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With the recent revolution in smart home technology, many homeowners are investing in different systems for their household to make it more convenient and functional. In fact, many smart home devices can help optimize your energy usage so that you can enjoy lower utility bills for decades to come. Here, we’ll dive into the relationship between your electrical panel box and your smart home system so that you have a better understanding of how the two interact with one another.
What Is an Electrical Panel Box?
Your electrical panel box can be referred to by many different names, including a breaker box and a load center. Its main job is to distribute electricity coming from your utility company to the various electrical circuits throughout your home. Each circuit will run multiple devices or will be dedicated to one major appliance, like your stove. Every circuit has an individual breaker that’s designed to trip if the system becomes overloaded to prevent overheating and electrical fires from happening.
Electrical Demand
One thing to keep in mind about electrical panel boxes is that they’re designed for the specific electrical needs of your home at the time that they’re installed. This means that if your breaker box was installed in the 1980s, it wasn’t designed to handle the electrical load that you have today. Over recent decades, we’ve transitioned to using a lot more appliances and electronics that require more energy.
Many electrical systems designed in the 1970s to 1980s only had about 60 to 100 amps of power going to them. That was perfectly fine for those days since we didn’t have a ton of modern-day electronics to power. However, modern-day standards require about 200 to 250 amps to supply enough power for all our appliances and electronics. If you’re home doesn’t have enough power going to it, you simply won’t be able to run your devices and smart home system.
Why Do Smart Homes Increase Electrical Demand?
While there’s no doubt that smart technology can optimize efficiency and overall convenience, it’s important to note that every device will draw additional energy. Items like a smart home HVAC system, zoning controls, smart appliances, EV chargers, and even smart lighting will all add to the strain on your electrical system. As you integrate more smart technology into your smart home system to make your life more convenient, you need to pay attention to how it affects your electrical demand.
Signs You Should Upgrade Your Panel Box
Before investing money in a smart home hub and various smart home devices, it’s important to pay attention to the signs that your panel box may be due for an upgrade first. If your existing panel box is over 30 years old, it’s time to consider an upgrade. If you have a fuse box that relies on fuses instead of a circuit breaker, it’s time for an upgrade. If your box has visible corrosion or physical damage, it’s best to replace it with a new one.
As your circuit breakers start to wear out, they’ll trip more frequently. You’ll notice that your lights will flicker as you add on more devices to your home because the electrical demand is more than what your system can handle. You may feel warmth radiating from your panel box as it’s overworking or even hear a buzzing noise. Additionally, if your existing panel box has no extra spaces to add more circuits, we suggest upgrading to accommodate your new electrical needs.
If you look at the main breaker switch and see a 60 or 100-amp rating, it’s necessary to upgrade your panel box to accommodate at least 200 amps of power to run your new smart devices. If you want to take advantage of smart breaker systems that allow you to monitor and control each individual circuit breaker from your smartphone, you’ll need to upgrade your panel box to include that smart technology.
Benefits of Upgrading Your Electrical Panel Box
There are many great benefits you can gain from upgrading your electrical panel box. One of the most important is increased safety for your home. Many older panel boxes lack modern-day safety technology like GFCI and AFCI circuit breakers. These are necessary to prevent electrical fires and even electrocution.
Upgrading your panel box to accommodate 200 amps of power gives you the flexibility to add more electronic devices and appliances to your home without overloading your circuits. Getting a new panel box will improve the resale value of your home and give you peace of mind that you have a reliable box that will accommodate all your new smart home additions with ease.
Understanding Smart Home Breaker Systems
When operating your panel box, one feature you can include is smart technology. A smart home breaker system gives you the ability to monitor and manage your electricity in real time. You can see how much energy each individual circuit is using throughout the day. You have the ability to shut off power to any electrical circuit you want with a tap of your smartphone screen.
These systems are great for identifying areas of wasteful energy usage in your home. And they allow you to see how making changes to your energy consumption habits can affect your energy bills in real time. A smart home breaker system can help to future-proof your home and ultimately give you more control over your household’s energy usage.
Electrical Panel Maintenance Requirements
While having the right size electrical panel box is an absolute necessity to offer full functionality for your smart home devices, your panel box is only as good as it can function. It needs to receive routine maintenance to function at its peak efficiency level. We recommend scheduling an electrical inspection every three to five years to check for any issues like corrosion, loose connections, and other malfunctions.
Make it a habit to keep the area around your panel box fully accessible and ventilated. You don’t want any moisture accumulating at the panel box, as water and electricity lead to corrosion. If you notice anything odd about the operation of your panel box, like an odd smell, weird sound, or even heat coming from it, it’s time to contact one of our professionals for prompt repair service.
Importance of a Professional Consultation
If you plan on transitioning your home to have a smart home hub and various smart home devices, it can be highly beneficial to schedule an appointment with one of our electricians. They can do a full inspection of your existing panel box and wiring setup to determine if it can accommodate your desired upgrades. They can make recommendations on necessary alterations to your electrical system to ensure it meets your new electrical demands and is compliant with local building codes and the National Electrical Code (NEC).
Helpful Electrical Panel Upgrade Service
Tingley Home Services offers helpful electrical panel upgrade services for the Milford, MA area. We can also assist with all your electrical panel repair, inspection, and new installation needs. Just call our office today to schedule a service consultation with one of our knowledgeable electricians.
