What demand factor may be applied to the next 117,000VA after the first 3,000VA of general lighting and small appliance load is calculated at 100%?

When calculating the demand for general lighting and small appliance loads, it is essential to apply the appropriate demand factors to ensure that the electrical system is designed efficiently and safely. In this case, the first 3,000 VA of the lighting and small appliance load is considered to be entirely utilized, and following that, demand factors are applied to the remaining load.

Typically, demand factors are tiers set by the National Electrical Code (NEC) or similar standards, which allows for a reduction in the total calculated load because not all parts of a system will be at full capacity at the same time. The demand factor for the load beyond the first few thousand volts is designed to reflect this partial usage.

In this scenario, the next 117,000 VA after the initial 3,000 VA is calculated at a 35% demand factor. This implies that while planning load requirements for the electrical system, one can reasonably expect that only 35% of the load will be utilized simultaneously under normal operating conditions. This factor helps ensure that the system is neither oversized, which could lead to inefficiency and increased costs, nor undersized, which could result in capacity shortfalls.

Understanding this demand factor is vital for load calculations because it directly influences the sizing of feeders