Lately, inspectors from a third-party inspection company have
been asking me about determining the number of circuits required
for outlets installed in dwelling units. The supervisor wanted
to know what method his inspectors could use to get a general
idea of the number of circuits necessary to supply these
outlets. The lack of a unified method was creating a problem
because each inspector had his or her own way of doing things,
and there was no consistent procedure. Arguments among his
inspectors, contractors and electricians (wiremen) were holding
up construction jobs. When I was chief electrical inspector, we
divided the circuits into three types: 1 General lighting and
receptacle outlets (general purpose circuits) 2 Small-appliance
circuits 3 Special appliance circuits (individual circuits)
General lighting and receptacle outlets The general lighting and
receptacle outlets can be determined and inspected by
multiplying the square footage of the dwelling unit by 3 volt-
amperes (VA) per square foot as liste