3 Signs You Need To Upgrade Your Home’s Electrical Panel

As a responsible homeowner, you like to do everything in your power to make sure that your home has everything it needs to provide you and your family with the level of comfort, security, and convenience that you have come to expect, and whether you realize it or not, your electrical system plays a major role in your home’s ability to do so. Electricity plays a vital role in our everyday lives, and your home’s electrical panel is the aspect of your system that is responsible for distributing all of the power that comes into your home throughout your house to the areas where it’s needed most, making it an absolutely essential part of your home’s electrical system. With that being said, electrical needs in modern homes have changed drastically over the years, and your old electrical panel might not be equipped to handle the kind of electrical demands being placed on it. In these situations, upgrading your old electrical panel is usually the best solution. How do you know when the time is right to invest in a panel upgrade? To help with that, our team of professionals have taken the time to put together this short list that should give you some idea of when the time is right to do so.

Your Home Has A Fuse Panel

While having a fuse panel in your home isn’t inherently dangerous, they are more likely to be a fire hazard due to the fact that they are far outdated. In face, fuse panels can pose such a threat at times that there are some insurance agencies out there that will refuse coverage to a home with one in place. If you still have a fuse panel in place in your home, it is likely a good idea to go ahead and have your panel upgraded to a more modern circuit breaker panel.

Dimming & Flickering Lights

If you notice that your lights tend to dim or flicker every time an appliance, computer, or other electronic device comes on, it could be a sign that your electrical panel is in need of an upgrade. Most older panels weren’t designed to handle the electrical capacity required in most modern homes, and when your panel is unable to distribute the amount of power you need to the various rooms of your home, you can find yourself with dimming and flickering lights throughout the house, especially when other electronic devices start up.

Excessive Use Of Power Strips

Using power strips can be a good thing as it helps to keep your expensive appliances and electronic devices protected from the threat of power surges, but having too many plugged in throughout your home can lead to fire hazards. The more things you have plugged in to the strips throughout your home, the more power they are going to be pulling, and if your electrical panel is unable to keep up with this demand, it could wind up either overloading or overheating. If you make extensive use of power strips throughout your home, consider upgrading your panel to ensure you have the proper capacity to run everything safely.