Connected load
Definition. Connected load is the sum of the rated power of every electrical device wired into a premises, whether or not they ever run at the same time, and it is the figure a DISCO survey records at connection.
Also called: Total connected load · Installed load
Where you see it: In the account header block, usually in kW beside the tariff code.
How the survey adds it up
The surveyor counts points and applies standard ratings — so many lighting points, so many fan points, so many power sockets — and adds nameplate ratings for fixed equipment such as an air conditioner or a pump.
Nothing about diversity is considered at this stage. Every bulb in the house is counted as though all of them might be on together.
Connected load versus what you draw
Real households never draw their connected load. The ratio between the peak you actually reach and the connected load is the diversity factor, and for a Pakistani home it is typically well under half.
That is not an error; it is the point. Connected load is a sizing input for the service cable and the sanctioned load decision, not a prediction of consumption.
When it matters
It matters when it is out of date. A premises surveyed twenty years ago with two fans and four bulbs now runs two air conditioners, and the recorded connected load no longer reflects the installation.
That mismatch is a live risk during an inspection, and it is also the basis on which a detection assessment can be calculated if a meter is found defective.
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher connected load mean a higher bill?
Not on an ordinary domestic energy-only tariff, where you pay for units. It does matter where fixed or demand charges are levied per kilowatt of sanctioned load.
Should I declare a new air conditioner to my DISCO?
If it takes your installation materially beyond the sanctioned load, yes — an extension of load application is the correct route and it protects you if the connection is later inspected.
Related terms
- Sanctioned load — The difference between connected and sanctioned load, what happens when you exceed the sanctioned figure, and how to apply to change it in either direction.
- Load factor — How to calculate load factor from your own bill, what a good figure looks like, and why improving it lowers demand-based charges without reducing consumption.
- kVA versus kW — Why generators and UPS units are rated in kVA but appliances in watts, and how to size equipment correctly for a Pakistani installation.
- Tariff code — Decoding A-1, A-1a, A-2, B-1, C-1 and D-1 on a Pakistani electricity bill, and what happens when your connection sits in the wrong category.
Go further
Back to the full 44-term glossary, or open your own bill with the reference number lookup.