Balancing the electrical load across the phases of a panel is essential for maintaining system efficiency, safety, and equipment longevity. When one phase carries significantly more current than the others, it creates an unbalanced load, which can lead to excessive neutral current, overheating of transformers and conductors, voltage fluctuations, and premature equipment failure. In industrial or commercial settings, unbalanced panels can also cause nuisance breaker trips, motor vibration, and wasted energy.
A well-balanced panel ensures that each phase carries roughly the same effective current, improving reliability and reducing operational costs.

Enter each connected load along with its current (in amps), the percentage of expected use or duty cycle, and assign it to Phase A, B, or C. The calculator automatically computes the effective current of each load (amps × % of use ÷ 100), displays total current per phase, and calculates the average load and percent unbalance.
The “Suggested Moves” section simulates moving one load from the heaviest phase to the lightest and identifies which transfer would most effectively reduce unbalance. Adjust and recalculate until the phase currents are as even as possible.

1. Effective Load (A) = Load Current × (% of Use ÷ 100)
    
2. Average Phase Current (A) = (Phase A + Phase B + Phase C) ÷ 3
    
3. Deviation (A) = |Phase Current − Average|
    
4. Maximum Deviation (A) = Highest Deviation among all three phases
    
5. Percent Unbalance (%) = (Maximum Deviation ÷ Average) × 100
    
6. Improvement from Load Move (%) = Current Unbalance − New Unbalance