Connected Load & Electrical Rough-In for Commercial Kitchen Equipment
The short answer: "Connected load" is the electrical demand each piece of equipment places on the system, expressed in VA (volt-amperes) or watts, and it's the number the electrical engineer uses to size circuits, panels, and the building service. On an equipment schedule each powered item lists voltage, phase (single or three-phase), amperage, wattage, and connected load (VA) — and because these vary by the actual model purchased, voltage and phase are commonly flagged "verify" until the equipment is confirmed. Three-phase equipment (large mixers, some ovens, rack ovens) must be identified because it needs three-phase power and different circuiting than single-phase. Getting connected loads right — and confirmed — is what lets the engineer size service correctly; an unconfirmed or missing load is a coordination failure that surfaces in review or, worse, in the field.
What connected load means
Connected load is the power the equipment draws when operating, used to size the electrical infrastructure. It's typically given in VA (volts × amps) or watts. The engineer aggregates connected loads (with demand factors) to size circuits, feeders, panels, and the service.
Voltage and phase — why "verify"
Voltage (120, 208, 240, 480) and phase (single vs. three-phase) depend on the specific model and the building's available supply. The same equipment category can come in different voltage/phase configurations.
This is why schedules mark these "verify" — roughing-in to an assumed voltage/phase that turns out wrong means re-wiring. Confirm against the purchased model's spec sheet.
Three-phase equipment
Larger equipment — commercial mixers, rack ovens, some dishwashers and HVAC — is often three-phase. It must be identified on the schedule because it requires three-phase service and different circuit design. A three-phase item miscoded as single-phase is a real rough-in error.
How the engineer uses the schedule
The electrical engineer reads the schedule's connected loads to lay out circuits, size panels, and size the service. Incomplete loads mean guesses or change orders. This is why "equipment on the plan with no connected load on the schedule" is a recurring review comment. Hood exhaust fans and makeup-air units also contribute to connected load and must be accounted for.
Common review comments
Powered equipment with no connected load listed.
Voltage/phase stated as final when it should be verified per model.
Three-phase equipment not identified as such.
Service/panel sizing that doesn't reconcile with the schedule's loads.
The equipment schedule captures volts, phase, amps, watts, and VA per item — our tool does the same.
General electrical-coordination guidance under the model codes; the adopted electrical code (NEC/local) and the equipment's confirmed specs govern. Verify against your codes of record.