📋 Panel Schedule

Electrical Load Schedule

Build a circuit-by-circuit load schedule for an HVAC panel, with connected load, breaker assignment, and a phase balance check for every circuit.

📋 Project Info (optional, appears on printed report)

Project / Client

Address

Prepared By

🏠 Panel Configuration

Main Breaker Size

Panel Voltage

⚡ Circuits

📋 Load Schedule Results

⚖ Phase Balance

Add circuits and calculate

Per-Phase Breakdown

Full Circuit Schedule

Circuit	Phase	Breaker	Load (VA)

Export:

How to Use the Electrical Load Schedule

Select Panel Configuration and Main Breaker

Choose single-phase or three-phase, and enter the panel's main breaker size to check total capacity against connected load.

Add Every Circuit

Enter a description, phase assignment, breaker size, and connected load in VA for each circuit in the panel.

Build the Schedule

The tool totals connected load per phase, checks phase balance, and confirms the main breaker has enough capacity for the total load.

Building a Load Schedule for an HVAC Panel

A load schedule lays out every circuit in a panel, what breaker protects it, which phase it's connected to, and how much load it carries. It's the working document that turns a panel full of breakers into something an electrician, inspector, or future technician can actually understand at a glance, and it's the foundation for checking both panel capacity and phase balance.

Why Phase Balance Matters

On a three-phase panel, or even a single-phase split-phase panel with two legs, circuits should be spread across the phases as evenly as practical. An unbalanced panel, where one phase carries significantly more load than the others, can push that one phase conductor and its share of the neutral closer to its limit while the other phases sit comfortably under capacity. This calculator flags imbalance above 20%, a common rule of thumb threshold, so you can rearrange circuits before the panel is finalized rather than after.

What a Load Schedule Doesn't Do

This tool totals connected load and checks phase balance, but it doesn't apply demand factors to turn that connected load into a calculated demand load. Connected load is simply the sum of everything's nameplate rating, while demand load accounts for the reality that not everything runs at full capacity simultaneously. For sizing the actual service or feeder, use the demand factor calculator or electrical load calculation tool alongside this schedule.

Checking Main Breaker Capacity

The total connected load across all circuits, converted to amperage, should stay comfortably under the main breaker's rating, accounting for the fact that connected load is always higher than actual demand load. This calculator shows the raw connected load amperage against the main breaker size as a sanity check, not as a replacement for a proper demand calculation, since most panels can have a connected load well above their main breaker rating and still operate correctly under real demand factors.

Practical Tips for Building the Schedule

Number circuits in the order they actually appear in the panel, not just the order you think of them, so the schedule matches the physical panel directly. Include spare and spaced-out circuits as zero-load entries if you want the schedule to fully represent the panel layout. For HVAC-heavy panels, group circuits like compressor, condenser fan, and indoor blower under clear descriptions so anyone reading the schedule later can immediately tell which circuits belong to which piece of equipment.

Next Steps

Once the schedule is built, run the totals through the demand factor calculator for an actual service sizing figure, and check the service entrance calculator if you're adding new circuits to an existing panel.

Frequently Asked Questions

An unbalanced panel, where one phase carries significantly more load than the others, can overload that one phase's conductor and neutral while the other phases sit well under capacity. Balancing circuits evenly across phases when building the schedule keeps each phase conductor working within a similar percentage of its capacity and reduces unnecessary neutral current on three-phase systems.

No. A load schedule organizes which circuits exist, what breaker protects each one, and how the connected load splits across phases, but it doesn't apply demand factors to find the calculated load used for service sizing. Use the demand factor calculator or electrical load calculation tool alongside this schedule to get the actual demand load for service and feeder sizing purposes.

There's no single universal hard limit written into most electrical codes, but a common rule of thumb in the trade treats imbalance above roughly 20% between the highest and lowest loaded phases as worth addressing before finalizing a panel layout. Severe imbalance is more of a design quality and equipment longevity issue than a strict code violation in most cases, though some utilities and specifications do set their own balance requirements.

Including spare and unused circuit positions as zero-load entries helps the schedule fully represent the physical panel, which makes it easier for anyone reading it later to see exactly how many spaces are still available for future equipment. This is optional, but it's good practice on panels where future capacity planning matters.