Residential Service Calculations

in the National Electrical Code

By
Christel Hunter
-
May 16, 2013
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Load calculations in the National Electrical Code have evolved over many
decades. It was in the 1933 NEC that load calculation requirements began to
resemble a format that the modern code user would find familiar. Since then,
many things have changed, but the primary requirement remains the same —
service equipment and conductors must be sized to handle the expected load.

Article 220 of theNational Electrical Code lays out the primary requirements for
performing load calculations that are necessary for determining the size of a
residential service. The calculations are based on the expected loads present in
a dwelling unit, along with appropriate demand factors that are used to account
for the diversity of electrical use by occupants. There are two methods
available, standard and optional calculations. Optional calculations require fewer
steps and generally result in smaller conductors, but the dwelling unit must
meet more restrictive requirements. We will only be considering one-family
dwelling units in this article, including single family residences, apartments, etc.

Be aware that some authorities having jurisdiction adopt the International

Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (IRC) and use the method
for calculating the service size using the requirements found in Chapter 36. The
IRC calculations are based on the National Electrical Code, but are not identical.
Always check with your local jurisdiction to find out what method(s) are
acceptable.
 Photo 1. Electric range

Standard Method

The standard method for calculating service sizing is found in Part III of Article
220. Of course, we can’t find all the requirements in this Part, so we will also be
looking at additional requirements in Articles 210, 220, 230, 250 and 310. An
example load calculation using the standard method is shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Lighting Load

The first thing we need to determine is the lighting load. Table 220.12 requires
that for dwelling units, we multiply the floor area (based on the outside
dimensions of the dwelling unit) times 3 volt-amperes/square foot. Section
220.14(J) states that the following loads are also included in the general lighting
load calculations:

 all general-use receptacle of 20-ampere rating or less, including the receptacles connected

to the bathroom branch circuit required in 210.11(C)(3),

 the outdoor outlets in 210.52(E),

 the receptacle outlets in basements, garages, and accessory buildings in 210.52(G), and

 the lighting outlets required in 210.70(A), which includes habitable rooms, a variety of

additional locations, and storage or equipment spaces.

Table 220.42 gives us demand factors for lighting loads. Most homes will take
the first 3000 VA at 100% and the remainder at 35%. (If you are calculating a
multifamily dwelling service, you might use the third demand factor category,
where anything over 120,000 VA is taken at 25%.)

Small Appliance and Laundry Loads

Section 210.11(C)(1) requires a minimum of two small appliance branch

circuits. Section 220.52(A) tells us that we must use a minimum load of 1500
VA for each of these circuits, but also allows the small appliance branch circuits
to be included with the general lighting load when applying the demand factors
in Table 220.12. Section 220.52(B) requires that 1500 VA be added for the
required laundry circuit in 210.11(C)(2). This circuit can also be added to the
general lighting load and demand factors may be applied.
 Photo 2. Washer/dryer

Electric Dryers and Cooking Appliances

Section 220.14(B) refers us to requirements for electric dryers in 220.54 and

electric cooking appliances in 220.55. Electric clothes dryers are calculated at
either the minimum of 5000 watts or the nameplate rating, whichever is larger.
The demand factors in Table 220.54 may be helpful if there are more than four
dryers, but this is unlikely in a one-family dwelling unit, so we will not use this
table for the examples in this article. Electric ranges and other electric cooking
appliances (rated in excess of 1.75 kW) shall be permitted to be calculated in
accordance with Table 220.55, which takes up an entire page and has five
notes. There are also informational notes directing the code user to Annex D for
examples. It is worthwhile to review this table and read all the notes and
examples to become familiar with the various options.

Fixed-appliance load
If there are four or more fixed appliances in the residence, 220.53 permits all of
these loads to be totaled and then a demand factor of 75% applied. Fixed-
appliance loads include items such as a water heater, garbage disposal,
dishwasher, microwave, etc.

Photo 3. Garbage disposal

Largest motor load

Section 220.14(C) tells us that motor loads shall be calculated in accordance

with the requirements in 430.22, 430.24 and 440.6. For the service calculation,
this means that we must determine the largest motor load and add 25% of its
value to the total calculation. Common motor loads in residential applications
include air conditioning, water pumps, disposals, blowers, etc. Often, the largest
motor load in a home is the air conditioner. Even if the air conditioning is
dropped from the total load calculation in favor of electric heating (see below),
you may still be required to use the AC motor load for this calculation. Check
with your jurisdiction to see what the policy is locally. Many jurisdictions publish
residential load calculation worksheets to help with determining the size of the
service.

Noncoincident loads

When two loads are not likely to be energized at the same time, 220.60 allows
us to use only the largest load for the calculation of the service. This is typically
applied to dwelling units with both electric heating and air conditioning, since
they are not expected to run at the same time.

Specific appliances or loads

There are certain loads that may be found in residences that are not included in
the previous list. Section 220.14(A) requires that an outlet for a specific load or
appliance not covered elsewhere must be calculated based on the ampere rating
of the load served. Some examples might include a spa, RV hookup, etc. These
must be included in the load calculation at their full value.

Optional Method

The optional method is much simpler than the standard calculation, but is
restricted in 220.82 to “… a dwelling unit having the total connected load served
by a single 120/240-volt or 208Y/120-volt set of 3-wire service or feeder
conductors with an ampacity of 100 or greater.” Most one-family dwelling units
meet this requirement, so the optional method is used frequently. An example
calculation using the optional method is shown in Table 2.
 Table 2

General Loads

For the purposes of the optional method, everything except heating and air
conditioning is considered to be a general load. For this method, the general
calculated load shall be not less than 100 percent of the first 10 kVA plus 40
percent of the remainder of all loads other than heating and air conditioning.

Lighting and general-use receptacles are again based on the outside dimensions
of the dwelling unit multiplied by 3 volt-amperes/square foot. The small-
appliance branch circuits and laundry branch circuit are each included at 1500
VA.
The next step is to determine the nameplate rating of each of the following
items:

 all appliances fastened in place, permanently connected, or located to be on a specific

circuit

 ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units

 clothes dryers that are not connected to the laundry branch circuit

 water heaters

For all permanently connected motors not included in the previous list, the
nameplate or kVA rating must be included in the calculation.

Heating and Air Conditioning

The largest heating and air-conditioning load must be chosen from six options:

 100 percent of the nameplate rating of the air conditioning and cooling

 100 percent of the nameplate rating of the heat pump when it is used with no

supplemental electric heating

 100 percent of the nameplate rating of the heat pump compressor and 65 percent of the

supplemental electric heating for central electric space-heating systems (If the heat pump

compressor is prevented from operating at the same time as the supplementary heat, it

does not need to be added to the supplementary heat for the total central space heating

load.)

 65 percent of the nameplate rating(s) of electric space heating if less than four separately

controlled units

 40 percent of the nameplate ratings of electric space heating if four or more separately

controlled units

 100 percent of the nameplate ratings of electric thermal storage and other heating systems

where the usual load is expected to be continuous at the full nameplate value.

Comparing Standard and Optional Calculations

To see how the two methods compare, let’s take a look at a 2900 square foot
residence with the following loads:

 lighting load

 4 small appliance branch circuits

 laundry circuit 1500 W

 natural gas heating

 air conditioner 6000 VA

 electric range 11,000 W

 hot tub 8000 W (2 hp motor)

 Level II electric vehicle charger 7200 W

 electric dryer 5000 W

 garbage disposal 800 W

 microwave 1500 W

 dishwasher 1200 W

 electric water heater 4500 W

The standard calculation method is shown in Table 1 and the optional

calculation method is shown in Table 2. Using the standard calculation, our total
load is 47,520 VA. Dividing that by 240 volts gives us 198 amps. Using the next
standard service rating requires that we use a 200-amp service. Since we have
a 120/240-volt single-phase dwelling service, we are allowed to use NEC Table
310.15(B)(7) and use either 2/0 AWG copper or 4/0 AWG aluminum service
conductors.

Using the optional calculation, our total calculated load is 34,160 VA. Dividing
that by 240 volts gives us 142 amps. Using the next standard service rating
requires that we use a 150-amp service. Once again, we are allowed to
use NEC Table 310.15(B)(7), which requires either 1 AWG copper or 2/0 AWG
aluminum conductors.
For this example, it is clear that the optional calculation permits a smaller
service. From a practical perspective, due to equipment availability, it is likely
that a 200-amp service will be installed rather than a 150-amp service.

Neutral Load

Neutrals are permitted to be smaller than the phase conductors in most

residential service installations. Section 220.61 requires that the neutral load be
determined by calculating the maximum unbalanced load between the neutral
and any one ungrounded conductor. The values used for calculating the neutral
size when using the standard or optional methods will often be different, as
shown in Tables 3 and 4.

Section 230.42 states that the grounded conductor for a service shall not be
smaller than the minimum size as determined in accordance with 250.24(C). If
we have a single raceway (as is most common for service conductors),
250.24(C)(1) tells us that the conductor cannot be smaller than specified
in NEC Table 250.66, but is not required to be larger than the ungrounded
conductors.

For our standard service calculation, our minimum ungrounded conductor size
was a 2/0 AWG copper or a 4/0 AWG aluminum. Using NEC Table 250.66 would
require a neutral no smaller than a 4 AWG copper or a 2 AWG aluminum. In
Table 3, we found that our calculated neutral load is 28,035 VA. Dividing that by
240 volts gives us 117 amps, which will require either a 2 AWG copper or 1/0
AWG aluminum from Table 310.15(B)(7). These sizes are larger than the
required minimum, so we choose one of these conductors.
 Table 3

For our optional service calculation, our minimum ungrounded conductor size
was a 1 AWG kcmil copper or 2/0 AWG aluminum. Using NECTable 250.66
would require a neutral no smaller than 6 AWG copper or a 4 AWG aluminum.
In Table 4, we found that our calculated neutral load is 30,320 VA. Dividing that
by 240 volts gives us 126 amps, which will require either a 1 AWG copper or
2/0 AWG aluminum from NEC Table 310.15(B)(7). Since these sizes are larger
than the required minimum, we would choose one of these conductor sizes.
 Table 4

Note that for this example in our optional method calculation, the neutral
conductor is the same size as our phase conductors. However, if a 200-amp
service is installed based on the standard calculation, the neutral is significantly
smaller due to the calculation method. Table 5 shows a summary of the
ungrounded and neutral conductor sizes for our example using both the
standard and optional calculation methods.

Table 5

Conclusion

To accurately calculate the service size for residential installations, the designer
and installer must be familiar with many requirements in the National Electrical
Code. The requirements are not necessarily straightforward, and it is
recommended that additional resources be reviewed. Available resources
include the examples in Informative Annex D of the NEC, the IAEI
publication One- & Two-Family Dwelling Electrical Systems, and other published
examples.