10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

Forum

Subscribe

AboutUs

MagazineIssues

Newsletters

Advertise

Shop

REGISTER LOGIN

NEC

Design

Ops&Maintenance

Contractor

Safety

PowerQuality

Training

Basics

Products

HOME > NEC > COMMERCIAL ELECTRICAL LOAD CALCULATIONS

Whereexpertsandprofessionals
shareinsightsandinspirationstogrow
businessandbuildcareers

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations
Knowinghowtocorrectlysizeloadsincommercial
applicationsisanessentialskillforelectricians
byMikeHolt
http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

Oct1,2004
1/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

NECTrainer/Consultant,MikeHoltEnterprises
949

SHARE

Articles

Tweet

Recommend

37

COMMENTS 5

Knowing how to correctly size loads in commercial applications is an essential skill for electricians

Evenifyouworkwithstampeddrawings,you'lleventuallyneedtodocommercialload
calculationsinthefieldoronalicensingexam.TheNECcoverscommercialcalculations
inArt.220,butotherarticlesalsoapply.Forexample,youmustknowthedefinitionsin
Art.100,befamiliarwithwhatArt.210saysaboutcontinuousloads,andunderstandthe
overcurrentprotectionrequirementssetforthinArt.240.
Twoitemsassociatedwiththistypeofcalculationrepeatedlyneedclarification:

Voltage
Thevoltagetouseforyourcalculationsdependsonthesystemdesignvoltage.Thus
whenyoucalculatebranchcircuit,feeder,andserviceloads,youmustusea
nominalsystemvoltageof120V,120/240V,208Y/120V,240V,347V,480Y/277V,
480V,600Y/347V,or600Vunlessotherwisespecified(220.2)(Fig.1below).

Rounding
Referto200.2(B)toendtheroundingmystery.Whentheamperecalculation
exceedsawholenumberby0.5ormore,rounduptothenextwholenumber.Ifthe
extrais0.49orless,rounddowntothenextwholenumber.For,example,round
29.5Aupto30A,butround29.45Adownto29A.
Specificloads.Art.220doesn'tcoverallspecificloads.Forexample,you'llfindmotors
inArt.430andairconditionersinArt.440.ToknowifyoushouldlookinanotherArticle,
usetheNECindex.
http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

TipoftheWeek:WhatcanyoulearnfromNEC
AnnexH?Part1

2/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

MustSeePresentationsatInfraMation2016
TipoftheWeek:JustHowQualifiedAreYour
MaintenanceWorkers?
HowtoNeverRoundaNutorBoltHead
ThinkingTakesTraining,Too

Photo Galleries
Our10Favorite
Photosfromthe
EC&MArchives
<b>Fig.1.</b>Dontmakethemistakeofusingactualfield
measurementsofsystemvoltageinyourcalculations.
Unlessspecifiedotherwise,loadsshallbecomputedusing
thenominalsystemvoltagesuchas120V,120/240V,
208Y/120V,240V,347V,480Y/277V,480V,600Y/347Vor
600V.

Art.220hasspecificrequirementsformostloads,includingthefollowing:
Dryers.Sizethebranchcircuitconductorsandovercurrentprotectiondevicefor
commercialdryerstotheappliancenameplaterating.Calculatethefeederdemandload
fordryersat100%oftheappliancerating.Ifthedryersruncontinuously,youmustsize
theconductorandprotectiondeviceat125%oftheload[210.19(A),215.3,and230.42].
Table220.18demandfactorsdon'tapplytocommercialdryers.

Thisgroupoften
vintagephotosfromthe
archivesofEC&Maretheeditorialteam'sfavorites.

Join the Discussion on EC&M Talk

HotTopics

Comments

NewTopics

ElectricServiceEntrancetoBuilding 1
lastreplybyDavidDeBordinQuestions&
HelpforRookies

Let'sapplywhatwe'vejustlearned.Whatsizebranchcircuitconductorandovercurrent
protectiondoestheNECrequirefora7kWdryerrated240Vwhenthedryerisinamulti
familydwellinglaundryroom(Fig.2)?

FireRatedCableforProtectiveEarthConductor

I=PE

lastreplybyspeedinNationalElectricalCode

7,000W240V=29A
Theampacityoftheconductorandovercurrentdevicemustbeatleast29A(240.4).Per
Table310.16,a10AWGconductorat60Cisrated30A.Therefore,youmustusea30A
http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

(NEC)
PlugReceptaclePlacement 1
lastreplybyPaulAbernathyinNational
3/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

breakerwitha10AWGconductor.

ElectricalCode(NEC)
HowtoImproveOfficeLightinginYourCompany
2
lastreplybyTheBlingMarketinLighting&
LightingControls
Whatisthebestwaytodecorateahomewith
lights?
lastreplybyTheBlingMarketinLighting&
LightingControls

EC&M White Papers

<b>Fig.2.</b>Whendeterminingproperbranchcircuit
protectionandconductorsizeforacommercialclothes
dryer,youmustuseademandloadof100%.Thereduced
demandfactorsformultipledryers(Table220.18)dont
applyinacommercialsetting.

Electricheat[424.3(B)].Sizebranchcircuitconductorsandtheovercurrentprotection
deviceforelectricheatingtonotlessthan125%ofthetotalheatingload,includingblower
motors.Calculatethefeeder/servicedemandloadforelectricheatingequipmentat100%
ofthetotalheatingload.

RemoteRacking:ImprovedSolutionfor
MitigatingArcFlashHazards
Industrialandcommercialoperationsarefacedwith
mitigatingarcflashincidentsassociatedwithlow
andmediumvoltagecircuitbreakers,whilealso
meetinggovernment/industryelectricalsafety
More
regulations.Facilitiesseekingtoimprovesafety
VIEWMOREWHITEPAPERS

Kitchenequipment.Sizebranchcircuitconductorsandovercurrentprotectionfor
commercialkitchenequipmentpertheappliancenameplaterating.
Todeterminetheservicedemandloadforcommercialkitchenequipmentthathas
thermostaticcontrolorintermittentuse,applythedemandfactorsfromTable220.20to
thetotalconnectedkitchenequipmentload.Thefeederorservicedemandloadcan'tbe
lessthanthesumofthetwolargestapplianceloads.ThedemandfactorsofTable220.20
don'tapplytospaceheating,ventilating,orairconditioningequipment.

http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

EC&MWebinars

JUL28,2016
SPONSORED
NextGeneration
LightingThe

4/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

Laundryequipment.Sizethesecircuitstotheappliancenameplaterating.Youcan
assumealaundrycircuitisn'tacontinuousloadandthatcommerciallaundrycircuitsare
rated1,500VAunlessnotedotherwiseintheprojectdrawingsorexamquestion.
Lighting.TheNECrequiresaminimumloadpersquarefootforgenerallighting,
dependingonthetypeofoccupancy[Table220.3(A)].Fortheguestroomsofhotels,
motels,hospitals,andstoragewarehouses,youcanapplythegenerallightingdemand
factorsofTable220.11tothegenerallightingload.
Assumethegenerallightingloadforcommercialoccupanciesotherthanguestroomsof
motels,hotels,hospitals,andstoragewarehousesiscontinuous.Calculateitat125%of
thegenerallightingloadlistedinTable220.3(A).
Receptacles.Youdon'tdoallreceptacleloadcalculationsthesameway.TheNEChas
separaterequirements,dependingontheapplication.

EmergenceofPOEforLighting
VIEWMOREWEBINARS

EC&M TV
IDEALPowerBlade
CableCutters
Bigenoughforany
job...

More
BROWSEALLVIDEOS

Multioutletreceptacleassembly.Forservicecalculations,considerevery5feet(orless)
ofmultioutletreceptacleassemblytobe180VA.Whenyoucanreasonablyexpecta
multioutletreceptacleassemblytopowerseveralappliancessimultaneously,consider
eachfoot(orless)as180VAforservicecalculations.Normally,amultioutletreceptacle
assemblyisn'tacontinuousload[220.3(B)(8)].
ReceptacleVAload.Theminimumloadforeachcommercialorindustrialgeneraluse
receptacleoutletis180VAperstrap[220.3(B)(9)].Normally,receptaclesaren't
continuousloads.
Numberofreceptaclespermittedonacircuit.Themaximumnumberofreceptacle
outletspermittedonacommercialorindustrialcircuitdependsonthecircuitampacity.
Tocalculatethatnumber,dividetheVAratingofthecircuitby180VAforeachreceptacle
strap.

EC&MLearningCenter
Understandingthe2014NEC,Volume1(Articles
90to480)
http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

5/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

Thisresourcehasprovenitselfin
thefieldandintheexamroom.
Thislatesteditionwillprovideyou
witharocksolidfoundation...
UnderstandingNEC
RequirementsforGroundingvs
Bonding
Oneofthemostconfusingareasof
thetradecontinuestobe
groundingandbonding,whichiswhythisbook
needstobeinthehands...
ChangestoTheNEC2014
Don'tletthescaleofthecode
<b>Fig.3.</b>Theminimumloadforeachcommercial
generalusereceptacleoutletis180VAperstrap.Inthis
example,the15A,120Vbreakercouldaccommodate
1,800VAofload(120Vx15A=1,800VA).Therefore,you
couldinstallatotalof10receptaclesonthiscircuit.

Let'sworkasampleproblem.Howmanyreceptacleoutletsarepermittedona15A,120V
circuit(Fig.3)?

changesintimidateyou,thisbook
willgetyouuptospeedonthe
mostessential...

BROWSEALLTITLES

TotalcircuitVAloadfora15Acircuit:
120V15A=1,800VA
Numberofreceptaclespercircuit:
1,800VA180VA=10receptacles
Receptaclesizing.TheNECpermits15Acircuitsincommercialandindustrial
occupancies,butsomelocalcodesrequireaminimum20Arating(310.5).
Receptacleservicedemandload.Inotherthandwellingunits,youcanaddtothe
lightingloadsreceptacleloadscomputedatnotmorethan180VAperoutletper

http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

6/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

220.3(B)(9).Youcanalsoaddfixedmultioutletassembliescomputedper220.3(B)(8).
BothofthesemustadheretothedemandfactorsgiveninTable220.11orinTable220.13.
Bankandofficegenerallightingandreceptacles.Calculatethereceptacledemandload
at180VAforeachreceptaclestrap[220.3(B)(9)]ifthenumberofreceptaclesisknown,
or1VAforeachsquarefootifthenumberofreceptaclesisunknown[Table220.3(A)Note
b].

Signuptoreceiveourfreenewsletters
eTrain(BiWeekly)ViewSample
ProductNewsWire(Monthly)View
Sample

Signs.TheNECrequireseachcommercialoccupancythat'saccessibletopedestriansto
haveatleastone20Abranchcircuitforasign[600.5(A)].Theloadfortherequired
exteriorsignsoroutlinelightingmustbeatleast1,200VA[220.3(B)(6)].Asignoutletisa
continuousload.Youmustsizethefeederloadat125%ofthecontinuousload[215.2(A)
(1)and230.42].

ElectricalZone(Weekly)ViewSample

Thefollowingquestionwillallowyoutopracticewhatwe'vejustcovered.What'sthe
demandloadforoneelectricsign?

CodeWatch(BiWeekly)ViewSample

1,200VA1.25=1,500VA

ElectricalTesting(Monthly)View
Sample

Neutralcalculations.Theneutralloadisthemaximumunbalanceddemandload
betweenthegrounded(neutral)conductorandanyoneungrounded(hot)conductor
asdeterminedbythecalculationsinArt.220,PartB.Thismeansyoudon'tconsiderline
tolineloadswhensizingthegrounded(neutral)conductor.Whataboutloadreduction?
Thatdependsoncertainfactors,whichwe'lllookatnext.

ECMNECA2016ShowCoverage
(ShowDaily)
ViewSample

Reductionover200A.Youcanreducethefeeder/servicenetcomputedloadfor3wire,
singlephaseor4wire,3phasesystemsthatsupplylinearloadsforthatportionofthe
unbalancedloadover200A,byamultiplierof70%.
Toseehowthiswouldworkforanactualinstallation,determinetheneutraldemandload
forabalanced400A,3wire,120/240Vfeeder.

MROInsider(BiWeekly)ViewSample
PQNewsBeat(BiWeekly)View
Sample
IlluminationInsider(BiWeekly)View
Sample

GBiz(Varies)ViewSample

EMAIL*
COUNTRY*

UnitedStates

Enteryouremailabovetoreceivemessagesabout
offeringsbyPenton,itsbrands,affiliatesand/or
thirdpartypartners,consistentwithPentons
PrivacyPolicy.

ConnectWithUs

Totalneutralloadfor400Aservice:
First200Aat100%:200A1.00=200A
Remainderat70%:200A0.70=140A
Totaldemandload:200A140A=340A
http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

7/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

Reductionnotpermitted.Youcan'treducetheneutraldemandloadfor3wire,single
phase,208Y/120Vor480Y/277Vcircuitsthatconsistoftwolinewiresandthecommon
conductor(neutral)ofa4wire,3phasewyesystem.Thisisbecausethecommon
(neutral)conductorofa3wirecircuitconnectedtoa4wire,3phasewyesystemcarries
aboutthesamecurrentasthephaseconductors[310.15(B)(4)(b)].

<b>Fig.4.</b>Sizingthegrounded(neutral)conductorcan
betricky.Justrememberthatyoucantreducetheneutral
demandloadfor3wire,singlephase,208Y/120Vor
480Y/277Vcircuitsthatconsistoftwolinewiresandthe
commonconductor(neutral)ofa4wire,3phasesystem.

Asproofofthistheory,seetheexampleinFig.4.
Inaddition,youcan'treducetheneutraldemandloadfornonlinearloadssuppliedfrom
a3phase,4wire,wyeconnectedsystem,becausetheyproducetriplenharmonic

http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

8/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

currentsthataddontheneutralconductor.Thissituationcanrequiretheneutral
conductortobelargerthantheungroundedconductorload(220.22FPN2).
Knowingthecorrectwaytodocommercialloadcalculationsmakesyoumorevaluable
becauseyoucanplayakeyroleinthefielddesign,inspection,andimplementation
process.It'sonemoreskillthathelpsyoudothejobrightthefirsttime.

SHARE

DiscussthisArticle

Tweet

Recommend

37

5
onDec8,2012

olegGOLMAN(notverified)

Veryuseful,buthowtocalculatetheloadforgenerator?
LogInorRegistertopostcomments

onJan24,2013

AnonymousAnthonyGaupel(notverified)

Youshouldcalculateageneratorloadasyouwouldservice
demandload
LogInorRegistertopostcomments

PEinDenver,CO(notverified)

onJun17,2013

RegardingFigure4:Theneutralcurrent(In)isdependentupon
theloadimpedances(Za&Zb).IfZa=Zb,thenIn=0.The
neutralcurrent(In)is300AwhenZaorZb=infinity(open
circuit).ThecalculationshowninFigure4isnonsense.
http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

9/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

LogInorRegistertopostcomments

onJul11,2013

edcarr(notverified)

itwouldbeawesometocomeupwithafillintheblanktype
calculatorliketheresidentialtype
LogInorRegistertopostcomments

onSep4,2013

garyaiken(notverified)

ifihavea277vlightingload.Doiuse1.73incalculatingthe
amperage?
LogInorRegistertopostcomments

PleaseLogInorRegistertopostcomments.

Related Articles
ClearingUpMultiFamilyDwellingUnitCalculations
CodeCalculations 1
CodeCalculations
UnderstandingtheBasicsofDeltaTransformerCalculations 2
CodeCalculations

http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

10/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

Ecmweb.com
NEC Design Ops&Maintenance Contractor Safety PowerQuality Training Basics Products

Site Features

EC&M Corporate

AuthorGuidelines

PrivacyPolicy

RSS

TermsofService

Sitemap

AboutUs

SiteArchive

Advertise

Subscribe

ContactUs

ViewMobileSite

Search ecmweb.com

Subscribe to the print magazine

Follow Us

Related EC&M Sites

ElectricalWholesaling ElectricalMarketing Transmission&DistributionWorld

http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

11/12

10/7/2016

CommercialElectricalLoadCalculations

Copyright2016Penton

http://ecmweb.com/nec/commercialelectricalloadcalculations

12/12