What is the 80 percent rule the tool applies?

NEC 210.20(A) requires a branch circuit serving a continuous load be rated at no less than 125% of that load. The practical inverse is that continuous load should not exceed 80% of the breaker rating. The tool flags any circuit whose connected load is above 80% of its breaker.

Why does conductor ampacity matter against the breaker?

The overcurrent device must protect the conductor. If a 12 AWG wire rated for 20A is on a 30A breaker, the breaker will not trip before the wire overheats. The tool uses the NEC 310.16 75C ampacity table and flags any conductor rated below its breaker.

Which circuits need AFCI under NEC 2023?

NEC 210.12 requires AFCI protection on 120V, 15A and 20A branch circuits serving most habitable dwelling areas: bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, laundry, hallways, and similar. The tool flags those circuit types when AFCI is not marked present.

Which circuits need GFCI under NEC 2023?

NEC 210.8 requires GFCI on receptacles in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, basements, laundry, and within six feet of sinks. The 2023 cycle also expanded GFCI to many 240V appliance circuits. The tool flags wet and outdoor circuit types lacking GFCI.

Does this replace a licensed inspection?

No. It is a fast screening aid to catch the common faults before a formal inspection. Final load calculations, derating for ambient and bundling, and code interpretation must be confirmed by a licensed electrician against the adopted local code.

Electrical Panel Load Audit Tool

A panel audit catches the faults that cause nuisance trips, overheating, and failed inspections: circuits loaded past their safe limit, breakers larger than the wire they protect, and missing arc-fault or ground-fault protection. This tool screens each circuit against the three rules at once.

How it works

Each circuit is checked against three independent rules:

overload    : connected load > 0.80 × breaker amps        → FAIL
conductor   : wire ampacity (NEC 310.16 75C) < breaker     → FAIL
AFCI        : circuit type requires AFCI and none present   → FAIL
GFCI        : circuit type requires GFCI and none present   → FAIL

Conductor ampacity uses the NEC 310.16 75°C copper column: 14 AWG = 20A (15A breaker max), 12 AWG = 25A (20A max), 10 AWG = 35A (30A max), 8 AWG = 50A, 6 AWG = 65A, 4 AWG = 85A, 3 AWG = 100A, 2 AWG = 115A, 1 AWG = 130A. The breaker must not exceed the conductor’s protected rating.

Example and tips

A 20A breaker feeding a kitchen circuit with a 14A connected load and 12 AWG copper passes the conductor check but fails the 80% rule (14A > 16A limit is false, so it passes) — adjust the load to 17A and it flags as overloaded. A kitchen circuit with no AFCI marked is flagged regardless of load. Always derate conductor ampacity for high ambient temperature and conduit fill before relying on the table values; this tool uses the base 75°C figures.