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2BHK wiring plan: points, circuits and DB ways, room by room

Before the electrician cuts a single chase, list every point room by room, group the points into circuits by the CPWD rules and count the ways your distribution board needs. A typical 2BHK comes to 10 circuits and a 12-way board.

By Bulan Sarkar · Updated

Quick Answer

Write down every light, fan and socket, room by room. Group lights and fans into circuits of at most 10 points and 800 W. Put sockets on power circuits of two 16 A, three 6 A, or one 16 A with two 6 A. Give the AC and each geyser a circuit of its own, because anything over 1 kW gets its own MCB. These are the CPWD General Specifications for Electrical Works (2013), cl. 3.10. Count the circuits and add spare ways for the board. The 2BHK below has 19 light and fan points, 13 sockets, one AC and two geysers: 10 circuits on a 12-way board.

Source: CPWD General Specifications for Electrical Works, Part I (Internal), 2013, checked Oct 2026.

10 / 800 Wmost points and watts on one lighting circuit
2 × 16 Amost 16 A sockets on one home power circuit
> 1 kWgets its own MCB (AC, geyser, induction)
1.5 / 4 sq mmminimum copper wire for light and power circuits

Step 1: list every point, room by room

A point is anything the wiring ends at: a light, a ceiling fan, a socket, or the outlet for an AC or a geyser. Walk the plan with a pencil and write down each one. Think about where the bed, sofa, TV, fridge, washing machine and mixer will go. A socket you forget now ends up as an extension board on the floor later.

Points in the example 2BHK
RoomLightsFans6 A sockets16 A socketsOwn circuit
Living and dining3230
Passage and balcony1010
Kitchen2112 (fridge, mixer)
Utility0001 (washing machine)
Bedroom 13130AC
Bedroom 23120
Bathroom 11000Geyser
Bathroom 21000Geyser
Total1451033

CPWD cl. 3.11 has two placement rules worth copying. Kitchen sockets go 23 cm above the counter and away from the stove and the sink. In a bathroom there is no socket for portable appliances at all. A geyser gets an MCB or switch mounted above 2 m and at least 1 m from the shower.

32 points, room by roomLiving and dining 8 points. Bedroom 1 7. Kitchen 6. Bedroom 2 6. Passage and balcony 2. Utility 1. Bathroom 1 1. Bathroom 2 1.Living and dining8 pointsBedroom 17 pointsKitchen6 pointsBedroom 26 pointsPassage and balcony2 pointsUtility1 pointBathroom 11 pointBathroom 21 point
32 points, room by room. Lights, fans and sockets from the table above. The AC and the two geysers have circuits of their own, so they aren't counted here.

Step 2: group the points into circuits

CPWD cl. 3.10 sets how much one circuit may carry, and cl. 3.9 sets the watts to assume for each point when you don't know the real load:

  • A lighting circuit feeds lights, fans and the bell. Each takes at most 10 points or 800 W, whichever limit comes first. A ceiling fan counts as 60 W.
  • A power circuit in a home takes two 16 A sockets, three 6 A sockets, or one 16 A with two 6 A. A 6 A socket counts as 100 W and a 16 A socket as 1,000 W.
  • Anything over 1 kW gets its own suitably rated MCB, with the cable sized by calculation. That covers the AC, each geyser and an induction hob.

Group by room where you can, so one tripped MCB darkens one part of the flat and not all of it. Keep the lighting and power wiring in separate conduits: cl. 3.3.2 (vi) asks for that from the board onwards.

Where the 10.04 kW goes in the example 2BHKGeysers 4,000 W, 39.8%. 16 A sockets 3,000 W, 29.9%. AC 1,600 W, 15.9%. 6 A sockets 1,000 W, 10%. Lights and fans 440 W, 4.4%.39.8%29.9%15.9%Geysers, 2 × 2,000 W 39.8%16 A sockets, 3 × 1,000 W 29.9%AC, 1,600 W from the nameplate 15.9%6 A sockets, 10 × 100 W 10%Lights and fans, 440 W 4.4%
Where the 10.04 kW goes in the example 2BHK. Connected load by type, using the CPWD design watts (cl. 3.9) plus the AC and geyser nameplates. Lights and fans are a small part of it; the geysers and the 16 A sockets make up most of the load.

Step 3: count the MCBs, the board ways and the wire

Each circuit gets one MCB, so the number of circuits is the number of outgoing ways you need. CPWD cl. 3.3.2 (ix) asks for "reasonable spare outgoing ways for future expansion" without a number. We add two, so 10 circuits means a 12-way board. Count a double-pole MCB for the AC or geyser as two ways if that is how your board is laid out.

The minimum copper wire is set by cl. 3.12: 1.5 sq mm for light wiring and 4 sq mm for power wiring, with circuits above 1 kW sized by calculation. Only copper is used for circuit and point wiring. The MCB on each circuit is the next standard rating at or above the circuit's current, from the IS/IEC 60898-1 list: 6, 10, 16, 20, 25, 32 A and up.

The 10 circuits of the example 2BHK
#CircuitWhat is on itLoadMCBWire
L1LightingLiving, dining, passage, kitchen: 6 lights + 3 fans (9 points)240 W6 A1.5 sq mm
L2LightingBoth bedrooms, both bathrooms: 8 lights + 2 fans (10 points)200 W6 A1.5 sq mm
P1PowerKitchen: fridge + mixer, 2 × 16 A2,000 W16 A4 sq mm
P2PowerWashing machine 16 A + kitchen 6 A + passage 6 A1,200 W16 A4 sq mm
P3PowerLiving and dining, 3 × 6 A300 W6 A4 sq mm
P4PowerBedroom 1, 3 × 6 A300 W6 A4 sq mm
P5PowerBedroom 2, 2 × 6 A200 W6 A4 sq mm
A1ACBedroom 1 AC, 7.5 A on the nameplate1,600 W10 A4 sq mm
G1GeyserBathroom 1, 2,000 W2,000 W10 A4 sq mm
G2GeyserBathroom 2, 2,000 W2,000 W10 A4 sq mm

The electrical load calculator does this grouping for you and prints the same table. Enter the counts from your points list and it returns the circuits, each MCB, the wire and the board size.

From floor plan to board, in order1 list every point room by room; 2 group lights and fans into circuits of 10 points or 800 W; 3 group sockets two 16 A or three 6 A or one 16 A plus two 6 A; 4 give each load over 1 kW its own circuit; 5 pick each MCB and wire size; 6 count circuits and add spare ways for the board.1List every point, room by roomLights, fans, 6 A and 16 A sockets, AC, geysers2Lighting circuits: 10 points or 800 W eachWhichever limit comes first (cl. 3.10 i)3Power circuits: 2 × 16 A, 3 × 6 A, or 16 A + 2 × 6AResidential buildings (cl. 3.10 iii)4Each load over 1 kW on its own circuitAC, geyser, induction (cl. 3.10 iv)5MCB and wire for each circuitMin. 1.5 sq mm light, 4 sq mm power (cl. 3.12)6Count circuits, add spare waysWe add 2 (cl. 3.3.2 ix asks for spares)
From floor plan to board, in order. The order we'd follow before any wall is chased. CPWD GS Electrical 2013 cl. 3.3.2, 3.9, 3.10 and 3.12.

Worked examples

1. The 2BHK above: from 32 points to 10 circuits

  • Lights and fans: 14 × 10 W + 5 × 60 W = 440 W on 19 points
  • 19 points need 2 lighting circuits (10 points each at most); 440 W is far under 2 × 800 W
  • Sockets: 3 × 16 A and 10 × 6 A. One circuit of 2 × 16 A, one of 16 A + 2 × 6 A, then 8 × 6 A in threes = 3 more: 5 power circuits
  • AC 7.5 A and two 2,000 W geysers (8.7 A each): 3 circuits of their own
  • 2 + 5 + 3 = 10 circuits; connected load 10,040 W = 10.04 kW
  • 10 circuits + 2 spare = 12-way board

Result: 10 circuits on a 12-way board. If everything ran at once it would draw about 44 A at 230 V; in practice the geysers, AC and kitchen are rarely all on together.

2. Adding a second AC later

  • Bedroom 2 gets an AC: one more circuit, 10 A MCB, 4 sq mm
  • 11 circuits on a 12-way board leaves 1 spare
  • Connected load: 10,040 + 1,600 = 11,640 W = 11.64 kW
  • Run the conduit and pull the 4 sq mm wire to the AC spot now, even if the AC comes next year

Result: This is why the spare ways matter: a second AC needs a free way on the board and its own run from the board. Doing the run during the first wiring costs a length of conduit and wire; doing it after plastering means a new chase or surface conduit.

3. Too many points on one lighting circuit

  • Proposed: living, dining, passage, kitchen and both bedrooms on one lighting circuit
  • 12 lights + 5 fans = 17 points; 12 × 10 + 5 × 60 = 420 W
  • 420 W is under 800 W, but 17 points is over the 10-point limit
  • Split into 2 circuits of 9 and 8 points

Result: With LED lamps, the 10-point limit decides the count far more often than the 800 W limit. Check both, every time.

Tips and tricks

  • Count points with the furniture drawn in. Sockets go where the bed, TV, desk and fridge will actually stand, not at even spacing.
  • Put the AC point, its conduit and its wire in during the first wiring, even if the AC is a year away. Cutting a chase after the paint costs far more.
  • Split the two bedrooms onto different lighting circuits if you can, so one fault never leaves the whole flat dark at night.
  • Ask the electrician for the circuit table in writing before work starts: circuit number, rooms, points, MCB and wire size. It is also how you check the bill.
  • Keep light and power wiring in separate conduits from the board onwards. CPWD asks for it, and it makes later fault-finding much quicker.

What we would do

We'd make the points list ourselves from the floor plan, enter it in the electrical load calculator, and hand the electrician the circuit table it prints as the brief. We'd ask for a board with at least two spare ways, a separate run already in place for every future AC, and every circuit labelled at the board. Earthing, the RCCB and the main switch are the electrician's call; we'd ask what they plan for each before the wiring starts.

Frequently asked questions

How many circuits does a 2BHK flat need?
Usually 8 to 12. The example 2BHK with 19 light and fan points, 13 sockets, one AC and two geysers needs 10: 2 lighting, 5 power, and 3 for the AC and geysers. Every AC, geyser or other load over 1 kW adds one.
How many points can go on one lighting circuit?
Under CPWD GS Electrical 2013 cl. 3.10, at most 10 points or 800 W, whichever comes first. With LED lamps, the 10-point limit is nearly always the one that decides.
How many sockets can go on one circuit?
In a home, CPWD cl. 3.10 (iii) allows two 16 A sockets, or three 6 A sockets, or one 16 A with two 6 A on one power circuit. A socket for a load over 1 kW, like an AC or geyser, gets its own MCB.
What size distribution board does a 2BHK need?
One way per circuit plus spares. The example 2BHK has 10 circuits, so we'd fit a 12-way board. If double-pole MCBs are used for the AC or geysers, count the extra ways they take.
What wire size is used for light and power circuits?
CPWD cl. 3.12 sets the minimum copper size at 1.5 sq mm for light wiring and 4 sq mm for power wiring. Circuits for loads over 1 kW are sized by calculation; the wire size calculator does that sum.

Sources and date checked

This guide is for planning points and circuits on paper. Switch off the main supply and check the circuit is dead with a tester before anyone touches wiring. Follow your state's wiring rules and your supply company's rules, and use a licensed electrician wherever the law requires one. Earthing, the RCCB, the main switch and the meter connection are the electrician's job.

Calculators for this job

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