Power loading of an installation

In order to design an installation, the actual maximum load demand likely to be imposed on the power-supply system must be assessed.

To base the design simply on the arithmetic sum of all the loads existing in the installation would be extravagantly uneconomical, and bad engineering practice.

The aim of this chapter is to show how some factors taking into account the diversity (non simultaneous operation of all appliances of a given group) and utilization (e.g. an electric motor is not generally operated at its full-load capability, etc.) of all existing and projected loads can be assessed.

The values given are based on experience and on records taken from actual installations. In addition to providing basic installation-design data on individual circuits, the results will provide a global value for the installation, from which the requirements of a supply system (distribution network, MV/LV transformer, or generating set) can be specified.