Dear forum members,
According to the scope of work from my construction supervisor, the connection capacity for the house will be 14.5 kW.
Is that sufficient for a modern single-family home with 5 people?
I understand that most appliances are not necessarily running at the same time, but if I imagine that in winter many devices might be used simultaneously, and then a 2 kW hairdryer is added, the limit could be reached.
What would actually happen in that case?
Is it possible to upgrade the connection capacity, or are there restrictions imposed by the utility company?
How does a photovoltaic system affect this? Can it increase the maximum peak power demand of a house, or is it useless if the electrical installation itself is not designed for higher loads?
Thank you and best regards
Tolentino
According to the scope of work from my construction supervisor, the connection capacity for the house will be 14.5 kW.
Is that sufficient for a modern single-family home with 5 people?
I understand that most appliances are not necessarily running at the same time, but if I imagine that in winter many devices might be used simultaneously, and then a 2 kW hairdryer is added, the limit could be reached.
What would actually happen in that case?
Is it possible to upgrade the connection capacity, or are there restrictions imposed by the utility company?
How does a photovoltaic system affect this? Can it increase the maximum peak power demand of a house, or is it useless if the electrical installation itself is not designed for higher loads?
Thank you and best regards
Tolentino
Tolentino schrieb:
I also think we are talking about rare events here. You’d basically have to be wearing everything in winter and have the cooktop on booster mode, the oven set to 250°C (480°F) with the grill both top and bottom, the hot water tank emptied, and both showers running. Then the microwave and vacuum cleaner as well. If the hairdryer (excuse me, hot air hair dryer) comes on too... you could probably reach 15 kW.
But I’d like to have a bit more margin...
And the "larger" SLS (service line size) will be enough then? You don’t need to install an even "thicker" main supply line to the house? Your consideration isn’t that far-fetched... Just imagine the second day of Christmas.
The roast duck is cooking in the oven, the dishwasher is cleaning the dishes from the previous days. You’re quickly preparing the sauce and the dumplings, of course using booster function because Grandma Annegret has already said for the third time that she’s hungry. One daughter is showering for the second time today because she finally gets to sleep over at her new boyfriend’s place, the other is drying her hair...
Suddenly, the cookies on the living room table fall over, and the man of the house turns on the vacuum cleaner...
gmt94 schrieb:
The problem is you just don’t know what’s coming. The topic of electromobility.Well, we actually know quite a bit: Electric vehicles can typically draw up to 22kW from alternating current (i.e., household electricity in a broad sense). A typical battery ranges from about 20kWh (small city car) to 100kWh (large SUV). That means with 11kW charging power, charging times are between 2 and 10 hours. So it’s enough to fully charge overnight. If faster charging is needed, DC fast chargers are typically found along highways.Therefore, I would at least plan for 11kW charging capacity for an electric vehicle and design the electrical connection for higher loads (>22kW).
miho schrieb:
So, that already tells you quite a bit: Electric cars typically draw up to 22 kW from alternating current (AC, meaning household electricity in the broadest sense). A typical battery size ranges from 20 kWh (small city car) to 100 kWh (large SUV). This means with 11 kW charging power, charging times are between 2 and 10 hours. That’s enough to fully charge overnight. If you want faster charging, DC fast chargers are usually found along highways.
So, I would recommend planning at least 11 kW charging capacity for an electric car and designing the connection for higher power (>22 kW).The sentence is indeed somewhat awkwardly phrased. What I actually wanted to do was raise awareness to keep this topic in mind when building a house in current times.
A common standard house connection is 30 kVA.
In the main distribution board, there is then a 63A fuse, with an SLS of 40A.
The size of the SLS can also be 35A depending on the utility provider.
Furthermore, from an SLS of 50A onward, the wiring in the meter cabinet must be 16 mm² (0.021 in²) quad-core instead of the usual 10 mm² (0.016 in²).
In the main distribution board, there is then a 63A fuse, with an SLS of 40A.
The size of the SLS can also be 35A depending on the utility provider.
Furthermore, from an SLS of 50A onward, the wiring in the meter cabinet must be 16 mm² (0.021 in²) quad-core instead of the usual 10 mm² (0.016 in²).
