What are the 4 types of electrical loads?

The four types of electrical loads are resistive, inductive, capacitive, and combination. Resistive loads, heaters and incandescent lights, convert current straight to heat and draw steadily. Inductive loads, motors and transformers, store energy in magnetic fields and surge at start.

Capacitive loads store energy in electric fields and mostly appear inside electronics and power-correction gear. Combination loads, which is most real equipment, mix all three behaviors.

The distinction matters for sizing: inductive starting current is why generator and breaker math cares what kind of watts you have, not just how many.

The NEC slices loads a second way, continuous versus noncontinuous, and that split drives the 125 percent factor in every calculation.

The electrical load calculator app handles both classifications when totaling a panel.