How many electrical sockets per circuit breaker can you have?
We are currently looking to remodel our kitchen.
Our house was built over 100 years ago when there was a lot less need for electrical sockets. 1920s builders would never have believed we would be running a fridge, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, TV, multiple devices and their chargers, a router.... the list goes on! They wouldn’t even know what half of those devices were.
But living in such an old house means we have a problem because we have a lot fewer electrical sockets than we need.
When you are considering major renovation work, work that requires a lot of new power points, you need to know how many electrical sockets per breaker you can have. Once you know this, you can then consider whether you need any electrical socket replacement work or even any new electrical socket installation.
So, how many sockets can you add to each circuit breaker?
What do you need the power for?
Firstly, we need to consider what we want to do with the power we have. The number of sockets we can use on one circuit breaker is subject to load and diversity.
While it wouldn't be wise to run ten washing machines or dishwashers off the same circuit, you would be OK with a TV, router and some device chargers. In the case of our kitchen, it will be a mix of some machines that will consume more power, such as a fridge, freezer and dishwasher, as well as smaller devices such as a kettle and toaster.
Once you have identified what you need the electrical sockets for, then you can decide whether you need any electrical socket replacement work or electrical socket installation.
Calculate your voltage
Secondly, as we know that the voltage level in the UK is 230 Volts ( it used to be 240 Volts), then a basic calculation will show us how many sockets we can have per circuit. You will have to divide the calculated wattage rating of the breaker by 230V.
Once we have that calculation then we can determine how many sockets we can run on the circuit.
As for many houses, we are planning for our kitchen sockets to have their own circuit breaker as there will be a number of devices that consume a lot of power. This will means we can have around 10-12 sockets on the circuit breaker.
Get a consultation
Even once you have calculated the number of sockets that you think you need, you will still need to have a consultation with a trained and certified electrician. A good electrician will determine a logical way to group your electrical power points together so that they don’t overload any one circuit breaker.
In our case, the best practice would be to put the kitchen sockets on a separate breaker from the cooker.
It's important to remember that electricity is dangerous, so we need to be careful and you should always ask a domestic electrician to carry out any work for you. At A Bathe Electrics we will be pleased to discuss any electrical work that you are considering, so feel free to contact us. We are experienced in electrical socket replacement and electrical socket installation and would be happy to provide you with a quote.
