What the code actually says
Section 64 governs renewable energy systems, Section 84 governs interconnection. Between them they put roughly a dozen plates on a straightforward grid-tied house — and neither one tells you what to make them out of.
Section 64 does not mandate lamacoids
This gets repeated constantly by suppliers, and electricians catch it. The actual position:
ESA Bulletin 64-5-4 (May 2025), Q6/A6 — Rules 2-100 and 84-024 require the labels but do not specify wording.
Q7/A7 — there is no general letter-size specification. Labels must withstand the elements and be permanent and legible, “for example: lamacoid, engraved metal plate, or equivalent.”
Lamacoid is an accepted example. So is an engraved metal plate. So is anything equivalent that survives the environment. We make lamacoids because they last twenty-five years on a south wall — that is a durability argument, not a compliance one.
Appendix B is not binding wording
Appendix B of the CEC is explanatory. Label sets sold as “verbatim per CEC Appendix B” overstate what Appendix B is — and ESA 64-5-4 A6 says plainly that the Rules don’t specify wording.
Wording that is genuinely fixed comes from utility documents, not the code body: NSPI B-64-200, Manitoba Hydro IB 64-0, ESA-SPEC-004 and Hydro-Québec E.12-01. Those texts govern in their territories and should be reproduced exactly.
All solar photovoltaic labels are required to be engraved lamacoids, red background with white lettering.Manitoba Hydro — Informative Bulletin 64-0
That is the strongest statement in the country, and it applies in Manitoba.
CEC 64-200 — of every labelling rule in Section 64, exactly one fixes both a colour and a letter height: the photovoltaic warning sign, capitals a minimum of 9.5 mm, white on red. Everything else inherits the general requirement — permanent, legible, suitable for the environment.
The C22.1:24 renumbering
If a label set cites the rules on the left, it was built to the 2021 code and hasn’t been revised. This is the fastest way to check whether a supplier’s catalogue is live or archived.
| Old (C22.1:21) | Current (C22.1:24) | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 64-112(4)(b)(iii) | 64-112(4)(c) | Do-not-relocate overcurrent device marking |
| 64-218(6) | 64-218(7) | Rapid shutdown / first-responder placard |
| 64-066(1)(b) | 64-066(7) & 64-068(1)(b) | Ungrounded conductor warnings |
| 64-060(10) | 64-060(1)(h) | Terminals energized in the open position |
| 64-072 | 64-074 | Disconnecting means identification |
| 64-074(3) | 64-076(3) & 64-902(1) | Building supplied from other sources — site plan |
Documents that were superseded
| Was | Now | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| ESA 64-1-4 | ESA 64-1-5 | Revised May 2025 |
| ESA 64-6-1 | ESA 64-6-5 | Superseded |
| NSPI B-64-200 | B-64-200 eff. 2024-07-02 | Now reads “DC CONDUCTORS MAY BE ENERGIZED” — the words “Ungrounded and” were removed |
| HQ E.12-05 / E.12-06 | E.12-01 Annexe E | Withdrawn and folded in, 2025-11-17 |
Rules that put a plate on the wall
| Rule | What it requires | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| 64-200 | Photovoltaic warning sign — white on red, 9.5 mm capitals minimum | PV system disconnecting means |
| 64-060(1)(h) 84-024(1)(i) | Warning that terminals stay energized with the switch open | Every disconnecting means |
| 64-066(7) 64-068(1)(b) | Ungrounded conductor warnings | DC circuits — string and central inverter jobs |
| 64-074 | Identification of the disconnecting means | Each disconnect |
| 64-076(3) 64-902(1) | Building supplied from other sources — site plan | Service equipment / meter |
| 64-076(4) | Renewable energy system contains electrical energy storage devices | Service disconnect and meter, where storage is present |
| 64-112(4)(c) | Do-not-relocate marking on the overcurrent device | Panelboard with a supply-side connection |
| 64-218(7) | Rapid shutdown / first-responder placard | Building exterior, at the service |
| 84-024(1)(i) | UTILITY DISCONNECT — DO NOT LOCK | Utility disconnecting means |
| 84-030(1) | Interconnected photovoltaic power source marking | Service equipment |
| 84-030(2) | Single-line diagram of the interconnected system | At the service — typically a 6″ × 4″ plate |
| 14-414(3) 64-112(4)(d) | Multiple power supplies warning | Panelboard fed from more than one source |
| 2-306 | Arc-flash marking — “other than dwelling units” | Commercial and industrial only |
| 4-004 | Maximum fuse / do-not-adjust marking | Adjustable overcurrent devices |
| C22.2 No. 107.1 Cl. 15.4.1.1 | Utility-interconnected inverter marking | Inverter, where not factory-marked |
Quantities scale with the job — inverter count, points of interconnection, DC combiners and recombiners, disconnecting means, AC combiner, transformer, generator with transfer switch, HV switchgear, and any field-assembled equipment without a manufacturer nameplate.