2.

BUILDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

2.1 BRANCH CIRCUITS

An electrical circuit may be defined as a
complete conducting path carrying
current from a source of electricity to and
through some electrical device or load
and back to the source. The two wire
circuit, which is the most elementary of all
wiring systems, consists of a live wire
carrying the current to the various power
consuming devices in the circuit and a
neutral or grounded wire which is the
return wire carrying the circuit back to the
source of supply.

✓SERIES CIRCUIT

✓PARALLEL CIRCUIT
 1. Service
The supplying of utilities required or
demanded by the public
Line Drop
The decrease in voltage between
two points on a power line,
usually caused by resistance or
leakage along the line
Service Entrance Conductor
The portion of a service conductor extending
from a service drop or service lateral to the
service equipment of a building
Watt-Hour Meter
A meter for measuring and recording the
quantity of electric power consumed with
respect to time
Transformer Vault
A fire-rated room housing
a transformer and
auxiliary equipment for a
large building
Standby Generator
For providing emergency power
during a power outage.
Uninterruptible Power Supply
An emergency system designed
to provide power automatically
and instantaneously
2. Substation
An auxiliary power station
where electrical current is
converted or where voltage
is stepped up or down
3. Service Drop
The overhead portion of service
conductors extending from the
nearest utility pole to a building
Service Lateral
The underground portion of service
conductors extending from a main
power line or transformer to a
building Feeder
Switchgear Room Any of the conductors
Contains the service extending from the
equipment for a large service equipment to
building various distribution
points in a building
Service Equipment
Equipment necessary for
controlling, metering and
protecting the electric
power supply to a building
Switchboard Unit Substation
One or a group of panels on A freestanding enclosure
which are mounted switches, housing a disconnect
overcurrent devices, switch, a step-down
metering instruments and transformer and
buses switchgear

Direct burial cable may be used for
residential service connections
A transformer is used by medium-sized and large buildings to
step down from a high supply voltage to the service voltage. To
reduce costs, maintenance and noise and heat problems, a
transformer may be placed on an outdoor pad. If located within
a building, oil-filled transformers require a well-ventilated, fire-
rated vault with two exits and located on an exterior wall adjacent
to the switchgear room. Dry-type transformers used in small-
and medium-sized buildings may be replaced together with a
disconnect switch and switchgear in a unit substation
The service switch is the main disconnect for the entire
electrical system of a building, except for any emergency
power systems.
The service equipment includes a main disconnect switch and
secondary switches, fuses and circuit breakers for controlling and
protecting the electric power supply to a building. It is located in a
switchgear room near the entrance of the service conductors
The main switchboard is a panel on which are mounted switches,
overcurrent devices, metering instruments and busbars for
controlling, distributing and protecting a number of electric circuits
Service Conductors extend from a main power line or
transformer to the service equipment of a building
Service Drop
The overhead portion of service conductors extending
from the nearest utility pole to a building
Service Lateral
The underground portion of service conductors extending
from a main power line or transformer to a building
Service Entrance Conductor
The portion of a service conductor extending from a service
drop or service lateral to the service equipment of a building
Watt-Hour Meter
Measures and records the quantity of electric power
consumed with respect to time. Supplied by the public utility,
it is always placed ahead of the main disconnect switch so
that it cannot be disconnected
For multiple-occupancy buildings, banks of meters are
installed so that each unit can be metered
independently
Grounding Rod or Electrode
Is firmly embedded in the earth to establish a ground
connection
To panelboards
Branch Circuit
The portion of an electrical system extending from the final
overcurrent device protecting a circuit to the outlets served General Purpose Circuit
by the circuit A branch circuit that supplies current in a
number of outlets for lighting and
appliances

Distribution Panel Appliance Circuit

A panel for distributing A branch circuit that supplies current in one
power to other panels or to or more outlets specifically intended for
motors and other heavy appliances
power-consuming loads.
Controls, distributes and
protects a number of similar
branch circuits in an Individual Circuit
electrical system A branch circuit that supplies current only to a
single piece of electrical equipment

Low-Voltage
Of or pertaining to a circuit in which alternating current below 50 volts is supplied by
a step-down transformer form the normal line voltage used in residential systems to
control doorbells, intercoms, heating and cooling systems and remote lighting
fixtures. Low-voltage circuits do not require a protective raceway
 Fuse
A device containing a strip or
wire of fusible metal that melts
under the heat produced by
Service Switch excess current thereby
The main disconnect for the entire interrupting the circuit
electrical system of a building except for
any emergency power systems

Panel
A board on which are mounted the
switches, fuses and circuit breakers for
controlling and protecting a number of
similar branch circuits installed in a
cabinet and accessible from the front
only. Also called a panelboard. Circuit Breaker
A switch that automatically interrupts an electric circuit to
Bus prevent excess current from damaging apparatus in the
A heavy conductor, usually in the form of a solid copper circuit or from causing a fire. A circuit breaker may be
bar, used for collecting, carrying and distributing large reclosed and reused without replacement of any
electric currents. Also called a busbar components. Also called a breaker.

Grounded Conductor
Any conductor of an electrical system intentionally connected
to a ground connection

Grounding Electrode
A conductor, as a metal ground rod, ground plate Ground Wire
or cold-water pipe, firmly embedded in the earth A conductor connecting
to establish a gorund connection electric equipment or a
circuit to a ground
connection. Also called a
grounding conductor
2.3 COMPONENTS OF THE BUILDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
 CLASSIFICATIONS OF BRANCH CIRCUITS

General Purpose Branch Circuit -

GENERALLY
15, 20A
LTG A supplies outlets for lighting and
appliances, including convenience
receptacles.

Appliance Branch Circuit - supplies

15, 20, 30,
or 50A A A outlets intended for feeding appliances.
Fixed lighting is not supplied.

Individual Branch Circuit - is

SIZE REQUIRED
SINGLE ITEM
designed to supply a single specific item,
FOR ITEM FED
such as a motor load or a unit air-
conditioner.
 2.2 SINGLE PHASE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
For homes and small commercial buildings

A single phase electrical system can

SWITCH
FUSE either be 2-wire or 3-wire and composes
two hot legs and a neutral wire.

✓Two-Wire Single Phase DC or AC

110 V ✓Three-Wire Single Phase DC

(EDISON SYSTEM)

220 V

110 V ✓Three-Wire Single Phase AC

 2.2 THREE PHASE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

A B C
For industries and large commercial buildings
The Three Phase AC electricity is a Triple Circuit.
The lighting and outlet loads are connected
A between any phase leg and a neutral line. While
machineries and other bigger loads are
B A-B 220V
A-C 220V connected to the phase leg only.
C B-C 220V
MOTOR

✓Three-Wire Three Phase AC

A N B C

220V 220V 110V

220V 110V
110V

✓Four-Wire Three-Phase AC
Lightning Rod
Any of several conducting rods installed at the
top of a structure and grounded to divert
lightning away from the structure. Also called air
terminal

Lightning Arrester
A device for protecting electric equipment from
damage by lightning or other high-voltage
currents, using spark gaps to carry the current
to the ground without passing through the
device

Spark Gap
A space between two terminals or electrodes
across which a discharge of electricity may pass
at a prescribed voltage
✓SERVICE ENTRANCE– the point of
delivery of electricity to a building by a
public utility company.

✓MAIN SWITCHBOARD – The service

entrance conductors in the form of bus
bars terminates in the main switchboard
and connects to the distribution panel
boards by means of feeder circuits
protected by circuit breakers. The main
switchboard serves for the control,
protection and metering of the main
feeders.
✓FEEDER CIRCUITS – A feeder circuit
is a set of conductors which extends
from the main switchboard to a
distributing center (panel board) with no
other circuits connected to it between
the source and the distributing center.

✓SUB-FEEDER CIRCUITS – are line

extensions of a feeder, fed through a
panel board or cut-out, or from one
distributing center to another and having
no other circuit connected to it between
the two distributing centers. A sub-feeder
serves to distribute power from the main
feeders to smaller local panel boards,
called sub-panel boards.
✓BRANCH CIRCUITS – These are
small capacity conductors which deliver
energy to lamps, motors and other loads
within the circuit.

✓PANEL BOARDS AND SUB-PANEL

BOARDS (also called CUT-OUTS) – These
serve to control and protect the sub
feeders and branch circuits.

✓UTILIZATION EQUIPMENT – These

are the lighting, power and motor loads
and wiring devices which are directly
handled and utilized by users.
2.4 ILLUSTRATING THE COMPONENTS OF THE BUILDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

✓BLOCK DIAGRAM
A horizontal single line
diagram of the building’s
electrical system from the
incoming service to the
utilization items at the end
of the system where the
major electrical
components are shown as
blocks or rectangles.
 HIGH-VOLTAGE ✓SINGLE LINE
PRIMARY FEEDERS
2,400, 4,160, 7,200 DIAGRAM
OR 13,200 VOLTS
When electrical
SECONDARY SERVICE MAIN DISTRIBUTION symbols are used
FEEDERS PANELS
CONDUCTORS
RECEPTACLES
in lieu of the
TRANSFORMER
MAIN
SWITCH
LIGHTING
blocks, it is called
MOTOR
VAULT 120/208 OR BOARD
120/240 OR
PANELS a “one line” or a
SWITCHES 227/480 VOLTS LARGE LIGHTING/ “single line
TRANSFORMER
FUSES
MOTOR APPLIANCE
PANELS SMALL
diagram”.
BRANCH MOTORS &
CIRCUIT CONTROL
 ELEVATORS
PP MACHINE
MR ROOF
ROOM
LP
5A 5B 5C

✓RISER
4A 4B 4C
DIAGRAM
LEFT 3A 3B 3C
Is a vertical line
RISER CENTRAL RISER SHAFT diagram of the
2A 2B
2C
major electrical
RIGHT RISER components of
1A LP 1B 1C the buildings
LOBBY
electrical system
presented
SPARE M.C.C. showing the
MACHINE ROOM
spatial relations
between
FIRE ALARM
FA
PANEL components.
LPSE
STAIR AND EXIT
PANEL
M METERING
2.5 EMERGENCY ELECTRIC SUPPLY
SYSTEM

✓Emergency Systems – provide

electric power and illumination
essentially for life safety and
protection of property during an
emergency, such as, electricity for
exit lighting, elevators, fire alarm
systems, fire pumps and the like.

✓Standby Systems – provide power to

selected loads not directly involved
with life safety, such as, water and
sewage treatment plants and
industrial machines for manufacturing
processes.
 EMERGENCY POWER EQUIPMENT

✓Battery Equipment – Central storage

batteries are mounted in individual
racks and always provided with
automatic charging equipment.

✓Engine-Generator Sets – are

machines intended to produce
electricity and composed of three
components: the machine and its
housing (if any), fuel storage tank and
the exhaust facilities.
 GENERAL CIRCUITING GUIDELINES

20 amp 1. General: Branch circuits shall be

C3

C3

C3
sufficient to supply a load of 30
watts per square meter (3 watts per
square foot) in buildings excluding
porches, garages and basements.
DINE

2. In all but the smallest installations,

KIT

20 amp
connect lighting, convenience
receptacles, and appliances in

C1
Range
separate circuits. The Code requires a
C4

C2

minimum of 2 - 20 amperes
appliance branch circuit to feed all
Ref

small appliance outlets in the kitchen,

pantry, dining and family room.
3. Convenience receptacles in an area
shall be wired to at least two
different circuits so that in case of
failure in any one of the circuits, the
entire area will not be deprived of
power.
4. General purpose branch circuits shall
be rated at 20 amperes wired with
No. 12 AWG minimum. Switch legs
may be No. 14 AWG if the lighting
load permits.

5. Limit the circuit load for lighting and

small appliances on 15 amp and 20
amp circuit loads and on 15 and 20
amp overcurrent devices respectively.