Electrical Contractor Newsletter | March 2026
Trustworthy and Trip-Free: Leviton’s GFCIs are Now HF-Rated
Designed to support today’s advanced electrical loads, Leviton’s entire portfolio of residential GFCI receptacles is fully interoperable with high-frequency appliances in the home
As contractors know, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) are essential safety devices that immediately cut off power if a ground fault is detected, reducing the risk of electrical shock or electrocution. But while traditional GFCI outlets are optimized for 60 Hz signals, many modern appliances operate at higher frequencies, which can result in nuisance tripping. Fortunately, those concerns are a thing of the past thanks to Leviton’s portfolio of residential GFCI receptacles, which have been fully redesigned to ensure high‑frequency interoperability. The bottom line? Contractors and their customers can count on Leviton’s residential GFCI receptacles to deliver even more reliable protection, seamless performance and greater peace of mind.
“In the last several years, Energy Star efficiency requirements for electrical appliances in the home such as inductive cooktops, dishwashers, and refrigerators have gotten stricter,” confirmed Stacy Genovese, product manager, safety receptacles at Leviton. “Many manufacturers have met these increasingly stringent energy efficiency requirements by redesigning their products to incorporate more advanced internal components like high-frequency switching power supplies, which operate at frequencies up to 150 kHz - higher than the traditional 60 Hz,” she said. “However, GFCIs can trip on these higher frequencies, so UL developed an optional standard within ‘UL 943’ covering high-frequency (HF)-rated GFCIs to address these interoperability issues.”
Over the past year, Leviton has responded to this development by proactively redesigning its entire line of residential GFCI receptacles to meet the optional new UL standard for high-frequency signals to ensure that the GFCIs fully support the parameters of today’s appliances without the fear of nuisance tripping.
“While other manufacturers may or may not redesign their GFCIs to meet this threshold, every one of Leviton’s residential GFCI receptacles has been upgraded to meet the optional UL standard for high-frequency applications, so contractors can select products with confidence and without needing to review additional specifications,” Genovese said. “If you buy a residential GFCI receptacle from Leviton, you can rest assured that you have an HF-rated product.”
Leviton Senior Marketing Manager, Residential Products Adam Hart agreed and confirmed that contractors shouldn’t change their Leviton buying habits in any way.
“Our residential GFCI receptacles don’t look new or different -- they’ve merely been upgraded to meet the new testing standard for high-frequency interoperability,” Hart said. “Our GFCI receptacles offer all of the same great quality, performance, and reliability contractors have come to expect from our products for generations - only now with a beneficial new capability designed to prevent the issue of nuisance tripping in modern-day residential applications.”
“At Leviton, we look at the home as a system, not as individual components, and we’re focused on ensuring that the whole system works,” Genovese added. “We want contractors to know that wherever they install a Leviton GFCI receptacle in a home, it’s been designed and tested to support the electrical characteristics of modern household loads.”
A Simple Fix
“For contractors who receive complaints about tripping issues caused by residential appliances, Leviton’s full line of residential GFCI receptacles will solve the problem because they’re all HF-rated,” Hart confirmed. “And for any kitchen renovation projects involving new appliances, Leviton’s GFCI receptacles offer the utmost performance and peace of mind while also representing a great upsell opportunity.”
“Ultimately, if you want to avoid tripping due to HF inoperability, look to Leviton GFCI receptacles,” Hart concluded. “It’s a potentially big issue with a very simple fix.”
For more information on Leviton’s High-Frequency (HF) Rated GFCIs, visit this link or contact your Leviton Sales Representative.