Is It Time to Upgrade Your Electrical System?

Does your home need an electrical system upgrade? You might not be aware, but what’s inside your walls may actually be placing your most valuable investment at risk. An aging electrical system can be the source for a number of headaches when it malfunctions, but it can also even increase the risk of a devastating house fire should something go wrong and the proper precautions not be taken. Here are three reasons why you should consider upgrading your electrical system as well as some things you can do to improve your overall electrical safety and functionality.

Constantly Tripping Breakers

Older systems were not designed to handle the electrical loads we place on homes these days. That means you may be feeling the pain and frustration of a constantly-tripping circuit breaker. If you find that you can’t run a combination of appliances in your kitchen at the same time, such as the oven, microwave, and a handheld mixer, odds are your electrical system is outdated and needs some work. Upgrading the wiring in your walls will dramatically improve your home’s safety and longevity, but replacing your electrical panel while you’re at it can really increase your home’s ability to handle a much heavier electrical load.

You’re Remodeling

If you’re remodeling, now’s the perfect time to install the upgrades you’ve been needing to place into your home. Need to add a new outlet for a light or in that perfect spot for your room to look right? Now’s the time to do it. Remodeling also lets you install new lights, add surge protection, or even add wiring for a new hot-tub in the backyard. Even if you don’t want to add anything new, replacing what’s old is perhaps even more important. If you have exposed electrical wire, outdated outlets, or are experiencing regular brown-outs, doing some major remodeling work is a perfect time to make your home is ready to handle the many years ahead.

Your Home’s Age

So you’re considering doing some serious work on your home, and that gives you an opportunity to make some changes to your electrical system. Are they really necessary? The easiest way to find out is to ask how old your home is. If your home has entirely original electrical work and is more than 20 years old, odds are you’re probably missing out on some excellent energy-efficiency technology. However, you also probably have some features that have since been noted as dangerous and are now against building codes. If your home is fairly new, however, such as 10 years old or less, odds are you probably don’t need much in the way of upgrades. That being said, if you want to add something such as a USB-port wall socket, now’s a great opportunity to make that swap.