Receptacle Branch Circuit Design Calculations

(http://www.electrical-knowhow.com/2013/02/receptacle-branch-circuit-design_17.html)

The Receptacle Branch circuit calculations for both Dwelling and Non-dwelling buildings as
follows.

First: Receptacle Branch circuit calculations in dwelling buildings

1- Essential definitions:

The Dwelling Building is A single unit, providing complete and independent living facilities for
one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation.

Dwelling buildings include the following types:

 Dwelling, One-Family: A building that consists solely of one dwelling unit.

 Dwelling, Two-Family: A building that consists solely of two dwelling units.
 Dwelling, Multifamily: A building that contains three or more dwelling units.

2- Receptacle Branch circuit ratings and permissible loads

In no case shall the load exceed the branch-circuit ampere rating. The following are the
permissible Receptacle Branch circuit ratings in dwelling buildings:

A) 15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits

15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits shall be permitted to supply:

1- Only lighting units.

2- Only utilization equipment: with condition that the combined load for all utilization
equipment must not exceed the branch circuit rating.

3- Combination of both: in the case the permissible rating of the utilization equipment will
depend on its type as follows:

 If it is not fastened-in-place, it can have a rating of up to 80 % of the branch circuit rating.

 If it is fastened-in-place, other than luminaires, it shall not exceed 50 % of the branch-circuit
ampere
rating.
Important!!!
Using fastened-in-place equipment is not permitted for the small-appliance branch
circuits, laundry branch circuits, and bathroom branch circuits required in a
dwelling unit and these branch circuits shall supply only their receptacle outlets
required by the code.

B) 30-Ampere Branch Circuits

A 30-ampere branch circuit shall be permitted to supply utilization equipment in any occupancy. A
rating of any one cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment shall not exceed 80 percent of
the branch-circuit ampere rating.

Important!!!
 A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall
have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit.

C) 40- and 50-Ampere Branch Circuits

A 40- or 50-ampere branch circuit shall be permitted to supply cooking appliances that are
fastened in place in any occupancy.

3- Selecting Receptacle rating for a branch circuit

A- Receptacle rating, general

Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or outlets, receptacle
ratings shall not exceed 30A or 14 outlets, or, where rated higher than 50 amperes, the
receptacle rating shall not be less than the branch-circuit rating.

B- Single Receptacle on an Individual Branch Circuit

A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less
than that of the branch circuit. For example, a single receptacle on a 20-ampere individual branch
circuit must be rated at 20 amperes.

According to Branch circuit voltage

A- Branch Circuits Not More Than 600 Volts

It is divided to (4) categories as follows:

a- Branch Circuits not exceed 120 volts

In residences and hotel rooms, circuits supplying lighting fixtures and small receptacle loads.

b- Branch Circuits 120 volts and less

it may be used to supply lampholders, auxiliary equipment of electric-discharge lamps,
receptacles, and permanently wired equipment.

c- Branch circuits 120 volts - 277 volts

It may supply mogul-base screw-shell lampholders, ballasts for fluorescent lighting, ballasts for
electric-discharge lighting, plug-connected appliances, and hard-wired appliances. Incandescent
lighting operating over 150 volts is permitted in commercial construction.

d- Branch circuits 277 volts - 600 volts

it can supply mercury-vapor and fluorescent lighting, provided the lighting units are installed at
heights not less that 22 feet above grade and in tunnels at heights no less than 18 feet.

B- Branch Circuits over 600 Volts

It used for some special uses in non-dwelling buildings.

6- According to Branch circuit rating:

A- 15 and 20 Ampere Branch Circuits

It shall be permitted to supply lighting units or other utilization equipment, or a combination of
both.

B- 30 Ampere Branch Circuits

It shall be permitted to supply fixed lighting units with heavy-duty lampholders in other than a
dwelling unit(s) or utilization equipment in any occupancy.

C- 40 and 50 Ampere Branch Circuits

It shall be permitted to supply cooking appliances that are fastened in place in any occupancy. In
other than dwelling units, such circuits shall be permitted to supply fixed lighting units with
heavy-duty lampholders, infrared heating units, or other utilization equipment.

D- Branch Circuits Larger Than 50 Amperes

It supply only non-lighting outlet loads.

5. Branch circuit features

5.1 Branch circuit Voltages

 The voltage rating of electrical equipment shall not be less than the nominal voltage of a circuit
to which
it is connected.
 Unless other voltages are specified, for purposes of calculating branch-circuit and feeder loads,
nominal
system voltages of 120, 120/240, 208Y/120, 240, 347, 480Y/277, 480, 600Y/347, and 600 volts
shall be
 used.
 Branch-circuit voltage limits are provided by NEC Code. These limits are based on the
equipment being
supplied by the circuit.

5.2 Branch Circuit Conductors

Conductors normally used to carry current shall be of copper unless otherwise noted.

Conductors size unit:

The American Wire Gage (AWG) for size identification, which is the same as the Brown and Sharpe
(BS) Gage.

The notation circular mils is used for Conductors larger than 4/0 AWG which will be equal to
250,000 circular mils.

# The notation MCM is used instead of circular mils, where MCM = 1000 circular mils. so, a
250,000-circular-mil conductor was labeled 250 MCM.

# The notation kcmil is used by both UL standards and IEEE standards instead of MCM.
where kcmil = MCM = 1000 circular mils.

Example
The circular mil area of a conductor is equal to its diameter in mils squared (1 in. = 1000 mils).
What is the circular mil area of an 8 AWG solid conductor that has a 0.1285-in. diameter?

Solution

0.1285 in. x 1000 = 128.5 mils

128.5 x 128.5 = 16,512.25 circular mils

5.3 Branch Circuit Rating

 The rating of any branch circuit will be the maximum permitted ampere rating or setting of the
overcurrent
device protecting this branch circuit.
 Branch circuits serving only one device can have any rating, while a circuit supplying more that
one load is
limited to ratings of 15, 20, 30, 40, or 50 amps.

Example:
A branch circuit wired with 10 AWG copper conductors has an allowable ampacity of at least 30
amperes, If this branch-circuit overcurrent protective device is a 20-ampere circuit breaker or
fuse, what is the rating of this branch circuit?.

Solution:

the rating of this branch circuit is 20 amperes, based on the size or rating of the overcurrent
protective device.

5.4 Number of Branch Circuits

The minimum number of branch circuits shall be determined from the total calculated load and
the size or rating of the circuits used. In all installations, the number of circuits shall be sufficient
to supply the load served.

First: Lighting Branch circuits

In the broad sense, lighting loads may be categorized as follows:

1. General lighting.
2. Show-window lighting.
3. Track lighting.
4. Sign and outline lighting.
5. Other lighting.

C- Receptacle supplying Total Cord-and-Plug-Connected Load

a Receptacle shall not supply a total cord-and plug- connected load in excess of the maximum
specified in Table 210.21(B)(2).
4- Voltage ratings for Receptacle Branch circuit

In dwelling units the voltage rating for Receptacle Branch circuit shall not exceed the following:

A) 120 volts, nominal, between conductors

For Receptacle Branch circuit that supplies Cord-and-plug-connected loads 1440 volt-amperes,
nominal, or less or less than 1⁄4 hp.

B) 208-volt or 240-volt circuit, nominal, between conductors

For Receptacle Branch circuit that supplies High-wattage cord-and-plug-connected loads, such as
electric ranges, clothes dryers, and some window air conditioners.

5- The Maximum allowable number of receptacles on a branch circuit

As per NEC section 220.14(I), Receptacle outlets load (see below image) shall be calculated at not
less than:

 180 volt-amperes for each single receptacle,

 180 volt-amperes for each multiple receptacle (duplex or triplex) on one yoke,
 90 volt- amperes per receptacle for multiple receptacles (four or more).
 Important!!!
If a receptacle is dedicated for a specific device, then the actual load is used and If
this dedicated load is continuous, then the 125% overrate is appropriate.

To calculate the Maximum allowable number of receptacles on a branch circuit, make

the following steps:

 Step#1: Determine the maximum circuit power by Multiply the branch circuit voltage and
amperage.
 Step#2: Then divide by 180 volt-amperes.
The result from Step#2 = the Max. Allowable single, duplex or triplex receptacles or a
combination of them on a branch circuit.

Example#1:
How many receptacles can be placed on a 120-volt, 20-amp circuit? How many can be placed on
a 120-volt, 15-amp circuit?
Solution:

Step#1:
Determine the maximum circuit power (for 20-amp circuit) = 120 V × 20 A = 2400 VA

Determine the maximum circuit power (for 15-amp circuit) 120 V × 15 A = 1800 VA

Step#2:

Then divide the power by the load per receptacle

For 20-amp circuit:

Maximum allowable number of receptacles = 2400 VA / 180 VA = 13.3

For 15-amp circuit:

Maximum allowable number of receptacles = 1800 VA / 180 VA = 10

So,

A 120-volt, 20-amp circuit can supply 13 receptacles.

A 120-volt, 15-amp circuit can supply 10 receptacles.

6- The Minimum number of receptacle branch circuits for bank or office buildings

As per NEC section 220.14(J), if the number of receptacles is unknown so for bank and office
buildings, we can calculate the receptacles load by multiplying the area in ft2 by the unit value (1
VA/ft2).
To get the required number of receptacle branch circuits for bank or office buildings make the
following steps:
Step#1: Calculate the total receptacles load for the whole building as explained above.

 Step#2: Calculate the total receptacle circuit load in VA by multiplying its voltage by its
amperage as follows:
1. For 15-A Branch circuits = 120 V × 15 A = 1800 VA
2. For 20-A Branch circuits = 120 V × 20 A = 2400 VA
 Step#3: Divide the total receptacle load for the whole building by the maximum load per
circuit to determine the minimum number of circuits.

Example#2:

Determine the total receptacle load for an 80 ft × 120 ft office building? And determine the
number of 15-amp circuits needed to supply the load. Noting that the number of receptacles is
unknown.

Solution:

Step#1:
The number of receptacles is unknown, so a receptacle load of 1 VA/ft2 can be calculated:
Area = 80 ft × 120 ft = 9600 ft2

Total Receptacle load = 1 VA/ft2 × 9600 ft2 = 9600 VA

Step#2:
To determine the number of circuits required, first calculate the allowable load for a single circuit:
The allowable load for a single circuit = 120 V × 15 A = 1800 VA

Step#3:
Divide the total receptacle load by the maximum load per circuit to determine the minimum
number of circuits:

Minimum number of 15-A receptacle Circuits = 9600 VA / 1800 VA = 5.33

This is the minimum number, so round up to six circuits.

Important!!!
As per NEC section 220.14(J), limit using the unit value (1 VA/ft2) for banks and office
buildings but it can be used also (as approximate) for other types of buildings
including dwelling ones.

7- Receptacle branch circuits Calculations in dwelling buildings

In the broad sense, Receptacle in dwelling units may serve one of the following loads:

1. General-use Receptacle Loads,

2. Small appliance Loads,
3. Laundry Load,
4. Fastened-in-place Appliance loads,
5. Cloth dryer Load,
6. Household cooking appliances load,
7. Heating and air conditioning loads,
8. Motor loads.

Where and how to distribute each load outlets in a dwelling building as per NEC code.

1- General-use Receptacle Loads

1.1 locations of General-use Receptacle Loads as per NEC section 210.52

Rule#1: Main rule (see below image)
Receptacles shall be installed such that no point measured horizontally along the
floor line of any wall space is more than 1.8 m (6 ft) from a receptacle outlet.
The wall space is a wall unbroken along the floor line by doorways, fireplaces, archways, and
similar openings and may include two or more walls of a room (around corners), as illustrated in
Exhibit 210.27. The Minimum length for a wall space is 2 ft.

Important!!!
The wall space behind the swing of a door is included in the measurement. This does not
mean that the receptacle outlet has to be located in that space, only that the space is
included in the wall-line measurement.

Rule#2: electric baseboard heaters built-in receptacle (see below image)

If there is a permanently installed electric baseboard heaters (longer than 12 ft.)
equipped with factory-installed receptacle outlets or outlets provided as a separate
assembly by the manufacturer shall be permitted as the required outlet or outlets
for the wall space utilized by such permanently installed heaters (see image below)
. Such receptacle outlets shall not be connected to the heater circuits.
 Rule#3: Receptacle designed for intended use

Receptacle designed for intended utilization equipment or practical room use

may be placed in corners, may be grouped, or may be placed in a convenient
location. For example, receptacles in a living room and family room that are
intended to serve home entertainment equipment or home office equipment.

Rule#4: floor Receptacles (see below image)

Receptacle outlets in floors shall not be counted as part of the required number of
receptacle outlets unless located within 450 mm (18 in.) of the wall.
 Rule#5: kitchen and dining areas counters receptacles other than that
used for small appliances (see above image)

Receptacle outlets installed to serve kitchen or dining area counters (for small
appliances) cannot also be used as general-use receptacles for an adjacent wall
space and in this case general-use receptacle branch circuits must be added to
serve such locations.
 Rule#6: receptacles not under main rule

The following receptacles can't be used as general-use receptacles (rule#1 will not
apply for it):
A receptacle that is Part of a luminaire or appliance, or
A receptacle that is controlled by a wall switch, or
A receptacle that is Located within cabinets or cupboards, or
A receptacle that is located more than 1.7 m (5.5 ft) above the floor.

Important!!!
A receptacle controlled by a switch may result in the occupant using an extension
cord, run from an outlet or device that is not controlled by a switch, to supply
appliances or equipment that require continuous power, such as an electric clock. So,
this receptacle not considered as general-use receptacle.