Hi All,
Reviewing the latest document, Section 536.4.202 has raised a lot of concern in terms of the practical implications on projects. My understanding is that if diversity is heavily restricted or not allowed, it means switchgear will need to become significantly larger, or multiple panels will be required to achieve compliance.
I am keen to understand the wider IET community's view on this. Does this rigid calculation apply strictly to all downstream distribution boards? Can compliance be achieved if only the main building panel is sized without diversity, while the downstream DBs include diversity factors?
For example: If I have a 100A distribution board, would this requirement mean I can only supply 10No. lighting circuits of 10A each? Or would a standard configuration such as 2No. 32A socket circuits and 1No. 40A cooker/oven circuit fail to meet this requirement because the sum of the breakers (104A) exceeds the panel rating (100A), even though the actual simultaneous demand is far lower?
This approach could result in vastly oversized breakers, cables, and panels, which is causing quite a bit of confusion during design stages.
Any insights or experiences on how you are handling this would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Gabriela
