It's common for homeowners to renovate and update their homes every 10 to 15 years. This can be a great opportunity to add more modern conveniences and stylings to your home while boosting its value. When planning out your renovation, there are a few key electrical upgrades that you should consider investing in.
More Power
One of the first electrical upgrades that you may want to consider for your home is adding more power. Homes built before the 1980s only had between 60 and 100 amps of power coming into them. To put this into perspective, homes built today get between 200 and 250 amps of power. If you notice common signs that you're overloading your electrical outlets, like flickering lights and frequently tripping circuit breakers, it's time to think about upgrading.
USB Outlets
It's very common for electronic devices, like our smartphones and headphones, to rely on chargers that use a USB plug. Unfortunately, this usually means either having to plug in all your devices to your computer or purchasing an adapter so that they can be plugged into regular three-prong outlets. A great upgrade to help eliminate this issue in your home is to install outlets that have both the three-prong setup and USB ports. It's likely not necessary that you need to install these at every outlet. However, they can be beneficial for bedrooms, living rooms, dens, and offices where you need those USB ports the most.
LED Lighting
If you're still relying on incandescent lighting in your home, then you could be paying more for energy bills than you really need to. When doing home renovations, it makes sense to upgrade to LED lighting. LED lights last much longer, don't create heat, and use 90% less energy to provide the same amount of light as incandescent lights.
Dimmer Switches
Another great electrical upgrade that's starting to become more standard in households is dimmer switches. These allow you to more accurately control the amount of light that's coming from your lighting fixtures. Apart from just being more convenient and comfortable for your home, using dimmer switches can also help to lower your utility bills a little bit by not using as much energy for your lighting needs.
Whole-Home Surge Protector
One electrical upgrade that pretty much every homeowner needs to purchase is a whole-home surge protector. This helps to ensure that most power surges can be safely absorbed before they reach your electrical system, appliances, and other electrical devices that are plugged into it. Without a whole-home surge protector, all it can take is one nasty electrical storm to cause a power surge in your local grid. This will result in permanent damage to your appliances, electronic devices, and your home's electrical system.
Smart Ceiling Fans
Another great upgrade that you may want to consider for your home is smart ceiling fans. They integrate alongside your HVAC system to help better optimize your comfort level while at home. The fans will turn on whenever you walk into the room. You can then enjoy a comfortable breeze during the hot summer season without having to turn down the temperature on your thermostat. Consider installing these smart ceiling fans in all the main rooms of your home for optimal energy efficiency and overall convenience.
GFCI Outlets
If your home was built before the 1980s, it's completely possible that you may not have any GFCI outlets. These are specific outlets that are designed to react very quickly to prevent issues like electrical shock when the outlet encounters water. It's standard practice to have GFCI outlets installed in all your high moisture rooms, like your bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry room, and on the exterior of your home. If your home doesn't have GFCI outlets, then they're a necessary electrical upgrade that you need to invest in for your overall safety.
Backup Generator
No one likes dealing with power outages, especially when they happen overnight. Not only does it kill the lighting from your home, but it also stops your heating and cooling system from functioning. One of the best ways to help prevent dealing with power surges is to invest in your own backup generator. Unlike traditional generators, these backup generators permanently stay on the exterior of your home and will automatically turn on whenever they sense that your local power grid has failed.
More Outlets
Another problem that many homeowners face with older homes is that they simply don't have enough electric wall outlets. It can be frustrating if you're relying on a bunch of power strips or multi-outlet tools to run all your devices. Since you're going to be upgrading your home, it's a good idea to go ahead and add more outlets to each of the rooms that you know you need them in. It's ideal to try and anticipate not only your electrical needs right now but your future needs as well.
Smart Panel Box
If you're going to have any rewiring done to your home, then one of our electricians will have to work in your panel box to remove the old wiring and put new wiring in. During this time, it can be a good idea to update your panel box so it's new and matches the age of your wiring. A great option when it comes to upgrading your panel box is to go with a smart panel box. This integrates smart technology that helps you better monitor and control your panel box from your smartphone. You can easily see your energy usage for each electrical circuit, be informed when a power outage happens, and even turn electrical circuits on and off from the convenience of your smartphone.
EV Charging Station
There's no doubt that more people are opting for electric vehicles as the years go by. If you're thinking that you may want to invest in an electric vehicle in the future, then you should consider installing an EV charging station on your list of electrical upgrades. This will ensure that you have enough power going into your breaker panel so that you can power the charging station without having to upgrade in the future.
Smart Home Lighting
If you're going to be putting new lighting in your home, you may want to consider putting in smart lighting. This setup typically uses LED lighting that can be controlled via your smart home hub. This can be super convenient when it comes to turning on and off light switches without having to physically get up and do it. You can simply use your voice command through your smart home hub to turn your lights on or off, change their color, or even set them to a dimmer mode.
Helpful Electrical Upgrade Service
Mister Sparky® offers helpful electrical upgrade service to the Amarillo, TX community. We're also here for all your electrical repair and inspection needs. Simply call our friendly staff today to book your next service appointment with one of our licensed electricians.
