Could someone please tell me what the acronym "LCL" stands for and how it is calculated.
I encountered the term the ac distribution panel schedules of a fairly large facility in CA. The loads served by each panel were summed up as a subtotal of VA's and an amount of VA's termed "LCL" were added to this subtotal to get the total load of each panel.
It is a very common abbreviation for "Long Continous Load". This would be ANY type of load that is expected to remain on continously for 3 hours or more. That includes (typically) lighting, heating (both space/air and water), cooking loads, but not general use convenience outlets or motors. Here in LA LA Land, we EE/EC's/PLAN reviewers also use the Acronym LML, which is "Largest Motor Load". So a typical panel schedule has totals of the connected VA or KVA, then a line "25% LCL" (which is the adder for the LCL portion of the load) then a line "25% LM or LML", the three total up for the code required feeder/service ampacity, unless other demand factors can be applied.
Most of our work involves IT rooms, and we always consider the UPS loads as LCL, because even though there is minor fluctuations, that load is continuous (or else the customer wouldn't put it on a UPS). We don't include the UPS's battery charging current as LCL, only as 100% load, not 125% load.
Hope this is helpful.