Electrical Circuit Allocation Planner — Turn Loads Into a Circuit Plan
Have a list of appliances, machines or other electrical equipment but no practical first-pass circuit arrangement? Enter the loads, circuit planning limit and preferred groups to generate a proposed distribution.
Set your planning rules
Equipment list
How the circuit allocation works
The planner converts each entered load into an equivalent current using the entered voltage. It then places the largest loads first and tries to keep equipment with the same preferred group together when capacity permits.
Why a planning limit is separate from a circuit rating
A circuit may have a stated rating, but the planning target you use for a preliminary allocation can be lower. Keeping those numbers separate makes the calculation transparent instead of implying that one percentage is universally appropriate for every installation.
Why larger loads are placed first
Large loads are harder to fit around smaller ones. Allocating them first is a practical bin-packing strategy that usually produces a more compact first-pass schedule.
What a preferred group does
A group such as Kitchen, Workshop, Office or HVAC gives the allocator a clue about which loads naturally belong together. It is a preference, not a mandatory electrical design rule.
Worked example
At 230 V, a 2,300 W load with a 0.95 power factor is approximately 10.53 A using the simplified watts-to-current relationship in this tool. Several smaller loads can then be placed around it if the planning limit permits.
When to use this tool
It is useful during early residential, office, workshop, retail and small-facility planning when the equipment list is known but the final circuit schedule has not yet been developed.
Important limitation
Actual circuit design can depend on startup current, continuous operation, phase balancing, conductor conditions, installation method, protective coordination, voltage drop and applicable standards. This planner deliberately leaves those decisions to the final electrical design review.
Frequently asked questions
Does this select a breaker size?
No. The entered circuit limit is a planning constraint supplied by you.
Can I use VA instead of watts?
Yes. Select VA when the equipment information is provided as apparent power.
What happens when one load is larger than the target?
It is flagged as an exception rather than being forced into an unsuitable circuit.
Does the allocator guarantee an optimal circuit arrangement?
No. It creates a practical heuristic proposal designed to help with first-pass planning.