90 minutes operation in the event of power failure (Bodine ballasts are
standard for approval).
3. In addition to the requirements of the National Building Code the following critical areas
require emergency lighting:
1. Electrical rooms
2. Server rooms
3. Mechanical rooms
4. Residence kitchens
5. Washrooms

16.6 Lighting Controls System

New Buildings:
1. All new buildings shall have a lighting control system (LCS) which will provide daylight
harvesting, remote dimming and occupancy controls.
2. The LCS shall be integrated with the Building Automation System (Johnson Controls
“Metasys”) and other systems deemed necessary for the project.
3. LCS shall be compatible with other existing systems; Lighting Control & Design LCS is
the Dal standard.

Existing Buildings:
1. Lighting control requirements shall be dealt with on a case by case basis

16.7 Electrical Cable & Conduit

1. All electrical cables are to be copper conductor and all neutral conductors are to be
oversized to minimize harmonic distortion.
2. All electrical cables are to be installed in EMT raceway or cable tray, sized to allow for
30% spare capacity.
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3. All duct banks must be supplied with 100% spare duct capacity.
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Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

4. Breaker panels are to be equipped with a main breaker, 25% spare breakers and space for
an additional 25% more breakers.
5. Power loads are to include separate neutral for each branch circuit phase.
6. Conduit sleeves in concrete slabs are to protrude 2 inches above slab.
7. Junction boxes for parking garage lighting and electrical installations to be flush mounted
and installed prior to concrete pour.

16.8 Electrical Equipment Finishes

1. Enclosures of panels and junction boxes in exterior, wet, or corrosive environments shall
be stainless steel.
2. Equipment scratched or marred during shipment or installation, shall be touched up to
match original paint.
3. All hangers, racks and fastenings shall be galvanized.

16.9 Electrical Equipment Identification

1. All electrical equipment and panels are to be labeled with 1/8-inch lamacoid nameplates,
as per Dalhousie University Electrical Equipment Labeling Standard. (see Facilities
Management)
2. Wording on nameplates to be approved by the Engineer and Dalhousie University
Facilities Management prior to manufacture.
3. All junction Boxes located above suspended ceilings must have their location indicated
on ceiling grid with suitable dot sticker (refer to Dalhousie University Labeling
Guidelines). In addition they should not be located:
a. In the same tile space as sprinkler heads.
b. In ceiling space over equipment or furniture that cannot be readily moved or
over sinks, counters, lab benches, etc.
4. All electrical cables, conduits and junction boxes must be labeled according to the
Dalhousie University Labeling Guidelines.
5. Emergency or UPS supplied outlets shall be identified and labeled as per the Dalhousie
University Labeling Guidelines.
6. Refer to Dalhousie University Labeling Guidelines for further details.

16.10 Locations of Outlets & Switches

1. Align all outlets, fire alarm devices, thermostats, etc, so that they are aligned horizontally
and vertically and are center on wall panels or wall reveals.
2. All service areas (electrical, mechanical, custodial rooms) shall have stainless steel face
plates on all outlets.

16.11 Electrical Vaults & Switchgear Rooms

1. No water lines, water drains or other sources of water are to be installed in electrical
vaults or switchgear rooms, to avoid risk of flooding.
2. Electrical vaults and switchgear rooms are not to be located under:
a. podium areas
b. parking garages
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c. custodial closets
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d. washrooms

Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

e. labs
f. staff lounges
3. Electrical vaults and switchgear rooms containing transformers must not be located
adjacent to areas such as classrooms, offices, etc.
4. Electrical panels and equipment must be installed in dedicated walk in electrical rooms;
this equipment is not to be installed in custodial or other closets. In all electrical rooms
and vaults where the floor level is below grade, all floor mounted panels and equipment
must be mounted on 2in concrete housekeeping pads.
5. All ventilation or air conditioning equipment and diffusers for electrical vaults or
switchgear rooms shall be located so as to prevent water infiltration into those areas.
6. Electrical vaults and switchgear rooms shall be provided with sufficient filtered
ventilation capacity (thermostatically controlled), based on equipment heat loss
calculations, to provide for the maximum loading capacity of equipment in those areas.
7. Electrical rooms are not to be used as thoroughfare to access other rooms. e.g.
mechanical rooms, tunnel, etc
8. All main electrical rooms/vaults are to be provided with a dedicated telephone extension.

16.12 Electrical Metering

1. Electrical energy metering must be included on the building primary distribution
switchboard to measure total electrical demand and monitor power quality.
2. Power Measurement ION Meter is the Dal standard and shall be used as indicated below:
a. All main services shall have three element metering (i.e. 3PTs & 3CTs), and
will use an ION P7550 meter with:
i. 2 x 4-20ma analogue outputs
ii. 1 x Ethernet port
b. All submetering within a building shall be three element metering (i.e. 3PTs &
3CTs), and will use an ION P7330 meter with:
i. 2 x 4-20ma analogue outputs
ii. 1 x RS485 to Ethernet converter
3. For all new switchboard installations an Ethernet line shall run, in conduit, from the
nearest comm. room that has unused network ports available to a duplex box mounted in
the meter cabinet. Dal’s Network Group will terminate the Ethernet line and mount it in a
faceplate on the duplex box. They will also provide a short jumper to connect the meter
to the network jack.
4. When a new meter is being installed but existing switchboards are not being replaced, the
ION meter will be provided by the supplier already installed in self-contained metal
cabinet that can be mounted on a wall or surface mounted on the existing switchboard. In
this case the Ethernet line (see above) must be run in conduit to a duplex receptacle
mounted on the electrical room wall, as close to the meter location as possible. Another
conduit, with pull string, must be installed between the duplex box and the meter cabinet
to allow Dal Networks staff to install the interconnection jumper
5. If a building is supplied directly from NS Power, an ION 8600 is to be requested. This
meter will require a dedicated telephone line, installed in conduit, to allow NS Power to
remotely interrogate the meter. It will also require an Ethernet connection to Dal’s
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intranet via an Ethernet line installed in conduit from the nearest comm. room that has
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Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

network ports available. Dal Facilities Management should be consulted for installation
details of the duplex outlet (1 Ethernet and 1 Telephone).

16.13 Ancillary Systems

1. General
a) Fire and security alarms are routed to a central monitoring location at Dalhousie
Security Services in the McCain Building through a Remote Alarm Annunciation
System (RAAS) which is a Simplex MapNet system.
b) An “alarm” and a “trouble” contact from the fire alarm panel shall be connected
to a new remote node (IAM) of the RAAS communication network, which will be
installed by Dal staff inside a metal junction box in the main comm. room.
c) The contractor will be responsible to install, in conduit, the comm. cable
connecting the new remote RAAS node to the nearest existing node, which will
be identified by Dal Facilities Management.

2. Addressable Fire Systems

a) All fire alarm systems must be addressable to provide for the ability to block
operation of individual or selected groups, of sensors or alarm devices.
b) A fire alarm riser diagram shall be included on the appropriate design drawings.
c) A Building Directory shall be mounted adjacent to the fire alarm annunciator
panel located at the main entrance, which shows the location of all fire exits, fire
extinguishers, sprinkler rooms and alarm devices.
d) A list of fire alarm zone addresses complete with device locations shall be
provided to Dalhousie Facilities Management, in electronic format, by the
Contractor.
e) All fire alarm modules for sprinkler supervision shall be identified as such and
labeled appropriately (Refer to Dalhousie University Labeling Guidelines).
f) All air handlers and gas supplies shall be shutdown when a fire alarm is activated.
g) All electrical rooms & mechanical rooms to be provided with separately zoned
thermal detectors.
h) All fire alarm devices located above suspended ceilings must be identified on
ceiling grid by an approved LED indicator.
i) For computer server rooms a pre-action two stage sprinkler system is required.
j) Fire alarm system batteries are to have ten year warranty.

3. Security, Access Control, CCTV Systems

a. All control wiring for these systems must be installed in raceways and should
have compatible cable rating if installed in cable tray that contains
communications wiring.
b. All system equipment will be provided, installed, and terminated by Dalhousie
Facilities Management Staff.
c. Contractor shall be responsible for supplying and installing all conduits, wires,
back boxes, and related infrastructure required for the complete installation by
Dalhousie University.
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d. All field devices will be connected back to designated communication rooms

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where the main panels are located.

Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

e. Exact location of all field devices shall be coordinated with Dalhousie University
during the design process.

CCTV System

Fixed Type Cameras

One (1) CAT 6, white in color and one (1) pair of #16 AWG conductors for each camera
location.

Provide 3’ of additional cabling at the camera locations and 10’ at the telecomm room.

A single gang box flush (or surface) should be mounted on the wall (if open ceiling) for each
camera. The box should be mounted where it would have nothing to block its viewing area
(cable trays, exit signs, etc) If no obstructions exist, then 10 feet from the floor would suffice. If
there will be a finished / drop ceiling, then the box can be flush mounted in the ceiling (centered
in the hallways).

Ceiling mount is preferred in most cases, but it does depend on ceiling height, construction,
lighting and viewing obstructions

Box mounting height and location would have to depend on overall ceiling height and possible
viewing obstructions (exit signs, lighting fixtures, etc). The boxes should not be too low to avoid
risk of vandalism.

In locations where 2 cameras are located next to each other, 16” stud spacing should be followed
(boxes should have a minimum separation of 12” centre to centre).

The cabling would be protected and supported as close to the anticipated final camera location,
then “free air” or flexible (BX) to the actual final camera location. With 10 to 20 feet spare cable
at the camera end, the final location could be determined once the area is near completion and all
possible obstructions are taken into account.

All exit doors will be monitored via cameras; coordinate with DAL for exact locations.

All cameras will be connected to a DVR located in the main communication room via Cat 6
cables.

PTZ Type Cameras

If PTZ cameras are required, a pair out of the Cat 6 could be used to control the camera. If there
are several PTZ cameras, then this control line is usually daisy chained.

Intrusion Alarm System

Motion Sensors
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Sensors are usually mounted in a corner (8 feet off the floor). A single gang box can be used
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(flush).

Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

Door contacts
Dalhousie uses a recessed door contact (1" dia). The wiring should run into the door frame to this
hole. If there is an overhead door, then the wire should terminate near the bottom of the door in a
single gang box.

Request to exit and door contacts will be provided on all exit doors including emergency exits.

Strobes / Sirens
A single gang box can be used for the strobe and a single gang box (flush mounted) for the Siren.
A strobe is used with every partition and is usually placed to help Security locate the source of
the alarm (in multi partition systems).

Sirens are approx. 4.5" x 4.5" square.

All emergency exit doors shall be provided with siren + strobe

Alarm Keypads
These can be mounted on a single or double gang flush mounted box. If box has to be surface
mounted, then a double gang box shall also be provided for the keypad.

The box mounting height should be approximately 48 - 56" from the floor. Placement should be
such that they are easy to access (near the light switches for example).

The dimensions of the alarm keypad are as follows and clearance must be provided:

Keypad (door closed): 6" wide x 4.5" tall x 1" deep.

Keypad (door open): 6" wide x 7" tall x 1" deep (door opens downward).

III. Card Access System (Refer to Schematics)

Junction Boxes
10” x 10” x 6” CSA Type 1 enclosure to be provided for all access controlled doors.

Junction box shall be installed on the secure side of the door in an accessible location above the
ceiling.

A single box may serve more than one door; coordinate with Dalhousie University.

IV. Cabling Specs for Devices:

• PC Tab – 4C-#22 AWG unshielded, solid conductor to single gang outlet box a monitoring
location.
• Door Contact – 4C - #22 AWG unshielded, solid conductor to device location.
• Keypad – 4C - #22 AWG shielded stranded conductors to single gang outlet box, wall
mounted.
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• Siren – 4C - #18 AWG unshielded stranded conductors to a wall or ceiling mounted single
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gang outlet box.

Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09
Dalhousie University Design Guidelines Electrical Guidelines

• Strobe – 4C - #18 AWG unshielded stranded conductor to a wall or ceiling mounted single
gang outlet box.
• Motion Sensor – 4C - #22 AWG unshielded solid conductors to a wall or ceiling mounted
single gang outlet box.
• Hold-up Alarm Button – 4C - #18 AWG unshielded stranded conductors to device location.
• Request to exit device – 4C-#18 AWG unshielded, stranded conductors to device location
from access control system junction box.
• Access Control Door Contact – 4C-#22 AWG unshielded, solid conductor to device from
access control system junction box.
• Pin/Proxy Reader – CAT (6) yellow in color, to single gang outlet box from access control
junction box.
• Push Button Clear Release – 2 - #18 AWG to device location from access control system
junction box.
• Access Control System Junction Box – One (1) CAT 6, yellow in color and one (1) Belden
8461 for each door controlled.

16.14 Electrical Coordination Study

1. The Engineer is to provide an electrical coordination study at conceptual design stage for
the project as outlined below:
a. Study must encompass all system components from the utility supply point
through to and including the new 600-volt switchboard.
b. Study must include
i. All pertinent data for the installed equipment
ii. Short circuit analysis
iii. Arc Flash calculations for all main switchgear including the appropriate
labels shall be provided.
iv. Settings for all relays and protective devices from the Utility Supply to the
largest downstream device on all the feeder secondary distribution levels.
v. A report, including coordination diagrams, fuse data and protective device
settings

16.15 Emergency Generators and automatic transfer switches

Where emergency generators are required, the unit shall:
1. Be a standalone, noise abated, outdoor unit.
2. Have a fuel tank with capacity to supply the generator at 60% of full load for 24 hours.
3. Have a security protection against vandalism
4. Have a non corrosive service platform(s) for maintenance purposes.
5. Have a generator output breaker that can be locked in the open position for maintenance
purposes.
Automatic transfer switches shall have:
1. A full-bypass feature which allows the transfer mechanism and primary contacts to be
withdrawn from the unit for periodic maintenance or replacement.
2. A dedicated circuit breaker for the normal supply that can be locked out for maintenance
purposes.
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Dalhousie University
Department of Facilities Management
Rev.1 Dated May 11 ‘09