Service Upgrades and Panel Changes:
What Is A Service And What Is A Service Upgrade?
The service which is the area on the outside of your home where the power company brings the power to the structure. A service is a combination of:
- The Service Riser: the pipe/ wire coming from overhead or underground to the meter socket.
- The Meter Socket: The enclosure the the meter plugs in to
- The Main Breaker Panel (main panel): This is the panel box that contains the breakers that control the entire house as a whole (i.e. main breaker)
- Some older home may not have a main panel but should get one with a service upgrade
To upgrade a service is to increase the size of the wire that the power company attaches to ;
to increase the size of the meter socket and add or increase the size of the main panel / main breaker.
What is a panel and what is a panel change?
A panel, otherwise known as a breaker box, panel box, fuse box, load center, is the enclosure that houses the breakers that control your lighting, outlets and appliances.
In most cases the panel and panel feeders are replaced during a service upgrade. This panel may be somewhere inside the home or it may be outside as part of the main panel. It is often necessary to change this panel to a newer, larger panel in order to complete the service upgrade.
Do I Need A Service Upgrade Or A Panel change?
The most typical residential service upgrade is a 200 amp upgrade. There are many reasons to upgrade a service but some of the most common are:
- Energy Conservation: An over-worked, under-sized service equals high power bills
- There Has Been A Room Addition Or An Addition Is Planned: The original service was sized according to the square footage of the original structure and may no longer be adequite.
- The Addition of or Modifications to the Central Heat and Air (HVAC): Many customers experience surging lights following HVAC work. This always equates to higher energy costs!
- The addition of pools, spas or tankless water heaters.
- Insurance Requirements and Closings: Many underwriters are raising rates or even refusing to write new policies for homes with services older than 25 years. Additionally, we are often called out to perform an upgrade or a panel change in order for the customer to be able to close on a sale or a loan.