Good morning, Cary! Congratulations on passing the NEC and State portions! That's a significant accomplishment. I know those calculation questions can be tricky.Regarding "Ignore house loads," it means you should not include the typical electrical loads of the dwelling unit in your calculations. This usually applies to questions focused on sizing the service or feeder conductors solely for a specific piece of equipment, such as a large AC unit, a welder, or an EV charger.Here's a breakdown: What it means

The question is specifically asking you to determine the conductor size or overcurrent protection based only on the equipment mentioned in the problem. The problem doesn't want you to consider lights, receptacles, small appliance circuits, etc., which would normally be included when calculating a service or feeder for the entire house.

Why they include it

It's included to simplify the problem and focus on your understanding of a particular aspect of the NEC, like motor calculations or demand factors for specific loads. They want to test if you can correctly apply the rules related directly to that piece of equipment, without getting bogged down in calculating the entire house's load.

Example

A question asks you to determine the feeder conductor size for a 50A EV charger, and it states, "Ignore house loads." You would only use Article 625 to calculate the necessary ampacity for the feeder conductors supplying the EV charger. You would not need to calculate the general lighting load, small appliance loads, etc., of the house.

Important Considerations



Always read the question CAREFULLY! The wording is crucial. If it doesn't say "ignore house loads," assume you do need to include them, or any relevant portions to complete the problem.. Article 220 still applies (where relevant)

Even if you're ignoring the general house loads, remember that specific requirements in Article 220 might still apply to the load you are calculating. For example, if the problem involves multiple motors, you might need to apply the provisions of Article 430 to determine the maximum motor load before you ignore house loads.

Demand Factors: The phrase "Ignore house loads" does not mean to ignore any demand factors for the load being calculated.In summary, "Ignore house loads" is an instruction to only* focus on the load explicitly mentioned in the problem. It’s a way to isolate a specific calculation scenario.Good luck with your future studies and any retakes you might consider! You've already made great progress! Flag for review