The number of LED lights that can be installed on a 15 Amp circuit depends on the wattage of the lights and the total wattage capacity of the circuit.
On a 120V supply a 15 Amp lighting circuit has a maximum wattage capacity of 1800W, with a total combined wattage of lights to not exceed that. We look at how many LED lights can be on a 20 Amp circuit to avoid issues such as flickering, dimming or even tripping of the circuit breaker due to an overload.
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The number of lights that can be installed on a single circuit requires two simple calculations.
To determine the total wattage of lights that can be accommodated, use the formula:
watts (capacity of power available) = Volts (voltage of the lighting circuit) x Amps (capacity of the circuit breaker)
For example in the USA using a 15 Amp circuit,
Total capacity = 120V*15A = 1800 Watts
Then to estimate how many LED lights can be safely installed on a single circuit, check the wattage of your bulb and use the formula:
Number of LED lights = Maximum circuit wattage / LED Watts rating
A 60W incandescent bulb equivalent in an LED bulb is often rated at 8.2W
1800W/8.2W = 219
Therefore, a 120V 15A circuit can accommodate up to 219 8.2W LED bulbs.
This formula can be applied to all light sources, including fluorescent, halogen and incandescent whose wattages will be higher resulting in a reduced number of lights compared to LED.
However, even though it is unlikely so many bulbs would be used on such a circuit, a derating of 80% is applied as good practise to ensure the combination runs within capacity.
Therefore, the number of LED bulbs is reduced to 176.
We also look at How Many Light Can Be On a 20 amp circuit and How Many Lights can be on a Switch.
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