ABB has launched a new range, SENTRICITY™ Load Centers and Circuit Breakers, which offer industrial-quality circuit protection for residential use by including energy-limiting technology that interrupts the circuit up to three times faster than conventional circuit breakers. “SENTRICITY Load Centers and Circuit Breakers feature technology previously unavailable in residential applications,” said Bernie Ausdenmoore, product marketing director, Building Products, ABB Electrification Products division. “This technology limits the intensity of a short circuit and reduces the likelihood of collateral damage.
“We developed the SENTRICITY Load Center and Circuit Breaker solution in response to what contractors told us they wanted. We took the list of issues they raised with existing load centers and circuit breakers in the residential market and provided improvements with new, standard features. We innovated to make this equipment faster and easier to install, safer in its protection of circuits, and better in its functionality. SENTRICITY is the only load center solution available in the residential market that offers all of these features and benefits as standard.”
The SENTRICITY family of products, named for the ability to act as a 24-hour sentry for the homeowner’s electrical circuits, includes load centers and branch devices: Miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), combination arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs), ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and surge protective devices (SPDs). Durable laser printing makes product identification of branch devices easy. The MCBs, AFCIs and GFCIs all use energy-limiting technology, making them the fastest and safest devices of their kind in the residential industry. The MCBs also feature visual trip indicators to facilitate identification of tripped circuits, usually found only in premium-priced units. The AFCIs and GFCIs use LED lights to indicate proper function and self-testing features to ensure continued functionality. AFCI circuit breakers also include diagnostics and signalization that indicate which of three different trip types occurred, to facilitate troubleshooting. The SPDs also feature a visual status indicator.
In addition to providing better circuit protection to the homeowner’s electrical system, SENTRICITY Load Centers are also easier and faster to install with keyhole mounting slots and simple, plug-on neutral AFCIs, GFCIs and SPDs that eliminate pigtails.
“The keyhole-slot allows easy installation and adjustable mounting holes ensure a flush fit, while the plug-on neutral AFCIs, GFCIs and SPDs reduce the number of connections by a third, eliminating the pigtail neutral connection and maximizing wire gutter space,” Ausdenmoore said. “By making installation faster, easier and safer, we increase profitability for residential electrical contractors.”
SENTRICITY MCBs, AFCIs and GFCIs feature IP20 finger-safe and fail-safe terminals up to 70 amps, which reduce the chance of inadvertent shock, while helping to ensure that wiring is fed properly into the terminal. MCBs, AFCIs and GFCIs also feature captive terminal screws that prevent the screws from backing or falling out. Backed out terminal screws are also featured with MCBs, AFCIs and GFCIs, as well as neutral bars and ground bars, which eliminate up to 50 percent of the work required to terminate wires. The ground bars on the main lug units are installed at the factory, which further contributes to time saved when installing the equipment.
For more information, visit: www.abb.com.
