The bus or feeder is tapped as needed and a conductor is run to an electric closet, which serves a zone or floor of a building. The bus or feeder is a heavy gauge conductor that is capable of carrying high amperage current throughout a building safely and efficiently. We are keeping this article simple by sharing the basic concepts. The role of the switchgear is to distribute electricity safely and efficiently to the various electrical closets throughout the building. This transformer can be mounted on a pad outside the building or in a transformer room inside the building. In this case, the owner will provide and maintain their own step-down transformer, which lowers the voltage to a more usable level (in the US, 480277 volts). Large building owners will also purchase electricity at high voltages (in the US, 13.8kV) because it comes at a cheaper rate. The panel board will have a main service breaker and a series of circuit breakers, which control the flow of power to various circuits in the building.Įach branch circuit will serve a device (some appliances require heavy loads) or a number of devices like convenience outlets or lights. In small commercial buildings, the panel may be located in a utility closet. Wires transfer the electricity from the meter to a panel board, which is generally located in the basement or garage of a house. The transformer reduces the voltage from 13.8kV down to 120240 or 120208 volts and then passes the electricity to a meter, which is owned by the utility and keeps a record of power consumption. The utility will own the transformer, which will sit on a pad outside the building or will be attached to a utility pole. In the United States, power companies provide electricity to medium or large buildings at 13,800 volts (13.8kV).įor small commercial buildings or residential customers, power companies lower the voltage with a transformer on a power pole or mounted on the ground.įrom there, the electricity is fed through a meter and into the building. The system components vary depending on the size of the building so we will address systems for small and large buildings.
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