Signs Your Electrical Panel Needs an Upgrade

Determining How Much Electricity Your Home Uses

The process of upgrading your home begins with figuring out how much electricity your house uses. What is your current electrical capacity? An amp measures the rate at which electricity flows through your home like water. Fewer than a few decades ago, the typical American home required no more than 60 amps of electricity to run. Larger homes that use a lot of electricity require 150 to 200 amps, with the average home requiring 100 amps.

Updates to your home’s panel give you the ability to process and distribute more power more effectively and efficiently throughout your home. Your Minneapolis electrical panel upgrade options are as follows:

• Expanding your home’s electrical panel to take advantage of additional utility power
• Install a new circuit breaker and a new meter to handle the increased load.
• Repair or replace worn-out or damaged components.
• Increase the number of circuits in your house so you can add more outlets.
• To avoid electrical hazards, swap out any circuits that are malfunctioning.
• Increase electrical safety by upgrading circuits to meet current requirements

Electrical Problems in Your Home: Telltale Signs

Any of these warning signs should raise a red flag. If you notice any of these problems in your home, contact an electrician to inspect your electrical system to see if it’s time for an upgrade to your electrical panel.

1. Shocks from electrical currents. Slight shocks and tingling are signs that the wiring is faulty or was installed incorrectly. You run the risk of ‘electrical leakage’ if this is the case when you use the switch or outlet.
2. Burnt smell. Occasionally, a spark will occur; however, large or frequent sparks indicate deteriorated wiring or an issue with the circuitry. Also, keep an eye out for outlets that are warm or discolored. If the problem persists, call a licensed electrician to inspect the wiring or troubleshoot the overloaded circuit.
3. When you use other appliances, the lights dim. Your electrical system isn’t ready to handle your current electrical demands, as evidenced by this symptom. In order to meet the electrical demand, an overloaded circuit diverts electricity from other parts of your house to the appliances.
4. Frequently tripping breakers. Trips occur when circuit breakers are either overloaded or old. Older panels may make a crackling sound. This is a sure sign that your electrical panel needs to be upgraded.
5. Use of extension cords and power strips. Extension cords and power strips are probably one of the most common signs of home energy inefficiency. You can add circuits and outlets all over your house by upgrading your panel, which reduces the risk of fire from extension cords and power strips.

Many Benefits of a New Electrical Panel In Your Home

Overloaded circuits and other electrical hazards will be less of a threat to your house with this upgrade. Electrical fires can be reduced with a new panel.

Adding something new and beneficial to the equation. New electrical panels increase the resale value of your house, allow you to add more appliances, and protect expensive electronic equipment.

Reduced prices. It costs money to upgrade, but in the long run it will save you money. Because of this, having a more reliable electrical system often results in lower insurance premiums. If your home is more energy efficient, you’ll use less electricity and have lower monthly electric bills as a result.

Process of Changing Electrical Panels

Our Twin Cities electricians explain that the process of upgrading an electrical panel is complex and necessitates the use of a wide range of specialized skills and close collaboration between the electrician and the electric utility and/or service provider. Depending on the update’s complexity, these tasks could take anywhere from eight to ten hours to complete.

A typical electrical panel upgrade involves the following steps:

1. The size of the new panel and the number of circuits to be added will be decided by your electrician.
2. He or she will work with the utility company to coordinate the project and will secure any necessary permits.
3. It’s possible that the utility company will cut off your home’s electricity supply when this happens.
4. Your panel will be replaced or updated, and any new circuits will have wiring installed by the electrician.
5. In most cases, a state electrical or utility inspector is required to check out a brand-new panel.
6. Your electrical service will be restored by the utility company.
7. An electrical panel update involves a lot of work, so make sure you hire someone who is both qualified and licensed to do it.

Contact a Local Electrician

An electrician can examine your system and determine whether or not it’s time to upgrade your home’s electrical panel. If you’re thinking about adding appliances or rooms to your house, think about the electrical load and how much room you’ll need to expand.

Consider the long-term benefits of upgrading your electrical panel before you make a decision. Know your upgrade and update options. Know the danger signs. And when the time comes to act, enlist the help of McQuillan Brothers.