What changed in dwelling load calculations between NEC 2023 and NEC 2026?
NEC 2026 moved the dwelling calculations from Article 220 to Article 120 and changed four things that show up in the numbers. On a 2,200 ft² all-electric house with a 48 A EV charger, the standard method falls from 201.2 A (NEC 2023) to 185.4 A (NEC 2026): the general lighting load drops from 3 to 2 VA per square foot and the 125% continuous-load adder (2,880 VA here) no longer applies in load calculations. The optional method moves the other way, from 119.5 A to 141.1 A, because the first tier shrinks from 10,000 to 8,000 VA and the EV charger is taken at 100% outside the tiers instead of at 40% inside them. Which edition applies is set by your jurisdiction’s adoption, not by the calendar.
Updated September 23, 2026. Numbers on this page are computed by the same engine as the calculators, under NEC 2023 and NEC 2026.
Worked example: standard method, NEC 2023 and NEC 2026 on the same house
Calculated per NEC 2026Standard method (Article 220 Part III) and Standard method (Article 120 Part III)
Inputs
| NEC edition | Calculated under both 2023 and 2026 |
|---|---|
| Floor area | 2,200 ft² plus 440 ft² attached garage |
| Small-appliance circuits | 2 |
| Laundry circuits | 1 |
| Cooking | Electric range 12 kW |
| Clothes dryer | 5,000 VA |
| Appliances fastened in place | Electric water heater 4,500 VA; Dishwasher 1,200 VA; Garbage disposal 900 VA |
| Heating | Electric resistance 8,000 VA in 4 units |
| Air conditioning | 4,200 VA |
| EV charging | EV charger, 48 A at 240 V 11,520 VA |
Result
| NEC 2023 standard | 201.2 A48,297 VA; 225 A minimum |
|---|---|
| NEC 2026 standard | 185.4 A44,493 VA; 200 A minimum |
| Change | -15.9 Alighting 7,920 VA → 5,280 VA; continuous adder 2,880 VA → 0 |
| Line item | NEC | Connected | Demand | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lighting and receptacles | 120.41 | 5,280 VA | (in subtotal) | 2,200 ft² + 440 ft² attached garage (120.41) × 2 VA/ft² |
| Small-appliance branch circuits | 120.52(A) | 3,000 VA | (in subtotal) | 2 circuits × 1500 VA |
| Laundry branch circuit | 120.52(B) | 1,500 VA | (in subtotal) | 1 circuit × 1500 VA |
| General load after demand factors | Table 120.45 | 9,780 VA | 5,373 VA | 3,000 VA at 100% = 3,000 VA; 6,780 VA at 35% = 2,373 VA |
| Appliances fastened in place | 120.53 | 6,600 VA | 6,600 VA | 3 appliances at 100% |
| Clothes dryers | 120.54 | 5,000 VA | 5,000 VA | 1 × 5,000 VA (nameplate) at 100% (Table 120.54) |
| Cooking appliances | 120.55 | 12,000 VA | 8,000 VA | Column C for 1 unit = 8 kW |
| Electric space heating | 120.60 | 8,000 VA | 8,000 VA | Larger of electric space heating 8,000 VA and cooling 4,200 VA; heating governs (120.60) |
| Air conditioning | 120.60 | 4,200 VA | 0 VA | Omitted, heating is the larger noncoincident load (120.60) |
| Motors | 120.50 / 430.24 | — | 0 VA | None |
| 25% of largest motor | 120.50 / 430.24 | — | 0 VA | No motor loads |
| EV supply equipment | 120.57 | 11,520 VA | 11,520 VA | 1 unit at nameplate, 7,200 VA where no nameplate is available (120.57) |
| Other loads | 120.14 | — | 0 VA | None |
| 0% of continuous loads | 120.5(E) | — | 0 VA | 11,520 VA continuous; no 125% adder in load calculations (120.5(E)) |
The line items shown are the 2026 run (Article 120 numbering). Two rows differ from 2023: general lighting at 2 VA/ft² (5,280 VA instead of 7,920 VA including the garage), and a zero continuous-load row where 2023 added 2,880 VA for the charger. Together they move the minimum service from 225 A to 200 A.
- Clause numbers follow the edition: 220.41 becomes 120.41, 220.57 becomes 120.57, and so on. The calculator and the printed report renumber automatically.
Optional method on the same house, both editions
Calculated per NEC 2026Optional method (220.82) and Optional method (120.82)
Inputs
| 2023 (220.82) | General load first 10,000 VA at 100%, remainder 40%; EVSE at nameplate inside the general load (220.82(B)(3)a) |
|---|---|
| 2026 (120.82) | General load first 8,000 VA at 100%, remainder 40%; EVSE outside the tiers at 100% of the 120.57 value (120.82(D)); attached garage counted in lighting (120.5(C)) |
Result
| NEC 2023 optional | 119.5 A28,688 VA; 125 A minimum |
|---|---|
| NEC 2026 optional | 141.1 A33,872 VA; 150 A minimum |
| Change | +21.6 AEVSE 11,520 VA at 40% inside the tiers → 100% outside them |
| Line item | NEC | Connected | Demand | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lighting and receptacles | 120.82(B)(1) | 5,280 VA | (in subtotal) | 2,200 ft² + 440 ft² attached garage (120.5(C)) × 2 VA/ft² |
| Small-appliance and laundry circuits | 120.82(B)(2) | 4,500 VA | (in subtotal) | 3 circuits × 1500 VA |
| Appliances fastened in place | 120.82(B)(3) | 6,600 VA | (in subtotal) | 3 at nameplate |
| Ranges, ovens and cooking units | 120.82(B)(3) | 12,000 VA | (in subtotal) | 1 at nameplate |
| Clothes dryers | 120.82(B)(3) | 5,000 VA | (in subtotal) | 1 at nameplate |
| Permanently connected motors | 120.82(B)(4) | — | (in subtotal) | None |
| Other fixed loads | 120.82(B)(3) | — | (in subtotal) | None |
| General load after demand factors | 120.82(B) | 33,380 VA | 18,152 VA | First 8,000 VA at 100%; remaining 25,380 VA at 40% = 10,152 VA |
| Electric space heating at 40% | 120.82(C)(5) | 8,000 VA | 0 VA | 40% of 8,000 VA (4 separately controlled units); omitted, cooling selection is larger |
| Air conditioning and cooling | 120.82(C)(1) | 4,200 VA | 4,200 VA | 100% of 4,200 VA; largest selection |
| EV supply equipment | 120.82(D) | 11,520 VA | 11,520 VA | 1 unit at 100% of the 120.57 value (nameplate, 7,200 VA fallback), outside the general-load demand tiers (120.82(D)) |
Under 2023 the 11,520 VA charger sat in the general load where all of it fell in the 40% tier, costing 4,608 VA. Under 2026 it is a separate line at 100%. That, plus the smaller first tier, raises the optional result by 21.6 A even though the lighting load fell.
The four changes that move the numbers
Every other rule in the dwelling calculation carried over with a new number. These are the ones that change results:
- General lighting and receptacle load: 3 VA/ft² (220.41) becomes 2 VA/ft² (120.41). On this house that is 2,640 VA less connected load before Table 120.45.
- Continuous loads: 230.42(A)(1) added 25% of continuous loads to the service calculation in 2023; 120.5(E) states the 125% factor is not applied in load calculations under 2026. Branch circuits and feeders are still sized at 125% under their own articles.
- EV supply equipment: 220.57 took the larger of 7,200 VA or nameplate; 120.57 takes nameplate when it exists, with 7,200 VA only as a fallback. Small chargers count for less.
- Optional method: 120.82(B) starts the 40% tier at 8,000 VA instead of 10,000, counts the attached garage in the lighting load, and 120.82(D) pulls EVSE out of the general load at 100%.
Which edition to calculate under
The edition is whichever your authority having jurisdiction has adopted, often with amendments and often a cycle or two behind the current book. Calculating under the wrong one is a plan-review rejection either way, so the calculator carries an edition on every calculation, defaults to the one set in your account, and prints "Calculated per NEC 2023" or "Calculated per NEC 2026" on every page of the report.
Both editions in the calculator were verified against their code text and Annex D examples; the methodology page lists every clause and its verification status per edition.
What did not change
Table 220.45 demand factors for general lighting, 220.53 for fastened-in-place appliances, Table 220.54 for dryers, Table 220.55 and its notes for cooking, 220.60 for noncoincident heating and cooling, and 430.24 for motors all carry into Article 120 with the same values. The neutral calculation (220.61 → 120.61) is likewise unchanged in substance.
Frequently asked questions
- Did the standard method get easier and the optional method harder?
- On houses with an EV charger, broadly yes. Here the standard method dropped 15.9 A and the optional method rose 21.6 A. On a house without EVSE the optional method changes only through the 8,000 VA first tier and the lighting load, and can move either way.
- Do I still size the EV branch circuit at 125%?
- Yes. 625.41 and 210.20 still require the branch circuit and its overcurrent device to be rated for 125% of the continuous load. 120.5(E) only removes the adder from the load calculation for the feeder or service.
- Does 2 VA/ft² apply to the existing-dwelling method too?
- Yes; 120.83 uses the 120.41 lighting load. It also replaces the 2023 method’s two paths (A) and (B) with a single set of tiers that puts added EVSE at 80% and added central electric heating at 80%.
- Can I run both editions on one saved calculation?
- Yes. The edition selector on the Pro load calculator recalculates the same inputs under either edition, and the report states which one it was issued under.
Related questions
- How much does an EV charger add to a load calculation, by charger amps?Standard-method results for one 2,000 ft² house with a 16, 24, 32, 40, 48 and 80 A EV charger under NEC 2023 (220.57 floor plus the 125% continuous adder) and NEC 2026 (120.57 nameplate, no adder).
- What does a 200 A service load calculation look like, line by line?A complete NEC 2023 Article 220 standard-method calculation for a 2,400 ft² all-electric house with a heat pump and well pump, every line item with its clause, plus the 220.82 optional method on the same house.
More for electricians: NEC 2023 load calculations you can hand to an inspector · all answers