Let's not be silly- or flippant!
"Good design" is just that - a design that lets the customer "forget" about the electrical system, provides for safety, and isn't wasteful.
I've said it before: A "good" design meets code, while a "code minimum" design is almost always poor design- and often doesn't meet code!
I once built a convenience store. Confronted with a grossly inadequate - but legal and city approved- design, I didn't just 'do it.' No, I saw to it that the end customer was happy. Result? A very enthusiastic customer.
I started this thread to provide some actual figures for modern appliances. One cannot design without having the relevant information.
My data showed two big changes in appliances over the years:
First, that the refrigerator doesn't draw nearly as much power as it once did. Efficiencies have improved to the point that a dedicated 20-amp circuit is wasteful to the point that it might even be considered a code violation.
Also, the microwave drew a full circuit's worth of power whenever it ran. Enough so that it does warrant it's own circuit- no matter what the code says.
