The minimum demand for an electric clothes dryer in a residential load calculation is 5,000 watts.

Code basis

  • The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires that the load for a household electric clothes dryer in a dwelling unit be taken as 5,000 watts (volt-amperes) or the nameplate rating, whichever is greater , for calculation purposes.
  • In exam-style questions and training materials on residential load calculations, the correct multiple‑choice answer to “The minimum demand for an electric clothes dryer in a residential load calculation is ___ watts” is consistently given as 5,000 watts.

Quick forum-style note

In practical design and test prep discussions, electricians treat each standard electric dryer as a 5 kW load minimum when doing service, feeder, or branch‑circuit load calculations for dwellings, unless the nameplate is higher.

Answer to fill‑in:
The minimum demand for an electric clothes dryer in a residential load calculation is 5,000 watts.

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