What would be the minimum general lighting demand for a 2000 square foot residence with 2 small appliance branch circuits and a laundry circuit?

To determine the minimum general lighting demand for a residence according to the National Electrical Code (NEC), one must consider the square footage and specific branch circuits in the home. The NEC provides guidelines for calculating general lighting loads based on the area of the residence.

For the lighting load demand calculation, a common standard is to assume a demand of 3 watts per square foot for general living areas. In this scenario, for a 2000 square foot residence, the calculation for general lighting demand would be as follows:

1. Calculate general lighting demand:

• 2000 square feet x 3 watts/square foot = 6000 watts.

2. Consider additional circuits:

The residence has two small appliance branch circuits and a laundry circuit, which also contribute to the overall demand. According to the NEC, the load from small appliance circuits can be calculated at 1500 watts per circuit, but they are typically considered in the general demand calculation and not added on top of the lighting load.

Therefore, even though there are additional circuits, they don’t raise the base demand above 6000 watts for this specific calculation unless combined service requirements demand a higher load under special conditions.

By aggregating the base demand from