Electrical energy is needed by every modern households. As days go by, it seems that more and more appliances and gadgets are needing electrical sources, either directly like by turning on a TV, and fridge or indirectly, by charging a tablet. Because of this, the powers from an electrical company needs to be distributed to every houses, so they can be able to get connected into every house’s outlets for a homeowner’s use.
The usual voltage an outlet most houses would need is the standard, 220, and 120 volts for household appliances like toasters and hair iron. A single house will need several of these in their home, so this makes it important to know how much does it cost to upgrade electrical panel. This is not only for use purposes but also for safety.
Why Electrical Panels And Where To Get Them
As much as electrical panels are needed in a house, a homeowner should bear in mind that their overall electrical usage should not be able to exceed their panel’s capacity. Doing so can only present two dangerous things, either the panel will go short circuit causing blackout of your electrical lines or explode and cause fire.
Either way, both results will not be likable, while in some cases most homeowners would choose the first disaster than the later. At least with blackouts, all you will need to do is to know the cost to replace breaker box, and once you were able to have it fixed, you can keep using your household electricity according to its capabilities.
For older homes, the electrical capacity may be lower, but not less than 100 amps. 100 amps is the required minimum capacity that your house should be able to hold, and the average amps is 150. As for the new homes, they are usually built with 400 amps panels. To know the average cost to replace electrical panel, the best website that provides everything you need to know about electrical panels can be found on Fixr.com. They provide typical information as well 
as the alternatives you can use and its prices, and ballpark figures regarding the range of expenditures, should you need to know how much does it cost to upgrade electrical panel.
Unless you are an electrical engineer, even if you are the one who spent for the cost to replace breaker box of your home, do not attempt to try and connect your own electrical panel at home. Being an electrician needs certain certifications where one has to be licensed first before trying to do something an electrical contractor does. When trying to find out how much does it cost to upgrade electrical panel, you will also need to check your local planning department and you would have to comply with the requirements needed such as permit before the electrical wirings in your house can be repaired, or replaced.
The usual services for electrical panels are the following: removing and replacing panels, upgrading, adding copper grounding poles and repairing old wires. The electricity will be taken from the electrical company’s power through the outside meter of the home. The usual total electrical capacity of the panel could either be 100, 150, 200 to 400 amps. It is also recommended that a home should have a sub panel, for the same uses, but just to be safe.
In searching for contractors that can provide average cost to replace electrical panel, you will have to look thoroughly around for the best companies out there. The Better Business Bureau can give you references for a good electrical contractors in your area. These contractors should better be members of the National Electrical Contractors Association. And besides just paying for average cost to replace electrical panel, the contractors should also be insured and properly bonded.
Price Range for electrical Panel Service
For an electrical panel upgrade, the typical cost is in between $800 – $1200 dollars to get a qualified electrician for the project. If you have less than the required minimum, you can request for an upgrade of your panel to 100 amps. For a 200 amps upgrade, you can expect to shell out $1300 – $3000 dollars, and for the 400 amps, it will be around $2000 – $4000 dollars. Installation of a new sub-panel for your house is at a price range that runs from $500 to $1000 dollars.
For the scope and breakdown of the cost: First off the electrician will have to check and provide codes for the electrical wirings he needs to fix. The work for this may require and average cost to replace electrical panel depending on the work the is required in the house. The fee for this is in between $65 to $85 dollars an hour. The rest of this project is priced based on per item cost or job order. Generally, the electrician himself will also have to perform installations on several areas in the home while he is there.
In some cases, there will be a need to purchase a new panel for the home. Depending on the result of the check up with the electrician, he will be able to recommend the size of the electrical panel needed and it usually includes the indoor and outdoor units, and the circuit space’s available range.
In order to install a different power supply before a new circuit panel begins. It will take a bit of carpentry, and some drilling to feed some power into the home. So you have to bear with some noise in the house for a little bit. Since circuit panels are not able to cover for the entire home, the sub-panels would also need some upgrading.
Conclusion
According to Improvement Center.com the life expectancy of electrical panels are for about 10 years before you will have to spend again on the cost to replace breaker box. If they survive more than that, all the better! But it will need some re-checking if the wiring parts are still working well. This way, a homeowner can ensure that while his house is well lighted, he is safe from the dangers cause by faulty electrical wires and panels such as fire.