Bringing Your Electrical Panel System Up to Code

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to minimizing fire and electrical hazards. It maintains NFPA 70, which is otherwise known as the National Electrical Code (NEC). The NEC is not federal law, but all 50 states have adopted it. A key aspect of the NEC is electrical standards. Over the years, the NFPA has expanded those codes beyond just safety to energy efficiency as well. As the code evolves, your home’s electrical panel likely no longer meets its standards. Let’s explore what you should know about upgrading it.

Do You Have to Bring Your Electrical Panel Up to Code?

The answer to this question depends. The first thing to understand is that the NEC is not a federal requirement. States base their requirements on it and have their own laws. All 50 states have grandfather provisions. This means the law doesn’t require homeowners to upgrade their electrical systems immediately because the NEC changes. That said, if you perform a home improvement that requires a permit, your home will need to pass a city inspection. The inspector will hold your home to modern standards, which means that a panel upgrade may be necessary.

Panel Amps

The amps a panel provides indicate its overall electrical strength. Total circuit breaker amps cannot exceed the amps of the main breaker. There are 100-amp, 200-amp, 300-amp, and 400-amp service panels readily available for residential use. The minimum required by the NEC is 100 amps. This has not changed in many years despite most American homes needing more than that.

The NEC provides a great deal of leeway when it comes to amps. Strict guidelines don’t make sense in this area. To determine the needed amps, an electrician must perform a load calculation specific to that home. The lower requirement is practical but means that there are many homes that are technically up to code but have inadequate amperage.

Panel Types

All homes will have a main electrical panel or breaker box. All the circuits in a home connect to this panel through dedicated circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are safety devices that trip and kill the flow of electricity to avoid overheating, damage, and fires. A 200-amp panel, which is typical in American homes, can have about 40 single-pole or 120-volt circuits. They can hold about 20 double-pole or 240-volt circuits, and most homes will have a mix of the two.

Fuse Box

If you live in an older home, you may have fuses instead of some or all circuit breakers. Your electrician will generally recommend upgrading these to modern circuit breakers. There are exceptions, and the NEC still allows for fuses. The reason is that fuses are faster than circuit breakers. That makes them desirable for circuits connected to sensitive electronic equipment.

Subpanel

Subpanels are additional panels that tie into the main breaker box. They’re useful for detached garages and other satellite buildings on your property.

Lug Panel

Lug panels are similar to subpanels but don’t have a main breaker to stop the electric flow. Potential uses include hot tubs and pools. The NEC provides code that helps an electrician determine when it’s appropriate to use a lug panel rather than a subpanel.

Surge Protection

The 2020 update of the NEC added surge protection as a residential requirement. Most homes do not have a surge protection device (SPD) integrated into their electrical panel.

There are two main types of SPDs to consider when it comes to electrical panels: Type 1 (T1) and Type 2 (T2). The NEC requires a T2 SPD, which we install between the service panel and the rest of the home’s electrical system. This device protects against lightning strikes but also internal surges, such as from a generator or HVAC equipment.

The NEC does not require a T1 SPD but does recommend it in some cases, and you can have both T1 and T2 SPDs. We install a T1 SPD between the grid and the service panel. This doesn’t give protection against internal surges. It does give superior protection from direct lightning strikes and bad grid power, such as from a blown transformer.

Wiring

Bringing your electrical panel up to code may require replacing some or all of your home’s wiring. This is particularly true for older homes. Some materials once used in home construction, such as aluminum wires, are no longer to code. Modern wires must meet stricter quality and insulation standards. Depending on the applications, the wires used must have certain certifications. Electricians must also ground and color code them appropriately.

Circuits

Code has changed greatly over the years when it comes to overloaded circuits and overcrowding outlets, switches, and dimmers. In older homes, electricians will often have to add 240-volt circuits. Some applications now require them that once didn’t. In addition, it’s usually recommended for future-proofing a home. You may need those 240-volt connections in the future if you install a tankless water heater, an EV charging station, and so forth.

Outlets

Adding outlets is a common task during an electrical panel upgrade. Even in newer homes, homeowners often find they don’t have enough. In older homes, it may be a requirement. This may be due to the aforementioned overcrowding but also the type of outlets you have. There are standard outlets but also advanced options.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is an outlet with a safety device. That device protects against shocks and fires when it detects a ground fault. The NEC requires them in any areas where water is present. This includes bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, and rooms with aquariums.

Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter

An arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is also an outlet with a safety device. Its device detects arcing electrical faults and disables the electric flow. This helps to avoid many electrical fires. The NEC requires them wherever electrical arcing is a concern. This has expanded greatly over the years, and they’re now common in bedrooms, basements, and garages.

Combination Interrupters

You may have outlets where you need GFCI and AFCI protection. There are readily available solutions nowadays, as there are outlets with both interrupters integrated.

Smart Outlets

The NEC doesn’t currently require smart outlets, but it may in the future as the standards improve. One argument for smart outlets is that they prevent phantom power draw from appliances and devices on standby. This costs American households hundreds of dollars a year. There are GFCI and AFCI smart outlets. Smart outlets can also have integrated local surge protection, USB ports, ethernet connections, and so forth.

Would You Like to Schedule an Electrical Inspection?

Lightfoot Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical is a multi-trade company that’s served Weatherford homeowners since 1983. Our electricians are available for inspections, new installations, upgrades, and repairs. We wire and rewire homes. Our team installs and services electrical panels, surge protection, generators, ceiling fans, and indoor and outdoor lighting. We also have HVAC technicians who clean and seal ducts and install, maintain, and repair ducted and ductless heating and cooling technologies. Those include furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, and mini-splits. Our plumbers pipe and repipe gas, water, and sewer lines. We test water quality and install bathroom and kitchen fixtures, water heaters, and water treatment systems. If you have questions or want to schedule an appointment for electrical services, call us today or contact us online.