How to Calculate the Required Power Capacity of a House and Its Formula

Nowadays, electricity has become part of our everyday life. Calculating the electrical power required by an individual home is necessary to ensure a safe and appropriate electrical installation. In addition, the ability to calculate the electrical power usage and requirement of a house also helps in planning for efficient energy usage. The following is a guide on how to calculate the electrical power of a house with the right formula. Let's take a look!

Recording Electricity Power

Every house that has been connected to the electricity supply is certainly equipped with an electricity meter (KWH Meter) and MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker) installed by the State Electricity Company or also known as Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). The function of this electricity meter is to measure the amount of electric power used each month for the basis of billing every consumer.

Meanwhile, MCB or also known as Circuit Breaker, works as a device to limit the flowing electric current and as a safety in the electrical installation system. For safety, the MCB will automatically cut off the flow of electricity in the event of an electrical disturbance such as a short circuit and also cut off the flow of electricity when the power usage exceeds the set limit.

PLN will choose the MCB Capacity according to the Electric Power limit request from the customer. This information can be seen through the Ampere number (Electric Current Unit) printed on the MCB. For example, these numbers consist of 2A, 4A, 6A, 10A, 16A, 20A, and so on. In order to convert electric current into electric power, we need to do a simple calculation using the following formula:

Formula for Calculating Electrical Power

Reporting from the Electronic Engineering page, you can use the formula below:

Electrical Power = Voltage x Current x Power Factor (Cos ?)

Or

Watt = Volt x Ampere x 0.86 (PLN Standard)

For example, if the MCB shows a value of 10A, what is the permissible limit of electrical power usage? In general, the voltage provided by PLN in Indonesia for homes and other buildings is 220V with varying electric power capacity (VA), from 450, 900, 1300, 2200 and so on.

Therefore,

Watt = 220V x 10A x 0.86

Watt = 1,892

In other words, the load allowed for a 10A MCB capacity is 1,892 Watts, then it must use a power capacity of 2200 VA in the building.

How Much Electricity is Needed for a House?

Let's say you are planning to build a new house and want to install new electricity from PLN. How much electricity capacity should be requested to PLN?

The first step you can take is to record all the electrical appliances that will be used along with the electrical power they consume. Usually, the power consumption information is already printed on the appliances. There are two types of writing commonly found on electrical equipment labels, namely in Watts or Amperes.

If you have information in Amperes, you can use a simple electrical power formula (Watt = Voltage x Nominal Ampere) to convert Amperes to Watts. When you have found the total load of electrical power needed, then the next step is to determine the required power capacity, which must be above the total load that has been calculated previously.

For example, a total electric power load of 1000 Watts, then the appropriate power capacity recommendation is 1300 VA.

Therefore, calculating your home's electrical power is a crucial step in ensuring safe and efficient electricity usage. By following the steps above and using the right formula, you can have a clear picture of how much power is required by the appliances in your home. Thus, you can maintain the stability of your electrical system and avoid potential battery problems.