Critical loads panel planner
Pick which circuits go on backup power. Watts are typical values for each type of appliance, not measurements: edit any value to match your labels and breaker panel. We add the running watts of the ticked circuits, then add only the single biggest start-up surge, and compare with your source.
How this is worked out
- Running total: sum of ticked circuits at running watts (no duty-cycle discount, which rounds up).
- Start-up: running total plus the largest single (start minus running); motors rarely start in the same instant, so start them one at a time, biggest first.
- Amps: watts divided by 120 V or 240 V per circuit. A 120 V-only source cannot serve 240 V circuits, so those are flagged and left out.
- Breaker sizes for the presets are common defaults, not read from your panel. Change them to match.