For appliance loads in dwellings, the 1500 VA per small-appliance circuit is combined with 1500 VA per laundry circuit by summing?

• A. Yes, they are summed
• B. No, only the larger of the two is used
• C. They are multiplied
• D. They are unused

Answer: (A)

In dwelling-unit load calculations, the appliance-load portion accounts for receptacle outlets in living areas and the laundry. Each small-appliance circuit is assumed to contribute 1500 VA, and the laundry circuit is also treated as 1500 VA. To estimate the maximum potential load from these circuits, you add the VA for each circuit together; you don’t take the larger one or multiply. This summed value becomes the base appliance load that is later combined with lighting and other general-use loads in the overall service calculation. For example, with two small-appliance circuits and one laundry circuit, the appliance-load contribution is 3 × 1500 VA = 4500 VA, which then goes into the total dwelling load calculation with any applicable demand factors.