Bill:
The 3VA per sq. ft. figure in your 1984 NEC is the same in the book I have here which has copies of some tables from the 1975 edition.
Overloaded circuits has become something of a problem in more recent years here. I already mentioned the 30A ring with 3kW washer, 3kW dryer, and 3kW dishwasher, so I won't go into that again.
Many older properties were wired with only one 5A branch for lighting. It was always bad from the point of view of a blown fuse plunging the whole house into darkness, but with 1200 watts available it was quite sufficient in load terms when houses were built with a single luminaire or pendant light in each room.
In recent years though, many people have added patio lights, extra wall lights, kitchen worktop lights, etc. and just tacked them onto the existing 5A circuit with no consideration for the possibility of an overload.
An overload on the service entrance here is more than just the inconvenience of resetting a main breaker. Where a main C/B is used, it's for ground-fault protection only. The service cable protection against overcurrent is providred solely by the PoCo's main fuse. As this is sealed, it means a call-out to replace it.
This is a particular problem with the growing popularity of instant electric showers during renovations of an older property. Some of the latest models are rated as high as 9.5kW, and just recently I had someone want one of these installed. Unfortunately, the house had only an older 40A service, so I had to explain that they'd need an upgrade from Eastern Energy - Cost over £300 ($450).
