Understanding Electrical Load

"Electrical load" refers to the amount of power your appliances draw when running. Understanding your load helps with everything from choosing the right wiring and circuit breakers to sizing a solar or backup power system.

Connected load vs. running load

Connected load is the sum of the rated wattage of everything plugged in, whether it's switched on or not. Running (or actual) load is what's genuinely drawing power at a given moment — usually much lower, since not everything runs simultaneously.

Why it matters

Utility companies use your sanctioned/connected load to size your service connection and, in some tariff structures, to help determine billing category. Oversized load relative to your sanctioned limit can trigger inspections or additional charges in some jurisdictions.

Estimating your load

Our Electrical Load Calculator lets you add appliances with their wattage and typical daily hours of use to estimate your total connected watts, along with rough daily and monthly energy consumption.