The More Power the Better

Harry Truman once made a comment about fully equipped armed forces, saying something like, “If we’ve got ’em, then we won’t have to use ’em.” He figured the more power the country had, the more of a deterrent it would be to future aggressors (if only he’d been right). He was on to something about power, though: It’s better to have plenty of it than to not have enough. The same is true with your electrical system. There is nothing wasteful or ecologically sinful about having a minimum 200-amp service in your house. No one says you have to use all that electricity all the time or even ever.

Heed the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared! None of us knows what the future will bring, except maybe dial-up psychics: They know your call will bring them $2.95 a minute. Everything else is a roll of the dice. You might add a second story to your house, set up a woodworking shop in the basement, or double the size of your kitchen. You even could add a casino extension off your garage if your state legislature decides that home-based gambling operations are more in keeping with its ideas about family values. Any and all of these possibilities require electric power. If you’re replacing your current system, think more rather than less because, in this case, less is definitely not more.