Why You Need an Electrical Panel Upgrade
Your electrical panel is a crucial part of your home. Your entire electrical system is based here, and it has access to every light switch and outlet you have. Despite its importance, it is often forgotten about, especially when it comes to making home upgrades and investments.
Part of that has to do with use. You don’t use it every day. In fact, you’ll probably go months without touching it or opening the front panel, even just for a peek. This makes it one of the last units in your home to see maintenance or upgrades. We’re here to show you why upgrades to your electrical panel can actually make your home run better and give you more freedom over the appliances and devices you use every day.
Additional Voltage = More Electricity
When you upgrade your electrical panel, you can opt to have it increase in voltage. Older homes likely only have 120-volt breaker panels, which can be limiting as home life and the use of electricity have expanded. It can also be an issue if you rely on electricity as your sole source of energy or have installed any major appliances.
If you have a 120-volt panel, consider upgrading to a 240-volt unit. This gives you double the electricity, allowing for additional circuit breakers and, in turn, a safer and more efficient way to power your home.
Handle Major Appliances
An upgraded electrical panel with 240-volt service can give you more power for major appliances. This can be crucial, as we use electrically-powered appliances more often. It’s also essential to ensure your air conditioner and heating system don’t overpower your panel and cause breakers to trip.
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Room for Expansion
A higher voltage on your circuit breaker panel allows you to leave room open to expand electrical service in your home. Maybe you didn’t have a central air conditioner but want one, or perhaps you want to switch from a gas furnace to an electric. Maybe you want to add a hot tub to your yard or an entire pool. Maybe you want to add a workshop with full power in your backyard. These are all possible with the right amount of electricity.
You could also be planning to expand your home by a room or fully furnish a basement; you’ll already be ahead of the curve with the electrical capacity to handle those projects.
Also, the additional voltage will allow you to add outlets or lights to your home as you see fit, whether that is in an expansion or how your home sits now. This could be beneficial if you need to refit your home to have an office, studio, or additional workspace. You may also just be in an older home with a limited number of outlets or a lack of overhead lights.
Improved Safety
For electrical projects, safety should always be top of mind. You don’t want to force your electrical panel to handle more than it can, or you’ll be at risk for damaging it or, worse, starting a fire.
Therefore, you need to look at your home’s electrical capacity and see how stretched it currently may be. Do breakers trip frequently? Do your lights flicker often? Have you seen any shocks or burnt outlets? These are all signs that your electrical panel is either damaged or can’t handle the electricity you need for your home.
While some of what we mentioned above are optional improvements, safety shouldn’t be. It’s the most pressing reason why you might consider an electrical panel upgrade.
Your Reliable Electrical Service Team
The HedgeHog Electric team has been providing electrical services to Utah homeowners for over a decade, and continues to offer the best experience possible for customers. Contact our team today at (866) 605-2113 so we can help solve your home electrical issues.
