Residential, Cook Electric
Written by Larry Cook

Basics of Home Electrical Subpanels – Part 2

Part 2 will cover Electrical Subpanel Benefits and Savings During Construction.

Electrical Subpanel Benefits

The installation of an electrical subpanel for a home’s electrical system is performed for three typical reasons:

  • Efficiency
  • Convenience
  • Space

Subpanels are typically used for extending the wiring of several branch circuits to an area of a home or structure that is quite a distance away from the main service panel. Potential subpanel locations are garages, guest houses, and room additions.

A single feeder wire is run from the main service panel to a subpanel. From there, the power is distributed to several branch circuits supplying electricity to a specific home area or nearby structure. Similar to the main service panel, circuits from the sub-panel can provide electricity to light, outlet, or appliance circuits.

Situated in their service area, a subpanel’s circuits will be much more easily controlled because you won’t have to go to the main service panel that is located far away. In the case of a garage workshop, a power tool there might trip a circuit breaker now and then. The circuit breaker can be easily accessed and reset quickly if the garage is serviced by an electrical subpanel.

Installing a subpanel also adds circuits when every slot in the main service panel is already occupied. If a single 60-amp breaker is run to a sub-panel, the electricity it supplies can then be distributed into several smaller circuits.

Savings During Construction

A subpanel can allow home construction projects to save time, effort, and expenses by reducing the number of runs connected to the main service panel. It would be costly to run several individual circuits from a remote area on a residential property back to the main service panel. It’s far more economical to connect a single high-amperage circuit to a subpanel and create several smaller circuits for supplying electricity to a remote service area.

Electrical Peace of Mind

Providing professional electricians since 1988 in Maryland, Cook Electric is the company you can rely on for all your electrical service needs, including:

  • Commercial & Residential Electrical Installations
  • Marina & Residential Pier Wiring
  • Electrical Service & Repair
  • Specialty Electrical Services

For knowledgeable, fair, honest, reliable, and conscientious service, call Cook Electric today at (410) 266-9040. We will be very glad to help you.