Why You Need to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel

Many Tampa homeowners don’t think about their home’s electrical panel. However, the electrical panel is the control center of your home. Without this important hub, you couldn’t power your lights, watch your television, or refrigerate your food. Day after day, the electrical panel works hard to power your home and support your daily living needs. Eventually, your electrical panel becomes outdated. When your current unit no longer provides adequate power, it’s time to consider an upgrade.

The Role of Your Electrical Panel

Also known as a circuit breaker panel, the electrical panel performs many important functions that keep your home connected and keep you safe. The electrical panel draws power from your community’s power grid and distributes the electricity to the appropriate circuits. Each circuit powers a different section, room, or appliance in your home.

The electrical panel handles more than power distribution throughout your home. This unit also organizes the different circuits. The panel’s organization makes it easier for our electricians to identify circuits and complete their work safely. By examining your electrical panel, our team can identify potential problems with your home’s electric supply. Corrosion, rust, and tripped breakers may be important clues to what is happening with your home’s electric system.

One of the most important functions of an electrical panel is to protect you and your family from dangerous fires and other electrical hazards. Your electrical panel uses circuit breakers to track the electricity’s flow in the circuit. If the circuit detects an overload, the breaker trips and cuts off the power. This action can prevent electrical shocks, overheating, and fires.

Signs You Need to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel

Many homeowners miss the signs that it’s time to upgrade their electrical panel. Sometimes, the electrical panel’s age and performance make the upgrade necessary. For other homeowners, remodeling projects or new technologies offer the perfect opportunity to invest in a new electrical panel. The following are some of the reasons why you might upgrade your electrical panel.

Your Electrical Panel Is Failing

Your home’s electrical panel may last between 25 and 40 years. Over time, your circuit breaker panel’s performance declines. Keep an eye out for the following warning signs of a failing electrical panel:

• Flickering lights
• Dim lights
• Frequently tripped circuit breakers
• Corrosion or rust
• Burning smells
• Heat coming from the panel

If you notice any of these signs, schedule an electrical panel upgrade. Dim or flickering lights indicate that the circuit isn’t providing enough power to meet the demand. When your home demands more power than your electrical panel can provide, the circuits experience an overload. For example, if your lights flicker when your air conditioner turns on, that’s a sign that the circuit doesn’t have enough power to operate both your air conditioner and your lights.

When a circuit overloads, the system trips the breaker to cut power to the circuit. This action can prevent damage to the panel. Repeatedly overloading the circuits damages the wires and connections. Overloading circuits may pose a fire hazard. An electrical panel that operates in overload year after year may have a shorter lifespan. Upgrading your panel to add or replace existing circuits can provide the extra electricity you need to power your home safely.

You’re Not Getting Enough Power

If you live in an older home, your current electrical panel may not offer the power that you need. Many of the homes built before the 1950s and 1960s featured an electrical panel rated for under 100 amperes. Some older homes may have panels rated 30 to 50 amperes. Back in the early to mid-1900s, these panels provided plenty of electricity for homeowners.

Even if you have a newer home, your current electrical panel still may not offer all the power you need. Modern homes in the United States have electrical panels typically rated for 100, 150, or 200 amps, but even this amount might not be enough to support our power-hungry appliances and devices. Our electricians at Home Service Heroes can assess your home and determine the best plan for upgrading your panel.

You Want to Add Smart Home Devices

Today’s homeowner has many more devices than their parents and grandparents did. Smart homes often include connected thermostats, cameras, and appliances. These devices offer new opportunities to manage your home’s environment. However, new smart home technologies need a lot of power to run safely and reliably.

If you are installing smart home technology like smart appliances and EV chargers, your old panel may not provide the power you need. When an electrician upgrades your electrical panel, they’ll add circuits to provide more power or redistribute the power among the old circuits. During an upgrade, the electrician also will replace old circuits.

Your Home Is for Sale

Many homeowners worry about their home’s resale value before they even place their home on the market. Before your real estate agent begins showing your house, you can increase your resale value with an upgraded panel. An upgraded electrical panel reassures potential buyers that your home’s electrical system is compliant with current building codes and is ready for all of their new appliances.

Upgrading your old electrical panel can prevent issues during a home inspection. Once you accept an offer on your home, a home inspector will conduct a thorough inspection and flag any issues. One common problem cited during inspections is an outdated or unsafe electrical panel. Taking care of your electrical panel upgrade before listing your home can help prevent issues during the inspection that can disrupt the sale.

Beyond the safety concerns, an old electrical panel may send a message to buyers that your home needs major work. Some buyers see an upgraded electrical panel as evidence that the owner maintained and cared for their home. In some markets, a new electrical panel may improve a home’s resale value.

Schedule Your Electrical Panel Upgrade

At Home Service Heroes, our expert electricians are ready to help you with your home’s electrical system. We’re a family-owned company that has been serving our friends and neighbors all over the Tampa area for years. Our customers count on us for all their electrical, HVAC, and plumbing needs because we put them first. We offer the highest quality customer service, starting with a courtesy phone call before the job.

Every job begins with a thorough assessment. We’ll listen to your concerns and answer your questions. Our electricians provide up-front pricing so that you know exactly what to expect when the bill comes.

Our electricians at Home Service Heroes work quickly and professionally without cutting corners. When we finish our work, we ensure your home is clean and safe. If you’re not 100% satisfied, we offer a money-back guarantee on our work. For unexpected outages and other emergencies, we offer same-day service and 24/7 emergency repair service. Take advantage of our red-carpet customer service. Contact Home Service Heroes today to schedule your electrical panel upgrade.