Where would we be without electricity?
Wherever that is, it probably wouldn’t be pleasant. Just imagine not being able to cook, use household appliances, engage in leisure activities or work at all.
Yet despite its role in all facets of modern life, very few of us understand how it’s delivered and routed through your home or commercial property!
Today, that changes: because our commercial electrical contractors are running you through how your electrical system works.
Our electrical contractors answer your electrical FAQs
What is an electrical panel?
The first place electricity stops on your property after leaving the power line is the electrical panel.
While they come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes ranging from by the front door to a dedicated cabinet and even its very own electrical room, the one thing that’s consistent between electrical panels is what they do.
Your property’s electrical panel is responsible for receiving incoming electrical currents and routing them through your home, as well as protecting people and property from electrical shock, fire and other electrical hazards.
There are many parts to your main panel, like the power line, the neutral bus and more. The most important however are the breakers (more on that below).
What is an electrical subpanel?
The main panel isn’t the only panel in your property’s electrical system – while you don’t find them often in homes, in commercial properties, electrical sub-panels are a relatively common sight.
Functioning virtually identically to your main panel, sub-panels are used to distribute electrical currents from the main circuit to other circuits, as well as ensuring that overloads in one area don’t affect the entire property:
- Individual offices and shops
- Buildings on a property
- Different departments (eg: offices and manufacturing areas)
- Areas with different electrical needs
While it depends on the property, in most cases, the subpanel is installed near the area the subpanel services.
In some cases, subpanels might even be installed for specific energy-hungry appliances like air conditioning units – this is especially common in industries like manufacturing.
How does an electrical panel work?
At the top of your electrical panel will be the main switch, responsible for cutting off incoming currents in the event of electrical problems such as:
- Power surges
- Overloads
- Electrical faults
Below that however, there will be a row of other breakers for specific branch circuits.
Most properties use branch circuits for different sections of the property.
This is especially common in commercial properties – an office area might be on a different branch circuit from the operations area, and so-on.
Each of these has their own switch, ensuring that an electrical overload in one circuit doesn’t affect the rest of the property.
Depending on the size and complexity of your commercial property’s setup, you might even have a main panel with switches for all of your subpanels, and each of those might have their own branch circuits with their own rows of switches!
What are the different types of electrical panels?
We mentioned the differences between main panels and subpanels – while the most common however, those aren’t the only types of panel around.
On top of those two, there are also…
Fuse boxes
Before switches became common, circuit panels used fuses which would melt once the temperature (and therefore, current) got too high
Lug panels
Instead of a main breaker, these panels use a lug and a separate main breaker, allowing the power to be cut from outside in an emergency
Transfer circuits
Used to transfer power from backup sources like generators and solar batteries through your breaker panel – come in manual and automatic varieties
Depending on the size of the building, your main panel might be so large that it takes up a whole cabinet – in some cases, they can even require an entire dedicated room.
The exact setup and types of panels present depends on the electrical setup at your commercial property – whatever yours looks like however, you can trust our commercial electrical contractors to be able to work on it.
Where is the electrical panel in a house?
So far, we’ve talked mostly about panels in commercial properties – thankfully, in the vast majority of homes, the setup is much simpler.
In fact, most of the time, the biggest point of difference is its location:
- By the front door
- In the garage
- Outdoors in your side yard
- In the garden
In short, it’s probably somewhere out of the way – out of sight, out of mind, after all.
Wherever yours is located, our residential electricians can take a look at it.
How much should it cost to replace an electrical panel?
That depends: is the panel in question at your home, or in a commercial property?
While the exact cost will depend on the problem and the amount of time it takes, as a general rule, residential electrical panels tend to be quicker and cheaper to repair or replace.
With commercial panels specifically, it all comes down to how large your panel is. In small shops, the residential-style panel is common, making the costs fairly low.
For more specialised commercial properties like office buildings and factories however, the panel might take up an entire cabinet or even an entire room! In these cases, the cost of maintenance services and replacement can be much higher.
How do you wire an electrical subpanel?
The same way you wire a main panel!
While the purpose might be different, in terms of function, usually there isn’t much difference between your main panel and electrical subpanels.
In either case, our commercial electrician in Kingston and residential electricians can get the job done for you.
Does a subpanel need a main breaker?
While it isn’t mandatory (and most subpanels don’t have them), there’s nothing stopping you from installing a subpanel with a main breaker for added safety.
The reason it isn’t strictly required is because the purpose of a main break is to interrupt higher than average amperage load from outside, and protect the property.
Since the subpanel is already “down the chain” from your main panel however, it’s already protected. A subpanel with a main breaker, while not “wrong” is completely redundant!
What about outdoor circuits?
Since they’re exposed to the elements, outdoor circuits face a much higher risk.
Thankfully, there are things in place to ensure that this isn’t a problem.
When it comes to outdoor units, it’s crucial that outdoor plugs and sockets are protected by special ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs, for short).
Essentially, it’s a type of mini breaker that protects individual sockets.
Get help from a Master electrician!
Whether it’s replacing an old and outdated panel, data cabling in Melbourne for your new office setup or an emergency repair, our electrical specialists are here to help – just tell us what you need!
Bringing decades of experience – specifically, experience in commercial electrical jobs – to the table, you can trust our team of commercial electrician in Beaumaris to get the job done, and to do it right.
What’s more, our fully licensed team aims to provide best-in-class customer service while we’re doing it!
Your business (and your home) are in good hands with our sparkies!
Get in touch today – give us a ring on 1300 410 141, or click here to get in touch online.