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# How Many Outlets on One Circuit? And Why Your Room Only Has Two

The arithmetic behind circuit loading, why older California homes are short on receptacles, and when you need a dedicated circuit rather than another outlet.

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Outlets & circuits | Updated 2026-06-02 | Rupert Electrical Solutions

Two questions we get constantly, and they're related: how many outlets can go on one circuit, and why does this bedroom only have two of them?

## The arithmetic

There is no fixed limit on receptacle count for a general-purpose residential circuit. What is limited is current. A 15 amp circuit is good for about 1,800 watts, a 20 amp circuit about 2,400, and continuous loading is planned at 80% of that.

The common rule of thumb is up to about 8 receptacles on a 15 amp general circuit, 10 on a 20 amp. That is a convention rather than a requirement, and it exists because a bedroom outlet spends most of its life powering a phone charger. Eight receptacles is fine when nothing on them draws much.

The rule of thumb breaks the moment something heavy plugs in. One 1,500 watt space heater uses 83% of a 15 amp circuit on its own. It doesn't matter that the other seven outlets are empty.

## Why older rooms have so few

Current practice requires a receptacle within 6 feet of any point along a wall, so a cord can reach without an extension. Older California homes were wired to whatever the standard was at the time, sometimes one or two receptacles per room, because the expected load was a lamp and a radio.

Those installations are legal existing conditions. They are also why extension cords run under rugs in so many houses, and cords under rugs are a genuine fire mechanism because the insulation abrades where it is walked on.

## When you need a dedicated circuit

A dedicated circuit serves one appliance and nothing else. It is required for some equipment and strongly advisable for anything with a high or motor-driven load.

Appliance | Typical circuit
--- | ---
Kitchen small appliances | Two 20A circuits minimum
Refrigerator | Dedicated 15A or 20A
Dishwasher | Dedicated 15A or 20A
Disposal | Dedicated 15A or 20A
Microwave (built-in) | Dedicated 20A
Electric range | Dedicated 40A or 50A, 240V
Electric dryer | Dedicated 30A, 240V
Bathroom receptacles | Dedicated 20A
Laundry receptacle | Dedicated 20A
Window or portable AC | Dedicated, sized to the unit
Space heater | Dedicated 20A strongly advised
EV charger | Dedicated 40A to 60A, 240V
Hot tub | Dedicated GFCI circuit per manufacturer

## The mistake that matters most

When a breaker trips repeatedly, the tempting fix is a bigger breaker. Do not do this. Breaker size protects the wire. Put a 20 amp breaker on 14 gauge wire and the wire is now the weak link, overheating inside a wall while the breaker sits happily below its trip threshold. This is one of the most dangerous things a homeowner can do at a panel, and it is depressingly common in houses we survey.

The legitimate fixes are: move the load to another circuit, or install a new circuit sized for it.

## Adding outlets: three approaches

1. Extend an existing circuit. Cheapest if a nearby circuit has capacity, and fine for low-draw locations like a bedside table.
2. New home run from the panel. More work, but you get a full circuit's capacity and a panel space, which is the right choice for a home office or a workshop wall.
3. Subpanel. When you need several new circuits in one area, like a garage conversion or an ADU, a subpanel is cheaper than multiple long home runs.

Which one is right depends on what your existing circuits are already carrying, which is why we check before tapping anything. See outlet & switch installation for how we scope it.

## A quick self-audit

Walk the house and note every extension cord, power strip and adapter in use. Each one marks a spot where the house is short of receptacles. Note anything on a strip that draws real power, because power strips are for electronics, not heaters or appliances. Then check whether your panel has spare spaces, since that determines whether new circuits are straightforward or need an electrical panel upgrade first.

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