ELECTICAL SERVICES FOR BUILDING

INTRODUCTION
Electrical services are a vital component in any building, so it is
necessary for construction professionals to understand the basic principle of
services design. Design of Electrical Services for Buildings provides a basic
grounding for students and graduates in the field. It covers methods of wiring,
schemes of distribution and protection for lighting and power installations.
Systems such as alarms and standby supplies are also covered.
Overview Of Electrical Loads In Building
The electrical design professional should determine a buildings electrical
load characteristics early in the preliminary design stage of the building to
select the proper power distribution system and equipment having adequate
power capacity with proper voltage levels, and sufficient space and ventilation
to maintain proper ambient.
Architects and mechanical and structural engineers will be developing
their designs simultaneously and making space and ventilation allocations. It
is imperative, therefore, from the start that the electric systems be correctly
based on realistic load data or best possible typical load estimates, or both
because all final, finite load data are not available during the preliminary
design stage of the project.
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve a
practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light
sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by
capturing daylight
Lighting plays a vital role in the quality of our daily lives. At work in
offices, production- or logistical facilities, good lighting brings employee
satisfaction, performance, comfort and safety. In shops, galleries and public
places, it creates ambience and helps to accentuate the architectural
environment. While in the home, it not only lights our tasks but builds a
comfortable, welcoming atmosphere that makes our homes a pleasure to live
in.

Overview of some typical lighting sources:

Circuit Breaker
A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed
to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit.
Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and interrupt current flow.
Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then must be replaced, a circuit
breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal
operation.
Power Distribution Services
All sockets shall be of switched 3 pin, 13 amp capacity, surface or flush
mounted depending upon building construction. The proposed method shall be
detailed at Stage 3 and noted on all drawings from stage 3 on.
Circuits shall be carried in galvanized steel conduit and cable trunking
as appropriate. Surface boxes shall be specified without manufacturers
knockouts.
Socket surface plates shall be of metal clad finish only and be engineered
to fit flush with the back box.
The following schedule identifies the provision of double power outlets in
various rooms excluding those for computer usage.

Electric Power Requirements

Load Analysis
To determine appropriate load estimating factors, using the tables and
factors in this manual as guides to analyze the characteristics of each load.
Consider items such as environmental conditions of weather, geographical
location, and working hours, as the situation dictates.
Five terms are essential to the analysis of load characteristics: demand
factor, coincidence factor, diversity factor, and maximum demand. These terms
are defined below.
1. Demand Factor. The demand factor is the ratio of the maximum demand
on a system to the total connected load of the system or
Equation: Demand factor = Maximum demand load / Total load connected
2. Coincidence Factor. The coincidence factor is the ratio of the maximum
demand of a system, or part under consideration, to the sum of the
individual maximum demands of the subdivisions or

Equation: Coincidence factor = Maximum system demand / Sum of

individual maximum demands
3. Diversity Factor. The diversity factor is the reciprocal of the coincidence
factor
Equation: Diversity factor =
Maximum system demand

Sum of individual maximum demands /

4. Load Factor. The load factor is the ratio of the average load over a
designated period of time, usually 1 year, to the maximum load occurring
in that period or
Equation: Load factor = Average load Maximum load
5. Maximum Demand. The maximum demand is the integrated demand for
a specified time interval, i.e., 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or
other appropriate time intervals, rather than the instantaneous or peak
demand.