The NEC is a model electrical CODE devised and published by the National Fire Protection Association, an INSURANCE industry group. It's revised every three years. The 1993 version has been released. You can buy a copy at a decent bookstore, or by CALLING them directly at 800-344-3555. The code exists in several versions. There's the full text, which is fairly incomprehensible. There's an abridged edition, which has only the SECTIONS LIKELY to apply to most houses. And there's the NEC Handbook, which contains the ``authorized commentary'' on the code, as well as the full text. That's the recommended version. Unfortunately, there's no handbook for the abridged edition. And the full handbook is expensive --US$65 plus shipping and handling.

The NEC is a model electrical code devised and published by the National Fire Protection Association, an insurance industry group. It's revised every three years. The 1993 version has been released. You can buy a copy at a decent bookstore, or by calling them directly at 800-344-3555. The code exists in several versions. There's the full text, which is fairly incomprehensible. There's an abridged edition, which has only the sections likely to apply to most houses. And there's the NEC Handbook, which contains the ``authorized commentary'' on the code, as well as the full text. That's the recommended version. Unfortunately, there's no handbook for the abridged edition. And the full handbook is expensive --US$65 plus shipping and handling.