December 16, 2022
Dianne Russel
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The electrical panel is the starting point for the electrical installation of your entire home. It plays a vital role in the distribution of electricity and the protection of all appliances and occupants in your property. There are many different sizes of electrical panels and choosing the size of your box is not to be taken lightly. Find out how you should size your electrical panel to fit your home.
Here are the main elements that make up an electrical panel:
- The circuit breaker: it protects the entire electrical circuit 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 old electrical boxes. Its main advantage is that it can be reset after the current has been cut off without having to be replaced, unlike the fuse;
- The differential switch: it is used to protect each circuit from electric shocks. Basically, you need several differential switches to fully protect all the circuits in the house. It isolates the circuit where the problem comes from and prevents the others from being affected;
- The lightning arrester: as its name indicates, the lightning arrester will protect the electrical installation of your house from a possible electric shock caused by lightning during the rainy season;
- Other elements: these are non-mandatory elements that can help you save electricity and optimize your comfort in the house. For example, the electrical load shedder will automatically manage your power needs. The off-peak contactor will only operate certain appliances during off-peak hours.
The electrical panel is undoubtedly the most important element of your electrical installation, since it represents the heart that distributes the power throughout the house. It also plays the role of protecting the occupants and the electrical appliances, since it contains the circuit breakers, the lightning arrester and other components dedicated to protect the property.
Because of its importance, there are strict safety standards that an electrical panel must meet. 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 is also forbidden to undersize an electrical panel because of the dangers it would represent if you use appliances that are too powerful. On the other hand, it is possible to oversize your panel in order to anticipate future needs according to the evolution of the appliances in your home.
The choice of the electrical panel lies in the model of box or enclosure you wish to use. Generally, you have the choice between 2 options: a box to equip and a pre-equipped box.
As the name suggests, the electrical panel to be fitted is completely empty, where only the connection terminals, namely neutral, phase and neutral, are present. You must choose all the elements that will constitute the panel and buy them separately before asking a professional to proceed with the assembly.
In this second type of box, many essential elements are already present, such as circuit breakers and differential switches. This makes installation easier, since all you have to do is plug in the devices and add the modules you want.
The size of an electrical panel depends primarily on the size of your home and the appliances you want to use throughout your home. You should also anticipate the future and opt for a large enough panel that can accommodate additional modules if the need arises.
Here's how big your electrical box should be based on the size of your home:
- For a small dwelling, i.e. a house of type T1 or T2 of surface of less than 35 m ², a table equipped with 2 rows is enough;
- For a medium-sized dwelling of type T3 to T5 with a surface area of between 35 m² and 100 m², an electrical box with 3 rows is necessary;
- Finally, for a large house of type T5 or T6 with a surface exceeding 100 m², it will be necessary to have an electric panel, at least with 4 rows. It will be possible to add an extension if the need arises.
It is often difficult to find a suitable location for your electrical panel, given its lack of aesthetics and the clutter it causes. In order to better integrate it into your interior, you have the choice between 2 solutions. The first is to choose an electrical box with a door to hide the rows of devices.
The second is to use a recessed electrical panel that will be totally discreet and blend in perfectly with your home's decor.
Once you have the right size electrical panel for your home and you have all the components that will make it up, all that remains is for you to install it. It is 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 a particular skill, experience and specific equipment.
Any mistakes can lead to serious problems in the future or reduce the longevity of the panel and existing circuits. In addition, you may want to seek professional help in determining the size of your panel and in purchasing the components that will make up your panel for maximum safety.
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