East Penn Manufacturing said its Reserve Power battery offering has been certified to UL1973. This makes it the first company manufacturing lead batteries in the US to be certified to this safety standard for its entire line of telecommunication, UPS, utilities and railway products, it added.
It said the standard shows products perform to specified levels within critical safety tests. They include overcharging, impact and overcharging thermal runaway.
Certification to UL1973 streamlines qualification for system integrators and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) who need to confirm adherence to stationary system integration certifications like UL9540 and national fire protection standards like NFPA855, it said. The rules for installations are covered by NFPA855.
An AHJ is an organisation, agency or individual responsible for enforcing codes, standards and regulations related to building construction, fire prevention and life safety. Under the NFPA855 2023 standard, UL1973 certified batteries are allowed to be grouped in 250kWh configurations compared to non-certified products, which are limited to 50kWh units requiring three feet of spacing on all sides.
East Penn said batteries with UL1973 certification surpass the need for the multiple safety tests for many other standards, codes and certifications that are becoming more broadly adopted and stringently enforced by customers and government regulatory agencies.
“Being the first company with battery manufacturing in the USA to offer the UL1973 certification for lead batteries to our Reserve Power customers is a significant accomplishment for our division and East Penn,” said Bruce Cole, SVP of Industrial Sales.
Battery consultant Jim McDowall said many jurisdictions have not yet adopted fire codes that call out NFPA 855. “There’s a lag, sometimes of several years, but everyone will eventually. East Penn is making sure they won’t have any problems when that happens,” he said.
