The electrical panel is the starting point for your entire home's electrical installation. It plays a key role in the distribution of electricity and the protection of all appliances and occupants in your property. There are many different sizes of electrical panel, and choosing the right size for your box is not something to be taken lightly. Find out how you should match the size of your electrical panel to the size of your home.

‍

What are the essential elements in an electrical box?

Here are the main components of an electrical panel:

• The breaker: protects all electrical circuits by cutting off the current in the event of a sudden and violent rise in current intensity, or when a short-circuit occurs. It replaces the fuse in older electrical boxes. Its main advantage is that, unlike a fuse, it simply needs to be reset after the current has been cut, without having to be replaced
• Residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB): used to protect each circuit from electric shock. Basically, you need several differential switches to fully protect all the circuits in your home. It isolates the circuit where the problem originates, and prevents other circuits from being affected
• The lightning protector: as its name suggests, the lightning protector will protect your home's electrical installation from a possible electrical shock caused by lightning during the rainy season;
• Other elements: these are non-mandatory elements that can help you save electricity and optimize your home comfort. For example, an electrical load-shedding device will automatically manage your power requirements. The off-peak contactor will only operate certain appliances during off-peak hours.

‍

How important is an electrical panel?

The electrical panel is undoubtedly the most important component of your electrical installation, since it represents the heart that distributes power throughout the house. It also plays the role of protecting occupants and electrical appliances, insofar as it houses circuit breakers, the lightning arrester and other components dedicated to protecting the property.‍Due to its importance, there are strict safety standards to which an electrical panel must conform.

For example, it must be large enough to accommodate the various components mentioned above. According to the NF C 15-100 standard, the enclosure must also have a minimum of 20% free space to allow for the evolution of the electrical installation through the addition of extra circuits.‍It's also forbidden to undersize an electrical panel because of the dangers this would represent if you use appliances that are too powerful. On the other hand, it is possible to oversize your panel to anticipate future needs as your home's appliances evolve.

‍

The different types of switchboards

The choice of electrical panel lies in the type of box or case you wish to use. Generally speaking, you can choose between 2 options: a box to be fitted and a pre-fitted box.

‍

The electrical box to be fitted

As the name suggests, the electrical panel to be fitted is entirely empty, with only the connection terminals - neutral, phase and neutral - present. You need to choose all the elements that will make up the panel and buy them separately before asking a professional to carry out the installation.

‍

The pre-fitted box

In this second type of box, many essential components are already present, such as circuit breakers and differential switches. All that's left to do is plug in the devices and add the modules you want.

‍

How to choose the size of an electrical panel?

The size of an electrical panel depends above all on the size of your home and the appliances you want to use throughout the house. You should also anticipate the future and opt for a large enough panel that can accommodate additional units if the need arises.

‍

Here's how big your electrical box should be, depending on the size of your home:

• For a small dwelling, i.e. a T1 or T2 type house with a surface area of less than 35 m², a panel with 2 rows is sufficient
• For a medium-sized dwelling of type T3 to T5 with a surface area between 35 m² and 100 m², an electrical box with 3 rows is necessary
• Finally, for a large T5 or T6 type house with a surface area exceeding 100 m², you'll need an electrical panel, at least with 4 rows. It will be possible to add an extension if the need arises‍

‍

How do you integrate your panel into your interior?

It's often tricky to find a suitable location for your electrical panel, given its lack of aesthetic appeal and the clutter it causes. To better integrate it into your interior, you can choose between 2 solutions. The first is to opt for an electrical box with a door to hide the rows of switchgear.

The second is to use a recessed electrical panel that will be totally discreet and blend in perfectly with the décor of your home.

‍

Installing your electrical panel

Once you've decided on the right size of electrical panel for your home, and you've got all the components you need, all that's left to do is install it. It's imperative that you leave this task in the hands of a specialized professional. Indeed, installing an electrical panel and making all the connections with your electrical circuits requires particular skill, experience and specific equipment.‍

Any mistake can lead to serious problems in the future, or reduce the longevity of the panel and existing circuits. What's more, you can call on a professional to determine the size of your panel and purchase the components that will make it up, for maximum safety.

‍

‍