Should I get a 100amp service or a 200amp service Electric Panel?

The question is, should I get 100 amps or 200 amps for my Electric Panel? This question often arises when a Home Owner is considering upgrading the Electrical System. My take is the more is the better. The world is getting more and more technologically oriented, hence I would suggest if you are upgrading a system go for the 200amps. Being a Greater Los Angeles Realtor, I see homes that have even 300 to 400 amps now days.

Keep in mind, I grew up with “fuse boxes” I remember when my mother was drying her hair and she would “blow a fuse”, then my father had to get the flashlight and go in the basement and replace the “blown fuse”. Now clearly the house where we lived was on a 60 amps system. Keep in mind that was in the early 1960’s, because of this advice you will not have childhood memories like I just described.

Some people are Engineers and they do Electrical Calculations to determine what you need. My take is different, first if you have more now, then you do not need to worry down the road if you have enough. I find that as time goes by we keep adding more and more electronic equipment, it is just our nature.

So with that said, my advice is for the small price difference today get the bigger amps. The labor costs are virtually identical so chances are if you did not do it now, it will cost you a lot more if you have to do it in a few years down the road.

Also my advice is to use a licensed and bonded electrician and have him pull the permits. First the odds will be in your favor that it will be done correctly, second if you ever decide to sell your home at least you can be assured that it will be a positive vs. a negative when the home inspector identifies that the electrical update was done correctly and with proper permits.

Since I am a Greater Los Angeles Realtor, I often watch the reaction of the buyer’s faces when the home inspector announces that the Electrical Panel looks like it was recently updated, the reaction is smiles and reassuring. On the other hand when the opposite is announced there is a nervous concern and you can see the buyers are calculating what additional costs they will be incurring. Trust me they think it is twice as expensive as it really is, hence it adds another layer of doubt into the purchase process.

If you are considering buying or selling a home, a luxury home, luxury investment real estate, luxury vacation homes, or luxury beach properties in Southern California, Los Angeles, Century City, Westwood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Venice or Malibu, feel free to contact me at 310.486.1002 or homes@endrebarath.com or visit one of my websites  at  https://www.endrebarath.com. I am a pet friendly realtor and I contribute a portion of my commissions to local animal rescue organizations