Diversity

Diversity is an allowance used in electrical load assessment when not every connected load is expected to run at its full rated current at the same time. In home energy paperwork it can affect maximum-demand calculations for a property with existing loads plus equipment such as an EV chargepoint, heat pump, battery charger or solar PV inverter. IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) guidance describes diversity methods in the On-Site Guide and Guidance Note 1, while the ENA EV chargepoint and heat-pump connection form still requires a load survey for maximum demand that includes existing loads, new equipment and any import or load-limiting device. Diversity is not a general discount applied to every load: some circuits or equipment may need little or no diversity, and load curtailment or a DNO import-limitation scheme is a separate controlled way to keep demand within an available supply.