Average Power Consumption by Household

In Canada, section 8 of the CEC, in particular rules 8-200 and 8-202, is what determines the "demand load" for a residential build. Basically, the average demand, which is used to size consumer services works out to about 13.8 kW for a two bedroom 1000 sq ft apartment unit, with no electric heat.

The utility on the other hand will use a much lower value for such a unit, normally in the 7 to 8kw range.

As to what the "average home" demand is that the marketing types cook up for their advertising campaigns is a good question. I would be willing to bet it is based on what the utility uses.

Hence the need for someone who is contemplating such a system to do a proper actual load survey of their true needs and provision as required.

Interesting topic.

Yes I realize a proper power audit is needed. I have meters for doing this and the first step when I begin a new design is to prepare a load sheet in EXCEL listing every device, instantaneous draw, start surge, and lenght of time in use during a 24 hour period.

This is why I am curious where these numbers come from. The latest was from an announcement about a tidal power turbine intended for use in the North Sea and supplying the UK market. The 1.2 megawatt unit was described as being able to power 1000 homes.

Gee! when I worked for a power utility we had a 2 MW transformer station feeding a town of 80,000 residents plus a big industrial park.

Are marketing people really so far out of touch with the real world?

Where I live, 1.2 megawatts would power the average needs of less than 1000 homes (family of 4). 1000 kWh is typical usage per month here.

However, this unit would not power anywhere near 1000 homes realistically. In summer peaks, the power requirement can be 3500 watts for AC, 2500 watts for a stove and oven running together, and perhaps 2500 watts for a dryer running. If half the houses are sitting idle and half are getting dinner ready and doing some clothes for the next day, the average power consumption might be 4000 watts per home.

300 homes for 1.2 MW?

Hey Elnav...

You sure about that number? Was that MVA instead of MW? In any case, that number is rather small. A town of 80,00 and a large industrial park would have much more in the way of installed transformation gear then just 2 MVA.

One of the plants that I took care of the high voltage gear for, had a 44kv incoming main and three step down transformers, 1 x 2 MVA, and 2 x 1.5 MVA for 5 MVA of installed capacity. It was a good size plant, but by no means was it considered a "big" plant. Add the homes and services to support 80k people, perhasps 20 MVA is more like it?

And as for marketing people being out of touch with reality, I dont think so. The problem is, is that their "reality" consists of not much more then what they need to understand to "push" their products. Reality is a very fluid thing in their lives. With no offence to any marketing types who read this... it is just the way it is.

Right you are. It was MVA not MW and there were two of them. Sorry about my memory lapse. Ever since my second stroke little details like that seem to slip by me.

It is derived by the average amount of power that each household consumes. Who determines it is the nerd that cannot stop plugging stuff in, and forgets to turn stuff off. 500W is nearer the mark here. Then, the North American continent is internationally renowned for its avarice.

Just watch the DILLIGAFs below....

As a electrical nerd who meters and measures things, because I can, I have found that I fit that rating fairly close. My average electric bill is around 1000 KWH per month give or take about 200 from highest to lowest months.

For me that would say I use an average of around 1.34 KW's per hour or 32.25 KWH per day but do to my regularly working with large industrial welders and plasma cutters in my shop plus having a number of other high power short demand devices that can all be on at once my peak loads can be up around 50 KW or higher for short bursts.

But to say your home is average and typical is a bit of a stretch. How many people have such heavy machinery siting in their living room?

Unfortunately our North American society is geared to being 'consumers' not conservers. and that does make it harder to convince people that they can in fact live with less power / energy consumption .

My friend installed a modern heat pump and cut his energy consumption in half. Unfortunately the energy supplier seeing their profit decreasing because so many people did likewise, upped the rate so that he now pays as much for half as much energy. Unfortunately he also retired and as a result of the global financial market melt down finds his retirement income drastically reduced compared to what he he had been led to believe. People who were not as affluent could not afford to upgrade their heating system and are now finding they cannot afford the cost of energy.

The point being as fast as we try to save money by using less somebody finds a way extort more money out our pocket in a way we are powerless to resist.

A friend wanted to put up solar heat collector panels only to discover a local bylaw prohibits it because neighbors would find it unsightly. Falls under property appearance and values section. Bylaws like that are counter productive to enabling new technology and encouraging adoption by the public.

My monthly consumption is on the average with the more common estimates of per household usage. How I get there is not.

Unlike most people I don't have TV's and lights on all the time regardless of if anyone is around or not or electric heaters for pets or an electric stove cooking two meals a day or an electric hot water heater suppling hot water for four or more people every day.

I may not use electrical power in the same fashion as most others but I still use a similar quantity just the same.

This is off topic but I agree with your comment, 'The point being as fast as we try to save money by using less somebody finds a way extort more money out our pocket in a way we are powerless to resist.'

There seems to be no point in voting in any government in the hope of them making us better off. Someone, somewhere will find a way to get at our wealth.

The latest here in England is the long predicted decline in North Sea oil output which, although still adequate, is being added to a presumed world wide rise in energy prices to up the cost of 'natural' gas. So, just as it looks as though house prices might be stalling, even falling, the cost of occupying them is going up to offset any reduced cost of buying them. A fall in the value of the pound sterling coupled to a worldwide rise in food prices just adds to the process. Now a long process of making cars more reliable and affordable has been swallowed up by a steep rise in the price of petrol. And so it will go on. And the politicians wonder why people won't go out to vote for them . . .

It is heartwarming to see how many of us understand the limited value of averages in everyday life. The media, who are about on a par with polititians, seem to think averages are everything and that we cannot understand things like megawatts unless they transform them into something totally other, like average homes. (I am informed that the average home contains 2.2 children, so why aren't the parents in this average home being prosecuted for mutilating their third child???) As far as I can see, knowing how many homes a barrage will heat is of little more use, unless yours is one of them, or you know how many homes there are in total. Who can visualise past a couple of hundred homes anyway? Seems pretty meaningless but they enjoy doing it, so perhaps it saves us from them getting their noses into something serious?

Here in Panama, the value for "average" home consumption is derived by the Utility provider, based on billings. I would suspect that would be the most logical way to determine that value. I would also expect that value to vary significantly between regions and countries- in other words, a "national" average for the US would be totally meaningless, because of tremendous variation in climate regions. What surprises me is that the "average" for Panama is really quite close to the "average" I have seen published for the US (from some government agency through the World Almanac, although I am sure there are more up-to-date sources than this...)

It depends on the climate of your country too. Also the financial status of the country. Electrical usage never be same in United states, gulf countries and African countries. Hence design parameters changes.

Here is an interesting list of per capita power consumption, but this is not limited to residential use...This is total power consumed divided by number of people, apparently. Other sources suggest that, world wide, residential consumption averages 11% of total energy consumption- but that, like all averages, is pretty meaningless since some countries are more heavily industrialized than others. Note also that a lot of the countries listed with small per capita energy consumption probably have a significant sector of their population not benefiting from distributed electrical power...

Our house (built in 1969) has a 100 amp breaker box, and it is currently filled. This would mean 22 KVA? Of course when the house was built, we didn't have computers, microwave ovens, hot tubs, and gobs of kitchen utensils. Things like power tools are also involved, but they seldom get used. If I were to do any expanding (which is planned), I would probably have to add a second 100 amp box, and larger feed line from the power transformer to handle it... so lets make a guess of 33 KVA when we are done.

Bill

so lets make a guess of 33 KVA when we are done.

Bill

Just because the ampacity of the service panel is able to safely accomodate that much does not mean you have to use it. When I rebuilt my house I installed a 225 Amp service with 42 breakers and the inspector did a double take. Then asked me what the H**l!? are you starting a factory? I explained I used marine practice by separating all lighting and power outlets in each compartmentn plus added one extra power outlet per room. So what if I only had one 60 watt light per 15A breaker. The panels were cheap from work and the breakers were free. All good quality Square D industrial stuff. If I plugged something in that tripped a breaker it would not also kill the light and the spare outlet would run the computer.

Thanks to using a Kill-a-Watt meter I have reduced our power consumption to the point we use less than what a 60 Amp service could supply but I still like the idea of one breaker per 15 A outlet.

I like cold wires.

Yeah!! Me Too.

This particular house uses a single 20 amp breaker for both plug and lights in the three bedrooms. WHAT?? The way I was brought up, you use a 15 amp circuit for lighting, and a 20 amp circuit for plugs. It is a pain in the rear that to work on a lighting circuit, I have to hunt all over the house for a plug that works, so I can see what I am doing.

I went to a friends house to help him paint an out-building. My compressor DEMANDS 20 amp, and He had none, so I ended up doing the whole thing with roller, brush, and arm work. Not my idea of fun.

If only they would stick with something that works.

So they built his whole ** mansion with 14 awg wire.

for now

Bill

I like your approach, and quite often have this discussion with others- the more isolated circuits, the better...Also, when one DOES trip, it is a whole lot easier to figure out what the problem is! Now, if I could just convince people that mounting the wires on the surface of the walls would further simplify the trouble-shooting process...

In Canada, lighting circuits fed from a 20 amp breaker would be against the code. I thought the NEC was the same in this regard?

I would bet that you are correct, but this house is 40 years old. I have no idea what code was then.

Bill