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.

What is the Electrical Panel Load Audit Tool?

Audit a panel circuit by circuit: enter breaker size, connected load, wire gauge, and circuit type. The tool flags loads over 80% of breaker rating, conductors with ampacity below the breaker, and circuits missing required AFCI or GFCI protection under NEC 2023. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Electrical Panel Load Audit Tool

Name: Electrical Panel Load Audit Tool
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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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.

Worked examples

Example 1 — overloaded kitchen circuit. A 20A breaker feeds a kitchen counter circuit with 12 AWG copper (conductor check: 25A ampacity vs 20A breaker — passes). The circuit serves a microwave and a coffee machine drawing a combined 18A continuously. The 80% threshold is 20A × 0.80 = 16A, so 18A exceeds it and the circuit is flagged overloaded. A second 20A circuit would resolve the overload.

Example 2 — conductor undersized. A homeowner installed a 30A breaker on a spare breaker slot and wired it with 12 AWG copper. The NEC 310.16 75°C column gives 12 AWG a protected ampacity of 20A at 75°C, which is below the 30A breaker. The tool flags a conductor fault. The fix is either to replace the wire with 10 AWG (35A capacity) or to swap the breaker for a 20A.

Example 3 — missing AFCI in a bedroom. A 15A breaker, 14 AWG wire, 8A load — all within limits. But the circuit is marked as a bedroom circuit and no AFCI protection is recorded. NEC 210.12 requires AFCI in sleeping rooms, so the tool flags the missing protection. A dual-function AFCI/GFCI breaker resolves both AFCI and any GFCI requirement at once.

Ampacity quick reference (NEC 310.16, copper, 75°C column)

Wire gauge	Conductor ampacity	Maximum breaker
14 AWG	20 A	15 A
12 AWG	25 A	20 A
10 AWG	35 A	30 A
8 AWG	50 A	50 A
6 AWG	65 A	60 A
4 AWG	85 A	80 A

What the tool does not cover

The audit uses base table values only. Real installations may require derating for ambient temperature above 30°C (NEC 310.15(B)(1)), conduit fill with more than three current-carrying conductors (NEC 310.15(C)), and terminal temperature ratings. Dedicated appliance circuits and motor circuits follow separate sizing rules. Treat the flags as a starting-point screening list, not a substitute for a full load calculation by a licensed electrician working to the adopted local code edition.