The Benefits Of Electric Panel Upgrades

Your home’s electrical panel is a box that contains the circuit breakers for all of your home’s electrical lines. It is usually made of metal, and it can usually be found in the basement, garage or utility room. Old panels are often older than the homes they are located in, and because of this, they may not be able to handle the amount of electricity that is needed by today’s home. Older electric panels were called fuse boxes instead of electrical panels, and they had glass fuses that would blow like a light bulb when they became overloaded. This was a good indicator to homeowners that their circuits were overloaded. When a circuit breaker trips, however, it just stops working until it is reset. This means that many homeowners do not even know when one of their circuits has been overloaded. An overloaded circuit can cause appliances to stop working suddenly and unexpectedly, but it can also cause more serious damage like a fire or explosion. Increased Efficiency The most obvious benefit that you will notice from an electric panel upgrade is the increased efficiency throughout your home. The older panels tend to be smaller and when all of your appliances are running at once, you may feel like your air conditioner is working a bit harder to keep up with demands. This is not necessarily true, but it is a sign that there are too many appliances on one circuit and this can cause a breaker to trip or even cause a fire in extreme cases. With an electric panel upgrade, each circuit will be dedicated to specific appliances so that you can use your air conditioning without fear that it will not be able to keep up with demand. Safety Another benefit of upgrading your electrical panel is safety. With the older panels, you may notice that there are no ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). These are incredibly important because they protect people from electric shock when they come in contact with water or another source of electricity. American Lighting & Electrical Services can help you find or become a certified electrician to upgrade the old electrical panels. We’ll provide a free estimate, and our certified electricians are available with convenient appointment times. Our electricians will work around your schedule to complete the task.