OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Future homes in Omaha will have to meet new electrical requirements after the City Council adopted an updated electrical code that had been at the center of a disagreement between firefighters and builders.
After a vote Tuesday, new builds must include an exterior power box so firefighters can cut the electricity to the house during a fire without having to go inside first.
"Think of how difficult it is to find the electric box inside a home that you've never been in before and oh by the way it's zero visibility because it's full of smoke," a firefighter said.
Omaha firefighters will soon get the quicker shutoff they've been asking for. But builders say that comes with a cost, and they're warning it could hit new homebuyers right in the wallet.
The Metro Omaha Builders Association says it could add $700 to $1,300 to the construction of a new home.
"These are all things that we can add to the home if people would like, but we just don't think they should be mandated, at some point you have to question all of these," a builder said.
This is the first update to the city's electric code since 2017.
