So if I stick to 14KW I don't need a new fuse

[JohnW2]

However the system is designed to supply your maximum, what is it when you jump into your 10kW power shower?

'The system' is designed to supply 'the average maximum', over an appreciable period of time and over an appreciable number of installations. As I've said, there is no way that 'the system' could cope with every installation drawing its 'maximum' simultaneously and for an appreciably period of time - and that's as true for the entire National Grid as it is for the local LV network supplied by one transformer/substation.

However, experience has shown that, in practice as well as theory, this averaging does 'work' - were that not the case, fuses/breakers in substations would be blowing/tripping all the time, yet such is a pretty (probably very) rare occurrence.

Kind Regards, John

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[JohnW2]

I agree and it is fairly easy to work out a personal average current value. Most people know roughly how many Kwh they use per year. From that annual consumption an actual average current can easily be calculated. Last time I bothered to check, mine averaged out from memory at less than 2amps.

Yes, it's child's play to determine the average consumption of an individual installation over a long period of time (year, month, week or whatever), but that is not what is of interest/relevance to the issue being discussed.

What matters to the network is the 'After Diversity (aka 'average') maximum demand" across an appreciable number of installations, which will almost always be appreciably greater than the average demand (over long periods) of an individual installation.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Yes, it's child's play to determine the average consumption of an individual installation over a long period of time (year, month, week or whatever), but that is not what is of interest/relevance to the issue being discussed.

What matters to the network is the 'After Diversity (aka 'average') maximum demand" across an appreciable number of installations, which will almost always be appreciably greater than the average demand (over long periods) of an individual installation.

Kind Regards, John

Of course, thank you - that was the point I was trying to get across..

 

[JohnW2]

Of course, thank you - that was the point I was trying to get across..

Oh, fair enough. I must say that I hadn't realised that was your point.

As I wrote to Steven last night, the 'proof of the pudding' (that all of this 'averaging' actually works in practice) is that substation fuses/breakers very rarely operate and the LV network cables very rarely melt - despite the 'worst case' theoretical scenarios that one might postulate!

Kind Regards, John