General dwelling calculation method of load (NEC 2002)

220.3.A: Lighting load (3 va.). X outside dimensions of your buildings on that service (required)
220.16.A: Add in 3,000 va. For small appliance branch circuits for the dwelling (required)
220.16.B: Add in 1,500 va. for laundry in the dwelling whether used or not (required). Add from here down when finding the
total demand load of the dwelling
220.11: Apply general lighting demand factor to the total of the above 3 steps. This will be your starting point from here
Do not add the first 3 steps to this general lighting demand factor. This step is the starting over adjusted calculation of the first
3 steps arriving at the adjusted general lighting demand load.
220.21: Enter the larger of the heat and a/c in va. (a/c--versus--heat) (va. = approximate watts)
220.17: List fastened-in-place appliance, and total the va. If 3 or less appliances, then enter at 100 percent. If there are four, or
more appliances, on list of fastened-in-place appliances, enter at 75 percent of the total sum of appliances va. This will now be
your adjusted demand load, concerning all of the fastened-in-place appliances va. (va. = approximate watts).
220.18: Enter clothes dryer at 5000 va. / or name plate rating whichever is larger, regardless of the actual load of less than
5000 va. If only one dryer is used. 5000 va. Is the minimum load calculation allowed.
220.19: Apply household cooking equipment total number of all cooking equipment to demand factor, in va., and enter the
product of that calculation provided in the chart
220.14 and 430.24: Find the largest motor involved, and multiply that motor's full load current (flc) by 25 percent, and enter
that figure.
Final Calculation as Follows:
The total of all of the above calculations, with the exceptions of the first 3 steps, will give you the total va. [approximate watts]
demand of the home, then divide the total va. [approximate watts] by the supply voltage to find the demand load, in amps.
Now refer to nec chart 310.15.b.6 to find the minimum service feeder conductor size. Then refer to nec article 240.6, to find
the minimum breaker, or fuse, size required for the main service panel.
Special Notes: 240.4.B Allows that the main service overcurrent device be adjusted up to the next larger overcurrent device
size if the conductor ampacity does not meet the overcurrent device size listed in 240.6, nor be a part of a multi-outlet branch
circuit, nor when the overcurrent device is adjusted to the next larger size can it be 800 amps or larger.
Use (table 250.66) for sizing the grounding electrode conductor.

Example Dwelling Calculation

LIVING AREA 25' X 60' [OUTSIDE DIMENSIONS]
5 HP 1 PH 240 V A/C MOTOR
10 kW ELECTRIC SPACE HEAT 240 V
14 kW RANGE 240 V / 120 V
4 kW WATER HEATER
4 kW CLOTHES DRYER 240 V / 120 V
2 kW DISHWASHER 120 V
1/2 HP COMPACTOR 120 V
1/3 HP DISPOSAL 120 V
1 HP POOL PUMP 240V

1500 SQ., FEET x 3 VA

SMALL APPLIANCE 2 X 1500 VA
LAUNDRY 1 x 1500 VA

REFERENCE ONLY
4500,0 VA
3000,0 VA
1500,0 VA
9000,0 VA

LIGHTING DEMAND:
9000 VA= 1st 3000 VA @ 100%
REMAINING 6000 VA @ 35%
5 HP A/C 28 A x 240 V = 6720 VA

HOT
LINE CONDUCTORS

GROUNDED
NEUTRAL
CONDUCTOR

3000,0 VA
2100,0 VA
5100,0 VA
0,0 VA

3000,0 VA
2100,0 VA
5100,0 VA
0,0 VA

( SMALLER THAN 10 kW HEAT ) OMIT A/C {SMALLER THAN HEAT}

10 kW. HEAT [ OMIT THE A/C, IT IS THE SMALLEST LOAD ]
3 kW WATER HEATER
( 75 % AT FINAL TOTAL ) { MORE THAN 3 FASTENED
APPLIANCES }

10000,0 VA

0,0 VA

2250,0 VA

0,0 VA

SPECIAL NOTE ; { NORMALLY WATER HEATERS HEAT ONLY ONE ELEMENT AT A TIME }
2 kW DISHWASHER
1500,0 VA
{MOTOR PLUS ELEMENT} { 120 V }
COMPACTOR ( 9,8 A x 120 V = 1,176 VA x 75% )
882,0 VA
DISPOSAL ( 7,2 A x 120 V = 864 VA x 75% )
648,0 VA
WATER PUMP ( 8,0 A x 240 V = 1,920 VA x 75% )
1440,0 VA
5000,0 VA
4 kW DRYER = ( 5 kW MINIMUM ){ 240/120 VOLT } { MOTOR = 120 }
REDUCE 30%
14 kW RANGE = ( TABLE 220 - 19 NOTE 1 ) { 240 / 120 VOLT }
8800,0 VA
{BULB/CLOCK120 V} PER NEC ARTICLE 220.22
REDUCE 30%

1500,0 VA
882,0 VA
648,0 VA
0.0 VA
3500,0 VA
6160,0 VA

LARGEST MOTOR ( 9,8 A x 120 V = 1176 x 25%)

294,0 VA
294,0 VA
35914,0 VA
18084 VA
TOTAL HOT PHASE LINE WATTAGE = 35914,0 VA / DIVIDED BY 240 V
EQUALS TOTAL DEMAND LOAD OF 146,5 A
TOTAL HOT PHASE LINE CURRENT = 150 A MAIN SERVICE RATED PANEL
HOT LINE DEMAND LOAD IS CALCULATED TO DETERMINE MINIMUM MAIN SERVICE RATED PANEL SIZE SERVING
YOUR DWELLING PER CHAPTER 2 AND NEC ARTICLE 240.6
Special Notes: You must size the dwelling service entrance {ungrounded conductor} { hot } by using the table found in the
nec. This table can be found in nec article 310.15.b.6, using the total demand load that you just calculated. The main service
breaker or main service disconnect fuse size is required to be sized equal to or exceeding that amp rating listed
FOR FUSES OR BREAKERS IN NEC ARTICLE 240.6
Therefore our minimum main service rated panel must a at least 150 amp rated then sizing our main service rated
ungrounded [hot] conductors we should find in NEC Table 310.15.B.6 that we must use a minimum service conductor size of a
1 awg copper or 2/0 awg aluminum conductor to meet the 150 amp minimum service rated panel or disconnect considering
our dwelling demand load calculations above.

Neutral Conductor Sizing Using Your Demand Load Calculation Performed Above
18,084 volt amps was calculated as your neutral service conductor demand load calculation performed above in the far right
column. During your neutral service conductor demand load calculation you were allowed to use the adjusted general lighting
load then added to that you were to add all the 120 volt fastened in place loads which also allowed you to take a credit
calculating only 75 % of that fastened in place loads if you had 4 or more fastened in place appliances that were rated 120
volts only. Then you were to add to that only 70% of the demand load per nec article 220.19 for ranges and nec article 220.18
for dryers allowing this credit reduction on the neutral service conductor load because of the minor loads existing in a range
and dryer that are exclusive to 120 volt rated components of that range and dryer. All the above was added together to obtain
your neutral service conductor demand load calculation of 18,084 volt amps. Then if you hot main service conductor required

a main service panel that was rated at or larger than 200 amps main service rated panel size then you could have taken
another credit reduction of 70 % of your total neutral service conductor demand load to size your neutral service conductor.
In this case your calculated demand load dictating your main service rated panel required a minimum main service rated panel
size of 150 amps. Therefore considering this particular demand load calculation sizing your minimum service panel size in
amps is less than the 200 amps so you were not able to take that reduction credit of 70% because your minimum service
rated panel size was only 150 amps on this demand load calculation.

Minimum Neutral Size Conductor

With the above considerations in mind your minimum neutral service conductor must be size no smaller than the 18,084 volt
amps. If we divided that 18,084 volt amps by the apparent voltage serving that dwelling of 240 volts we should find that your
minimum neutral service conductor size must be at least with an ampacity of 76 amps.
Before we size our minimum neutral service conductor size we must compare that neutral service conductor size found in
NEC Table 310.15.B.6 which calls for a neutral conductor size of 4 awg copper or 2 awg aluminum. We might want to compare
the conductor ampacity ratings found in NEC Table 310.16 to make sure we dont have a better deal considering that NEC
Table 310.15.B.6 does not list conductor ampacity ratings of less than 100 amps. In NEC Table 310.16 using the 75 degree
column due to the 75 degree ratings of your lugs of your breakers and fuses we find that we could use a minimum size to
meet the ampacity requirements of 76 amps to call for a 4 awg copper conductor in the 75 degree column or a 2 awg
aluminum conductor in the 75 degree column. In comparing for the best deal between the two NEC tables 310.15.B.6 and
310.16 we find our best deal to still be the same no matter which NEC Table we used with both the NEC Table 310.15.B.6 and
the NEC Table 310.16 both calling for a minimum neutral service conductor size of a 4 awg copper or 2 awg aluminum neutral
service conductor thus meeting your neutral service conductor minimum demand load calculated as the maximum unbalanced
load expected on that neutral service rated conductor.

One More Comparison

We must then make one more comparison to ensure our calculated neutral service rated conductor size in wire gauge is not
smaller than the minimum grounding electrode conductor size as required in NEC Article 250.24.B.1. We must size our
grounding electrode conductor by NEC Table 250.66. We should find in that table that we must use our minimum hot service
conductor found in NEC Table 310.15.B.6 calling for a 1 awg copper or a 2/0 awg aluminum service conductor size in amps to
equal our 150 amp minimum main service rated panel or disconnect dictated by the NEC Chapter 2. Checking with the NEC
Table 250.66 dictating our minimum grounding electrode conductor size we should find we must serve that main dwellings
main service with a minimum grounding electrode conductor size of 6 awg copper or 4 awg aluminum grounding electrode
conductor.
If we compare that grounding electrode conductor minimum size required to our minimum neutral main service conductor size
of 4 awg copper or 2 awg aluminum we find that we are meeting the requirement in NEC Article 250.24.B.1 requiring our
neutral main service conductor not to be sized smaller than our grounding electrode conductor size requiredto serve that 150
amp rated panel that NEC Chapter 2 dictates as a minimum service amp rated size main service rated panel or disconnect.