Name: Nguyễn Tuấn Nguyên

Student ID: 20232522

PROJECT: LOAD ESTIMATION

I. TITLE: Electrical Load Calculation for Mixed-Use Building: Residential and Commercial
Floors
II. INPUT DATA
 𝑎 residential floors, each floor containing 𝑏 identical apartments, arranged according
to the Figure 1 layout.
 In addition to the 𝑎 residential floors, the building includes three floors dedicated to
a shopping center, where the loads consist only of lighting, power sockets, and air
conditioning.

Number of residential floors: 𝑎 = 3 × (5 + 2) = 21

Student ID: 20232522. The last two digits are 2 and 2

Number of apartments on each floor: b = 12 + 2 =

14
III. EXPECTED OUTCOME
 Meet the maximum load demand at any given time
 Ensure reliable and safe power supply
 Maintain power quality as required (voltage and frequency)
 Achieve high economic efficiency
IV. REQUIREMENT
 Calculate the load power of each apartment, the total load power of each residential
floor, and the load power of each shopping center floor.
 Determine the total load power of the entire building (excluding critical equipment
such as elevators, water pumps, emergency lighting, equipment systems, and corridor
lighting loads on each floor).
V. LOAD CLASSIFICATION
Load classification is a fundamental step in power system analysis and planning. Depending on the
specific objective of the study, loads may be categorized either by the type of electrical equipment in
use or by the nature of end users. This project adopts the latter approach, classifying loads according
to customer classes to reflect usage patterns and consumption behavior more accurately.
Given the nature of the building as a mixed-use development, the total load is classified into two main
categories: residential load and commercial load.
1. Residential load
According to the provided specifications, the residential section of the building consists of 21 floors,
each accommodating 14 identical apartments units. This results in a total of:
21 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟𝑠 × 14 𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 = 294 apartments
This residential configuration corresponds to a high-density urban residential area, with potential
reclassification to extra high-density depending on the inclusion of high-consumption appliances such
as centralized air conditioning, water heating systems, and kitchen equipment.
2. Commercial load
In addition to the residential floors, the building includes three lower floors designated for commercial
purposes, specifically as a shopping center. These commercial areas typically involve higher load
densities due to the extensive use of lighting, HVAC systems, escalators, and electronic appliances.
As a result, this section is classified under the commercial load category, and its characteristics align
with the commercial areas defined in standard load density classification.
Thus, the building can be considered a mixed-use high-density load zone, combining both residential
and commercial load categories, each requiring separate consideration in load estimation and power
distribution planning.
VI. CALCULATION
1. Residential Load Calculation
The building consists of 21 residential floors, with 14 identical apartment units on each floor that
follow the standard layout illustrated in Figure 1. Each unit is equipped with a combination of lighting
fixtures, electrical outlets, and a range of commonly used household appliances. The total power
consumption per apartment is estimated based on both architectural symbols identified in Figure 1 and
Figure 2, standard power rating of typical residential equipment, as detailed in the following sections.
The area of the apartment is:
𝐴 = (6000 × 9770) + (1110 × 3000) = 61,950,000𝑚𝑚2 = 61.95𝑚2

a. Fixed Electrical Load (based on the layout)

According to NEC 220.14 (D) in Figure 3, the branch-circuit VA load for luminaires must be
calculated based on the maximum VA rating for which the luminaires are rated. Therefore, I
conducted a count of all lighting fixtures in the layout and compiled a table to determine their total
rated power accordingly.

Device description Quantity Power Rating Total (W)

(W)
1.2m fluorescent lamp, T8 tube 1×36W 12 36 432
Downlight fixture Ø80 with compact 15W 20 15 300
bulb
Decorative chandelier with 11×9W bulbs 1 99 99
Ceiling-mounted compact 18W lamp 2 18 36
Downlight fixture Ø80 with compact 15W 3 15 45
lamp with waterproof cover
Wall-mounted exhaust fan 1 40 40
Single 3-pin socket outlet with waterproof 2 200 400
cover
Double 3-pin socket outlet, flush-mounted 8 400 3200
TOTAL 4552

The combined general lighting and receptacle load is 4552 W, which is converted to 5690 VA
assuming a power factor of 0.8.
P 4552
s= = =5690 VA
pf 0.8
According to NEC Table 220.42 for dwelling units, the total diversified load is calculated:
Total diversified load = 3000 + (5690 – 3000) x 35% = 3941.5 VA ≈ 3.941 kVA

Figure 4: Table 220.42 General Lighting Demand Factors

Switches are control devices used to open or close circuits and do not consume electrical power
themselves. Therefore, they are not included in the load calculation.
Although outlets do not consume power directly, they are assigned a diversity-based assumed load to
reflect typical usage patterns. This helps ensure that the electrical system is sized to handle the
expected demand for plug-in appliances.
Terminal blocks, as represented in the electrical layout, are connection points used to distribute power
to fixed electrical appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, or kitchen hoods. These
components themselves do not consume electrical power, but it is necessary to calculate for future
with all loads are set up to the terminal.
b. All terminals block is connected
 Kitchen hood
The apartment includes one kitchen hood circuit. I chose the kitchen hood with the rated power is
300W. So, the calculated load is 0.3kVA (PF = 1)

 Air-conditioning
As no specific requirement has been provided for air-conditioning capacity, the calculation is based
on a standard cooling load of 600 BTU/h/𝑚2, which is commonly used for residential apartments.
Given that the apartment has a floor area of 61.95𝑚2, the estimated cooling load is:
61.95𝑚2 × 600 = 37,170𝐵𝑇𝑈/ℎ
This corresponds to approximately 10.9 kW of cooling capacity, based on the standard conversion. In
Figure 6 with standard design practice, 100% of the nameplate rating for air-conditioning systems is
applied to the total load calculation, with no diversity factor assumed.
 Figure 6: Nameplate rating for Air-Conditioning Equipment and Others related

According to TCVN 7830:2015 (Table 1 - Energy Efficiency Grades for Split Air Conditioners),
the minimum Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) for an air conditioner with a capacity range of
24,000 - 41,000 BTU/h is 2.80 (Grade 1).

To ensure the electrical system meets the maximum demand safety requirements, we use this
minimum efficiency factor (EER = 2.8) to calculate the input electrical power:

10.9
≈ 3.89 kW
2.8

Assuming a typical Power Factor (PF) for air conditioning units of 0.85:

3.89
=4.58 kVA
0.85
Thus, the calculated load for air conditioning per apartment is 4.58 kVA.

 Water heater
I choose water heater with rated power of 4.5kW (assuming PF = 1.0 for resistive heating). The
total power for this system is:
4500 = 4.5kVA
c. Conclusion

 For an apartment, we have general lighting load and appliance load (Dwelling)

General lighting load is 3.941kVA.

Appliance load is calculated by NEC 220.53

 For an apartment, we have 4 appliance loads (1 kitchen hood, 1 air-conditioner, 2 water heaters) :
So, the total load for this system is calculated:
(0.3 + 4.58 + 4.5) × 75% = 7.035kVA𝑘𝑉𝐴
So, an apartment load is calculated by: General Lighting Load + Appliance Load
= 3.941kVA+7.035kVA = 10.976kVA

Load x 14 units + Appliance Load x 14 units) × 0.63

 So, apply TCVN 5.6.1 with table 4. The total of a floor is calculated as S = (General Lighting

(3.941kVA × 14 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 + 7.035 kVA × 14 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠) × 0.63= 96.808kVA𝑘𝑉𝐴

 For the residential building, it can be calculated (TCVN 5.6.1):
(3.941kVA × 14 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 + 7.035 kVA × 14 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠) × 21 floors ×
0.4= 1290.777kVA

2. Commercial Load Calculation

Each apartment unit has an area of 61.95𝑚2 which is approximately 666.82𝑓𝑡2. Given that there
are 14 units per floor, the total residential floor area can be calculated as:
14 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 × 61.95𝑚2 = 867.3𝑚2 ≈ 9335.53𝑓𝑡2
For simplicity, this figure is rounded to 9335.53𝑓𝑡2. In addition, approximately 160𝑓𝑡2 or 15𝑚2
should be allocated for shared infrastructure such as fire extinguishing systems, elevators, emergency

is approximately 9495 𝑓𝑡2or 882𝑚2

staircases, and other common utilities. Therefore, the estimated total area for a single residential floor

It is also assumed that each shopping center floor occupies the same footprint as a residential floor.
This means that the area of one commercial floor is also approximately 9495 ft², ensuring
consistency in the building’s structural layout across all levels.
a. Lighting load

should equal 1.90VA per 𝑓𝑡2. Therefore, the lighting load for a shopping center is calculated:
According to Table 220.12 of the NEC in Figure 9, the general lighting load of a shopping center

1.9 × 9495 = 18.04kVA

Figure 9: NEC 220.12 Table for General Lighting Loads by Non-Dwelling Occupancy

b. Power socket
Since there is no specific standard regarding the number of receptacles in commercial areas, the
design and load estimation for the shopping center will be based on the Vietnamese Electrical and
Building Standard TCVN 9208:2012. This standard provides guidelines for the arrangement and
calculation of electrical outlets in public and commercial buildings, ensuring consistency and safety
in system design.

Since there is no mandatory national standard specifying the number of receptacles in commercial
buildings, the design follows common engineering practices, which typically recommend one
receptacle per 6 to 8 square meters of usable area. This guideline is consistent with international
standards and is widely adopted in practical building electrical designs.

Therefore, the number of outlets using a shopping center is calculated:

882𝑚2 ÷ 6 ≈ 147 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠

According to the NEC 220.14 (I) in Figure 10, the power socket load is 180VA per mounting strap, so
the total outlets load is estimated:

147 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠 × 180 = 26.46𝑘𝑉𝐴

In accordance with standard demand factor guidelines for receptacle circuits, the first 10 kVA is

of 26.46 kVA, the diversified load is:

considered at 100%, while the remainder is calculated at 50%. Given a total estimated receptacle load

10𝑘𝑉𝐴 + (26.46 − 10) 𝑘𝑉𝐴 × 50% = 18.23 𝑘𝑉𝐴

Figure 10: NEC 220.14 Other Load-Occupancies part (I) for Commercial Receptable Outlets

c. Air-conditioning
As there is no specific requirement provided for air-conditioning systems in the shopping center,
the calculation will be based on a standard cooling load density of 250VA/𝑚2, which is commonly
used in commercial building design.

Given that the floor area of the shopping center is approximately 1316𝑚2, the total estimated cooling
load is calculated as follows:

882𝑚2 × 250𝑉𝐴 = 220𝑘𝑉𝐴

d. Conclusion
The electrical load for each shopping center floor is calculated based on standard design practices,
including the application of demand factors where applicable. The breakdown is as follows:

spaces. Therefore, the total lighting load remains at 18.04 kVA

 Lighting load: Demand factors are typically not applied to general lighting in commercial

 Receptable load: The diversified load is 18.23kVA

 Air-conditioning load: Cooling systems are considered non-diversified due to their continuous
demand during operation. As such, the total air-conditioning load is fully applied at 100%,
resulting in 220kVA.

The total load for one shopping center is:

18.04 (𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔) + 18.23 (𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒) + 220 (𝑎𝑖𝑟 − 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔) =

256.27 𝑘𝑉𝐴

Multiplying by 3 floors, the total load for the entire shopping center area is:
256.27 𝑘𝑉𝐴 × 3 = 768.81 𝑘VA

VII. CONCLUSION

The total load for the building = the load for residential + the load for commercial

1290.777𝑘𝑉𝐴 + 768.81 𝑘𝑉𝐴 = 2059.587𝑘𝑉𝐴

It is important to note that this value is an estimated total and may be subject to a certain margin of
error due to assumptions made during the calculation process. These include generalized power
factors, standard load densities, and diversity factors that may not fully represent real-time usage or
site-specific conditions. As such, the final value should be validated through more detailed design
analysis and simulation during the implementation phase.