Your electrical panel is the heart of your home. Every light, outlet, and appliance runs through it. Many homes across Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and the rest of Hampton Roads were built when a house needed far less power than it does today. Central air, bigger kitchens, home offices, and electric vehicles all add up, and an older panel can struggle to keep up.
Panel upgrades are one of the most common jobs our licensed electricians do. Here are the seven signs we see most often.
1. Your breakers trip all the time
A breaker that trips once in a while is doing its job. A breaker that trips every time you run the microwave and the hair dryer at the same time is telling you the circuit, or the whole panel, is overloaded. Constantly resetting breakers is a sign your home has outgrown its electrical system.
2. You still have a fuse box
Fuse boxes were standard decades ago, and you will still find them in older homes in neighborhoods like Ghent, Park View, and South Norfolk. Fuses can work, but they were not designed for modern power demands. Some insurance companies also charge more for, or hesitate to cover, homes that still have one.
3. Your home has 100-amp service (or less)
Many older homes have 60-amp or 100-amp service. That was plenty when the house was built. Today, most families are better served by 200 amps, which leaves room for central air, a modern kitchen, a hot tub, and an EV charger without overloading the system.
4. Your lights flicker or dim
If your lights dim when the HVAC kicks on or the dryer starts, your panel may not be delivering enough power to handle everything at once. Flickering in several rooms can also point to loose connections, which should always be checked by an electrician.
5. The panel is warm, buzzing, rusty, or scorched
Your panel should never feel hot, make buzzing or crackling sounds, or show burn marks. Rust is common in Hampton Roads because of our humidity and coastal air, and corrosion inside a panel can lead to poor connections and overheating. Any of these signs means it is time to call an electrician.
6. You have a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or other outdated panel
Some panel brands from past decades, including Federal Pacific Electric (Stab-Lok) and Zinsco, have well-known problems with breakers that may not trip when they should. If you open your panel door and see one of those names, we recommend having it evaluated and replaced.
7. You are adding something big
Planning to add an EV charger, a whole-home generator, a hot tub, a workshop, or an addition? These often need more capacity than an older panel can provide. Upgrading the panel first makes everything else go smoothly.
What happens during a panel upgrade?
For most homes, a panel upgrade is completed in a single day. Here is what to expect when you work with TC Electric:
- Free estimate. We look at your current panel, your home, and your plans, then give you a clear, upfront price.
- Permit and scheduling. We pull the permit with your city and coordinate with Dominion Energy for the disconnect and reconnect.
- Installation. Your power will be off for part of the day while we remove the old panel and install the new one, label every circuit, and add whole-home surge protection, which the National Electrical Code requires when a service is replaced.
- Inspection and walkthrough. The city inspects the work, and we walk you through your new panel.
Is it time for your upgrade?
If any of these signs sound familiar, a quick visit can tell you where your system stands. Learn more about our panel upgrade service, or see how we help homeowners in Chesapeake and Norfolk.
Ready to talk it through? Call TC Electric at (757) 977-4827 or request a free estimate. Our licensed, family-owned team serves Chesapeake and all of Hampton Roads.
