Electrical Contract Works · Question

How should I work out the connected load before applying for a power connection?

Short answer

Start with a complete equipment list, record each item's rating from its nameplate or supplier data, add the figures in a consistent unit, and then have a qualified electrical designer confirm the total. The supply authority will ask for this connected load in its application, so a careful, documented list avoids corrections, delays and an undersized connection.

In more detail

Connected load is the sum of the ratings of everything you intend to connect. It is a paperwork figure for the application, separate from the designer's estimate of demand actually drawn together, but the two are closely related and the same equipment list feeds both.

Work room by room or machine by machine rather than from memory. For each item note its description, quantity, rating and whether it is a motor, heating element, lighting or electronic load. Include the unglamorous items that are easy to forget: water pumps, ventilation, air conditioning, lifts, office equipment, outdoor lighting and any planned future machines.

Keep ratings in one unit throughout. Mixing different units is a common cause of wrong totals, and an electrical designer will usually convert and check them anyway.

Things people overlook:

Standby or backup equipment that will also need to connect.
Machines arriving later, which should be flagged separately from those installed at opening.
Seasonal load such as extra cooling in hot months.

Ask for the current format

Supply authorities publish their own application forms, categories and declarations, and these change. Ask the authority or your designer for the version currently in use, and do not rely on a figure remembered from an old connection.

Have the designer review the list before you file it. If the declared load is far from what you later install, the authority may require amendments, and you may face revised charges or a changed connection category. Retain a copy of the list you submitted with the rest of your project records.

Key points

Build the list item by item, including pumps, cooling, lighting and planned machines.
Take ratings from nameplates or supplier data and keep one consistent unit.
Connected load for the application differs from the designer's estimate of simultaneous demand.
Have a qualified designer check the list before submitting it.
Follow the supply authority's current forms and process rather than old examples.

Who this applies to

Owners of new factories, warehouses, offices or workshops applying for a connection.
Existing businesses increasing capacity and needing to revise their sanctioned load.
Project teams preparing documents before the electrical contract is awarded.

Last reviewed 3 October 2026

This answer is general information, not advice on your particular case. Terms, eligibility, and requirements change, so check the current position with the relevant institution or authority.