How to Make Sense of an Electric Panel (And When to Upgrade)

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Posted December 12, 2025

Do you have a circuit breaker in your home that trips all the time for one reason or another? If so, you’re probably very familiar with the electric panel in your house.

You’ll need to go down to your electrical panel box whenever one of your circuit breakers trips. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use any electrical outlets that are connected to that specific circuit breaker.

As a homeowner, you should know where your house’s electric panel is located regardless of whether or not you ever have issues with it. You should also have a basic understanding of how it works and know what signs will suggest that it’s time to do an electric panel replacement.

Today, we’re going to talk at length about electrical panels so you can make sense of them. Then we’ll explain when to schedule an electric panel upgrade.

Continue reading to find out everything you need to know about electric panels.

What Is an Electric Panel?

An electric panel is a metal box with an electric panel cover on the front of it that holds every electrical circuit for your home. Each of the circuits inside of an electrical panel will control the electrical outlets in a different part of your home.

When an electric panel is first installed in a home, a good electrician will label every electric circuit in it so that you know what each of them does. You’ll want to leave most of these electric circuits on all the time, but you will have the power to turn them on and off as necessary if you’d like.

If one of the electrical outlets in your home starts using too much electricity at once, it will result in the electric circuit that it’s attached to tripping. When this circuit trips, electricity will stop flowing to this part of your home.

Electric circuits are designed to trip like this to prevent any damage from being done to them. It’ll also limit how much electricity can flow to a particular part of your home at one time.

Where Is an Electrical Panel Situated?

If you’ve lived in your current home for more than a little while now, there is a good chance that you already know where your electric panel is. But if you just moved into a new home not that long ago, you might need to poke around to find your electrical panel.

More often than not, electric panels will be located in garages or basements in single-family homes. But they might also be in utility closets, hallways, or even basements in some cases.

You’re going to want to be able to get access to your electrical panel ASAP in the event that an electric circuit trips. It’s why you should make sure you know exactly what it is when living in a home.

How Long Will an Electric Panel Last?

The electric panel plays a very important part in the overall well-being of your home. As a result, there is almost always going to be a strain on it, and this strain is going to cause your electrical panel to break down on you at some point.

The good news is that you shouldn’t have to worry about replacing an electric panel that’s on the newer side anytime soon. But you will need to do it after it’s been in place for between 25 and 40 years. That’s the average lifespan of an electrical panel.

You won’t want to let an electric panel linger around for too long beyond that. If you do, you could cause all sorts of electrical issues, and it could even put both your home and your safety at risk if you’re not careful.

Can an Electrical Panel Be Repaired?

If you ever sense that there might be something wrong with your home’s electric panel, you shouldn’t hesitate to call on an electrician to come out and look at it for you. There is a chance that they might be able to salvage it by making repairs.

More often than not, electrical panels that are in need of repairs will usually just need to be replaced. But if something as simple as a loose wire in your electric panel is causing problems, that can be fixed so that you can keep your panel around for a little longer.

Whatever the case, you shouldn’t ever put off having an electrician look at your electrical panel for any longer than you need to. It could prove to be catastrophic in some instances.

When Should You Perform an Electric Panel Replacement?

If your electric panel needs to be replaced, it’s likely going to let you know. You’ll be able to spot all sorts of signs that will indicate that it’s on its last legs.

Here are a handful of the signs that you’ll begin to see when your electrical panel is ready to give out on you:

• The circuit breakers in your panel keep tripping over and over again
• Your panel is beginning to rust
• There is a burning smell coming from your panel
• Your panel feels warm when you touch it
• You’ve added new appliances to your home, and your panel can’t keep up with them
• The lights in your house are flickering all the time

Some of these issues are going to be more serious than others. A burning smell, for example, could be a warning sign that will suggest your electric panel is on the verge of starting a fire.

But no matter how serious issues with your electrical panel seem to be, you shouldn’t delay having it looked at. It’ll be the only way to figure out what is going on with it so that you can have it repaired or replaced.

What Are the Benefits of Doing an Electric Panel Upgrade?

When you have an electric panel replacement done, you’re going to find that you’ll sleep so much better at night. You’ll love knowing that your house is going to be safer than it was before.

You’ll also appreciate the fact that having an electrical panel replacement performed will provide you with a long list of benefits. Read through some of the biggest benefits of upgrading your electric panel below:

• Your home’s electrical panel will be 100% safe to use after you’ve had it replaced by a reputable electrician
• You won’t need to constantly turn your electric circuits back on after they trip when you have a new panel
• Your electric system will be up to code after your new panel is installed
• You won’t need to be worried about any damage being done to new appliances and electronics when you have a new panel

You might also be able to bring the value of your home up when you install a new electrical panel in place of your old one. It’s one more thing that makes it such a smart investment for all the homeowners out there.

How Much Does an Electrical Panel Replacement Cost?

If you know that your home needs a new electric panel, you shouldn’t let the cost of electrical panel replacement stop you from doing it. But you should be aware of the price you’re going to have to pay to pull off an electrical panel upgrade.

But on average, depending on which type of electrical panel you want to have installed and how much work will be involved in installing it. Your best bet is going to be to shop around for an electrician who can install an electric panel for you without breaking the bank. There are bound to be at least a few good options that will do wonderful work in your home for an affordable price.

Just try not to get too caught up on the cost of electrical panel replacement and hire the cheapest electrician you can find. They might not do a great job while installing your new panel, and it could come back to bite you later on.

Who Should You Trust to Replace an Electric Panel?

There isn’t any shortage of electricians in the U.S. as of 2023. There are well over 230,000 of them at last count, and that number always seems to be going up every year.

So, which electrician should you trust to work on your home’s electrical panel? There are some key qualities that you’ll want to look for in the company that you bring on board for your electric panel replacement project.

First and foremost, the electrician you hire should have a wealth of experience when it comes to providing residential electrical services. They should also have:

• Positive reviews from homeowners they’ve worked with in the past
• A variety of different types of electrical panels to choose from
• A schedule that will allow them to replace your electric panel as soon as possible

As we alluded to earlier, you’ll also want to locate an electrician that will be able to replace an electric panel for you without putting you in a position where you’ll have to spend a small fortune.

The very best electricians around will provide you with free quotes so that you know what a new electrical panel is going to cost them. They’ll also answer any and all questions you might have about your current electric panel and the one you want to replace it with.

Can You Attempt to Replace an Electrical Panel Yourself?

In an effort to save money, some homeowners will toss around the idea of possibly replacing an electric panel themselves. This is not, let us repeat, not the way you should approach the electrical panel replacement process.

The electric panel in your home is going to be receiving all the electricity that comes into it. Because of this, you will put yourself in harm’s way if you attempt to remove an old electrical panel and/or install a new one.

Unless you’re a licensed electrician yourself, you should leave electric panel replacements to the professionals. It’s the only way to prevent injuries and maybe even deaths stemming from a DIY electrical panel upgrade.

You might also do some serious damage to your home’s electrical system as a whole if you try to install a new electric panel on your own. You might make one little mistake that could affect this system for years to come.

You’ll get so much peace of mind by hiring an experienced electrician to work on your electrical panel versus trying to do it yourself. You’ll know that they got the job done right and that you can count on being able to use your new electric panel for the next several decades without a care in the world.

Call Us for All Your Electric Panel Needs

Has your home’s electric panel been causing problems for you in recent days? You should do something about it before the issues begin to get worse.

Hiller can set you up with the electrical panel repair and replacement services you need. We can help you pick out a brand-new electric panel for your house and put it into place so that you’re able to start making the most of it right away.

Contact us today to discover more about the importance of having a fully-functioning electrical panel in your home.

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