Do You Need to Replace the Existing Circuits?

Installing a new 200-amp service panel in an older, two-story house, replacing all the existing circuits, and adding new ones to bring the entire system up to code—all this is an expensive proposition. The service alone can cost roughly $1,800 to $2,000. You can easily spend four times that amount wiring the house, depending on its size and the complexity of the new system. I hesitate to quote figures because every house is different, as are local labor rates, but an electrician can give you a ballpark figure, which is subject to change when an actual estimate is drawn up. Some people will replace and upgrade just to be on the safe side, while others should replace and upgrade. The following are signs that you should consider changing your electrical system:

• An undersized service (60 to 100 amps for a large, two-story, all-electric house)
• An insufficient number of circuits
• Too few receptacles and switch-controlled lights
• A lack of GFCIs
• Overloaded circuits with fuses that burn out regularly
• Frayed or deteriorated insulation on your current wiring Too often, homeowners ignore the basic mechanics of a house (electrical, plumbing, and heating/air conditioning) when remodeling and pay too much attention to aesthetics, such as cabinetry, painting, and floor finishes.

It’s easy to understand why: These are characteristics we see day after day. No one sees the new, modern, sheathed cable running through the walls to equally new grounded outlets, all of which are nicely distributed on properly sized circuits. I can’t begin to count the number of older homes I’ve been in that were beautifully redecorated but still only had one or two receptacles—and old receptacles at that—per room. There’s no excuse for living in an underpowered house as we begin the twenty-first century.