When it comes to electricity and using certain electrical appliances for your home or office, you will want to make sure that you know how much electricity you are consuming, as well as the limits to how many outlets you can plug into certain circuit breakers.
Not only will this help save up on energy bills, but you will also be able to avoid any electrical injuries or accidents. One of the questions you might be wondering would be: How many outlets on a 15 amp circuit?
It might be difficult to understand, especially if you’re not knowledgeable with the terms.To help you out, we answer the question and explain it in layman’s terms.
What Are Amperes and Circuits?
You might be wondering about these two terms, as many are only familiar with watts and voltage when talking of electricity!
A circuit breaker box is home to a number of circuits, which is protected by a breaker. There are different types of circuit breakers, all depending on the amount of power it holds. You can find circuit breaker boxes that can carry as much as 50 amperes. Amperes are used to measure electrical currents.
These circuit breakers help produce the electricity needed for certain appliances. If you use too many appliances or energy on a certain circuit breaker, then it will trip, as a way to protect the circuit breaker before any more damage happens.
It’s recommended for a circuit breaker to NOT use over 80% more of what it could handle. This is why you will need to know how to group your appliances and connect it to the right circuit breaker.
How Many Outlets on a 15-Amp Circuit?
There is no specific number of outlets you can add into circuit breakers. What you should look after is the amount of power or watts it holds. Like mentioned, if it uses up TOO much power, then the circuit breaker will either become damaged or turn off to protect it from accidents.
A 15-amp circuit breaker is commonly used for appliances that use up small amounts of electricity, such as lights or alarm clocks. And since it’s recommended to use only about 80% or less of that 15-amp power, you would only want to spend 12 amps to avoid the circuit breaker from malfunctioning.
To know how many watts you can use on a 15-amp circuit, multiply the standard voltage (120) by the number of amps (12). That equals to 1,800 watts. So while you can use any amount of outlets on a 15-amp circuit, these outlets should NOT exceed over 1,800 watts.
To give you an idea on what you CAN use on a 15-amp circuit breaker, here are some appliances with the amount of watts they use up:
- Lights would use up 3 to 40 watts, depending on the brightness and lightbulb you choose.
- Lamps or Christmas lights use up to 60 watts.
- A blowdryer can use 300 to 1,200 watts of power.
- A coffee pot may need 800 watts.
- Kitchen appliances such as refrigerators or microwaves use up to 700 watts per appliance.
- Other bigger appliances, such as air conditioners, can go over 1,800 watts, needing a different circuit breaker.
We recommend that you use only one outlet on a 15-amp circuit breaker, or to spread it out on various circuit breakers, to make sure that the right amount of electricity is being used.
You’ll avoid blackouts and the hassle of fixing and restarting your circuit breaker right after!
But on top of this, it’s also important to work with an electricity provider to help you determine the amount of electricity your home or office requires. Generally speaking, electricity bills are going up for all consumers across the country. Consumers in areas where electricity is deregulated, like Texas, have the power to choose their electricity provider. That means they can shop for the cheapest electricity prices for their family.
In Conclusion
Electricity is not a joke. You will need to make sure that you are using the right amount of outlets or energy on circuit breakers to avoid any shortage or accidents! With that being said, learning the amperes on your circuit breaker, as well as the watts your appliances need, will help keep your home or office safe and running well.
Hopefully, this article answers your question: How many outlets on a 15-Amp Circuit? Now that you are aware of what amperes and circuits are, you can now confidently plug in your outlets without worry of wasting energy!
We hope you enjoyed the article. If you have any more follow up questions, then don’t hesitate to comment down below. We would love to hear what you have in mind.
