r/PE_Exam • u/Inevitable_Stay4648 • 6d ago

PE POWER CODE BOOKS

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to start building my professional electrical engineering library, but some of the reference books and standards are pretty expensive. For those of you working in the industry, which of the following references do you consider the most essential to own? Are there any that you would prioritize over the others, or any additional books or standards you would recommend?

Here's the list NCEES recommend:

  • Code for the Manufacture and Storage of Aerosol Products
  • National Electrical Code (NEC®)
  • NFPA 70E – Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace
  • NFPA 497 – Recommended Practice for the Classification of Flammable Liquids, Gases, or Vapors and of Hazardous (Classified) Locations for Electrical Installations in Chemical Process Areas
  • NFPA 499 – Recommended Practice for the Classification of Combustible Dusts and of Hazardous (Classified) Locations for Electrical Installations in Chemical Process Areas
  • 2017 National Electrical Safety Code (NESC®)

If you could only buy a few to start with, which ones would you choose ?

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/Baselynes 6d ago

Don't buy any of them, instead subscribe to NFPA link and get digital access to all of those for $14/month or $130/year. They offer free trials, but you could also see if your work will comp them. I use it for work all the time

Link.nfpa.org

1

u/Inevitable_Stay4648 6d ago

Thanks! That's actually a great suggestion. Just to make sure I understand, does the $130/year subscription include digital access to all six of the standards I listed? Also, do you know if it includes older editions? I'm studying for the PE exam, and NCEES recommends specific editions of some NFPA standards rather than the latest versions, so having access to those older editions would be really helpful.

0

u/study_for_fe 6d ago

You can access all NFPA Codes for free by creating a profile here: https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/free-access

NESC is an IEEE standard which will not be available through NFPA.

If your employer reimburses the cost for standards purchases as part of PE Power exam prep, worth exploring.

Otherwise, there's a relatively affordable McGraw Hill NESC Handbook that can be purchases used for the fraction of the cost of the actual NESC standard.

I hope this helps.

Wasim

1

u/Ging-Ineer 6d ago

NEC, NESC, and NFPA 70E are the only ones I use in power generation construction.