5 Benefits of Upgrading Your Electrical Panel in Seguin, TX
Residential energy consumption seems to have increased exponentially, especially over the last 20 years. This often leaves older homes with an electrical panel or system not designed to handle modern-day demands. Consider five benefits of upgrading your Seguin, TX home’s electrical panel and the signs that point to needing this upgrade.
1. Increased Electrical Capacity
One of the biggest benefits of upgrading your electrical panel is increasing the electrical capacity of your home. Most older homes, even houses built as little as 10 years ago, may not have the capacity for today’s needs.
As the focus on reducing fossil fuels increases, the push toward electrified homes only grows. This push requires homes to handle larger draws for applications like electric vehicle (EV) charging and electric heating.
Additionally, there is increased demand for nominal-draw appliances like mobile device chargers. While you may have enough capacity through your current panel, you may not have sufficient circuits and outlets.
2. Improved Safety
Although it may not be as noticeable for the average homeowner, an outdated electrical panel poses a safety risk. Older panels and those with insufficient service risk overheating with the demands of modern household appliances. Overheated electrical panels pose a fire risk, especially when you’ve added large-draw appliances like EV chargers.
Upgrading your panel allows you to redesign the circuits in your home. This is critical for balancing the load through each circuit, reducing the risks of overloading and needing electrical panel repairs. Also, upgrading your panel ensures you have an appropriately rated breaker for each circuit to keep your home safe.
3. More Reliable Electrical Service
Upgrading your electrical panel and rebalancing your home’s circuits helps provide more reliable service throughout your home. The first thing you’ll notice is that this helps you avoid flickering lights and brownouts when you run high-draw appliances. Additionally, the rebalanced load means it’s easier to add new appliances as needed without risking overloading a circuit.
4. Lower Homeowners Insurance
An outdated electrical panel that no longer meets current building codes may unknowingly drive up your insurance rates. Upgrading your electrical panel can raise it to current standards; just be sure to notify your agent of the changes. Insurance company rewards meeting current building code standards and reducing the risk of loss with lower insurance rates.
5. Future-Proofing Your Home
Part of owning a home is protecting the investment and doing periodic upgrades to meet the demands of potential buyers. Upgrading your home’s electrical panel helps protect that investment by ensuring it’s ready for future additions.
A prospective buyer may look at both the risk of the current panel and its ability to accommodate new appliances. Upgrading gives you all of the benefits now while making your home more attractive whenever you decide to sell it.
Signs You Need a Panel Upgrade
Flickering or dimming lights, which are often ignored, are some of the first signs that you need a panel upgrade. Notice if your lights dim or flicker when you turn on appliances like the vacuum cleaner, air conditioner or blow dryer. If so, upgrading your panel can help stabilize voltage levels.
Next, watch for frequently tripping breakers. This is a sure indication of overloaded circuits, which an electrician can recalibrate during a panel upgrade.
Check your panel at least once a year. If you find scorch marks or smell something burning at any time, you may have an overheating panel. This particular issue is a major safety concern and fire hazard, so have a professional evaluate the situation.
Finally, if you’re in an older home that has fuses or an outdated breaker design, you may want to upgrade. Older systems are difficult to service or find replacement parts for since they weren’t designed for today’s usage needs.
Ignoring the signs of a strained electrical panel can cost you substantially in the long run. Call to schedule an electrical panel upgrade consultation with one of the expert electricians at Legacy Home Services.
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