Your home’s electrical system supplies electricity to lights, appliances, and other devices through switches and outlets. A service panel is a central distribution point located near your electric meter that is equipped with breakers or fuses that shut off power to certain circuits when an electrical problem occurs.
Load Size
The load capacity of your home’s electrical system determines how much current it can handle. Several years ago, most homes were designed to draw up to 100 amps of current, enough to operate most appliances and light fixtures. However, as more luxuries have been added to your home and its use expanded, many houses now require a higher capacity.
Electrical Service Entry Cable Capacity
The wires connected to your house’s main electrical service enter the property from a subpanel and run through a conduit. The conduit is usually made of hollow tubing, which helps transport the wire from one connection point to another.
In residential properties, the wires carry 120-volt electricity. The two hot wires are wrapped in black rubber and connected directly to the building or home, while a neutral wire is connected to the grounding rod.
The neutral wire returns power to the service panel through a breaker, and the hot wire travels from the service panel to home appliances and returns to the main panel through a breaker. The breaker in the service panel should be labeled with an amperage rating to help homeowners understand how much power the breaker can handle.