"Not that expensive..."
The next code cycle is looking to require all 120 circuits to be AFCI protected.
"Normal" breakers cost less than $5 each.
"AFCI" breakers cost about $35 each.
Now, it's not unusual for a house to have 30 breakers. That $900 in additional costs- for the breakers alone!
The few new homes I've seen have been largely filled with "skinnies," or breakers that let you place two circuits in one 'full size' breaker space. These panels are already full. So, the AFCI requirement will easily double the number of panels in a house.
Since panel feeders are often (locally) required to be in pipe, etc., you can count on the AFCI requirement to add several thousand to the cost of wiring a new house. For those who consider that 'small change,' well, I do not. I cannot recall any single code change before, whose effect on the price of a house could be counted in percentage points!
[This message has been edited by renosteinke (edited 11-27-2006).]
