The electric panel is the heart of any electric service. As our demand for electricity increases, so too does the need for electrical panels capable of handling this additional power. APower’s electricians will evaluate the safety and capacity of your electric panel, and to upgrade your panel to ensure your home or business can meet these additional demands. About Your Electric Panel

Meter / Mast

The electric meter and mast work to bring electricity to your home. Want to know how it works? When an electrical utility generates power, the electricity is transmitted to your home through wires. Next, the mast helps to create a connection point with your home with above ground or below ground wires. Once a power connection exists to your home, the meter measures how much electricity is consumed.

Ensuring that the mast and meter are working properly and meet specific regulations is crucial. This type of work is complex and dangerous and requires a professional. APower has vast experience repairing and replacing mast and meter systems to guarantee that power is making its way to your home safely and efficiently. We provide the following mast and meter services:

Ensure that electricity from the utility is connected to your home.
Maintain a safe and efficient connection to the utility electrical source.
Comply with code regulations pertaining to conductor wiring.

Sub Panels

Sub panels are small panels used to distribute electricity to specific parts of your home, a new addition to your home, or even another structure such as a garage or workshop. Sub panels offer a safe solution when all of the breaker slots in the main service panel are filled by shouldering some of the power burden by supplying power to lights, outlets and appliance circuits.

Extend power to specific parts of a home or even another building.
Can be installed in a different room or building than the main service panel.
Promotes safety and prevents crowding of main service panel breaker box.

Arc Fault Circuit Breakers

Arc faults are unintended electrical arcs that produce high, intense heat, creating a fire hazard. Arc Fault Circuit Interruptor (AFCI) Breakers are equipped to detect and protect your circuits and devices from these dangerous arc faults.

Prevent your wiring against arcing
Prevent fire hazards

Grounding

Grounding prevents short circuits or sparks that can lead to catastrophic electrical fires. A comprehensive grounding system provides a pathway for an electrical current to return to “ground” if it ever deviates from the electrical wiring, and prevents hot currents from running through wood, piping, or other combustible materials. Grounding is vital in older homes because most don’t have a grounding system installed, or use outdated materials other than bare copper.

Better protect against short circuits, sparking and fires
Gain peace of mind, while promoting safety

Whole House Surge Protection

APower suggests a two-tiered surge protection system, consisting of of a whole house surge protection device installed at the electrical panel, and a quality plug-in surge protective device on individual outlets to provide additional protection.

Protect your electrical system against lightning strikes
Avoid damage to electronics, appliances and systems from power surges
Lifetime manufacturer’s warranty on most systems

Maintenance Schedule

Because a home’s electrical system hidden behind walls, people often mistakenly believe that it does not require ongoing preventative maintenance. However, preventative maintenance is important in promoting the health of a home’s electrical system. Regular inspections can often extend the lifespan of key components, promote safety, and protect the valuable appliances, equipment, and devices that consume electricity in your home.

Proactively address issues before they become problems
Ensure safety and reduce failure rate of key electrical components
Improve energy efficiency while protecting electronic equipment, appliances and devices

Electrical Mapping

Identifying the source of an electrical problem can be frustrating and downright time consuming without a map of your electrical system. APower strongly recommends that every home have an electrical map. This map is a valuable tool which identifies circuits for the electrical locations throughout your home, and can reveal load issues that may be present on existing circuits. . About Electrical Mapping

Understand your electrical system’s layout
Easily identify a tripped breaker
Identify electrical problems quickly
Ensure your electrical system is safely able to meet your demands

Is Your Electric Panel as Safe as it Should Be?

The electric panel is the heart of any electric service whether in a residential, commercial or industrial building. Although there are two major categories of electric panels, fuse boxes and breaker boxes, they are both designed to do essentially the same thing – interrupt the flow of electricity in the event of an overloaded or shorted circuit. The most significant differences in these two types of electric panels, however, are how they protect your electric service and the devices plugged into it and the level of protection the fuses or breakers within the panels are able to provide. One of the biggest problems regarding electric panels today is that most homeowners and business owners assume their electric panels are safe. However, a number of recent studies have found that a disturbing number of electric panels are unsafe.

Outdated and Inadequate Electrical Panels

Over the past 130 years the use of electric power in homes and businesses has grown dramatically. Once used only to power low wattage electric lights, today not only do the majority of the items in our homes and businesses rely on electricity, they also use more electricity than ever before. As our demand for electricity increases, so too does the need for electrical panels capable of handling this additional power. Failure to upgrade the electrical panel of a home or business to meet these additional demands can result in disaster.

According to U.S. Census information, the average home is 40 years old. Over the years a number of improvements and regulations have helped to make electrical service safer. Electrical panels that contain fuses rather than circuit breakers are a red flag that the electrical service of a home or business may be outdated. Fuses started to be replaced with circuit breakers as early as the 1960’s and had all but been phased out by the early 1970’s. This means homes and businesses with electrical panels containing fuses may contain wiring that’s over 40 years old, which may not meet many of today’s electrical codes.

Even newer electrical panels that contain circuit breakers may not be as safe as they should be if they were installed prior to 2008. A new type of circuit breaker, the arc-fault circuit breaker, has helped make electrical service safer than ever. Arc-fault breakers not only disrupt the flow of electricity to circuits in the event of overloads and shorts, but also in the event of unintentional electrical arcs, which can cause electrical fires. Fuses and traditional circuit breakers simply don’t provide this added protection. Starting in 2008 the use of arc-fault breakers was mandated in electrical panels helping to protect homes and businesses from electrical fires.

Unsafe Electrical Panels

Another safety concern regarding the electrical panel in your home or business is the reliability of the electrical panel itself. One of the leading manufacturers of electrical panels in North America from the early 1950’s until the late 1980’s, Federal Pacific Electric Company (FPE), was recently accused of knowingly producing unsafe electric panels and circuit breakers for decades and never issued a recall according to an NBC investigation. FPE electrical panels and circuit breakers were used in a majority of homes built prior to 1990. Investigators estimate that these unsafe electrical panels and circuit breakers may be responsible for as many as 2,000 electrical fires nationwide each year.

Nothing is more important to the team at APower than your safety. Whether it is the safety of your electrical service in your home or at your business, you deserve the peace of mind of knowing it is safe and reliable. Our staff of experienced, knowledgeable and friendly electricians are licensed, insured and dedicated to making sure your electric service is as safe as it can be. APower can quickly and affordably evaluate your electrical panel and inform you of any potential issues. In addition, we will gladly answer any questions you may have regarding your electrical panel or electric service so you can rest assured knowing your electrical panel is as safe and reliable as possible. For more information or to schedule an electrical panel evaluation, contact APower today!

Panel Services

Panel Repair

Just like most things in your home your electrical panel is not immune to the need for repairs. Panel repairs can vary from simple and easy as resetting a breaker, to much more complex repairs like separation of circuitry or replacement of damaged items within the panel. The electrical panel is the heart of your home’s electrical service and it is crucial that all parts of your panel are in safe, working order. APower

Panel coming off the wall
Tripped breakers
Loose wires

Sub-Panels

Sub panels are smaller panels installed in your home to extend your power. A sub panel will not necessarily increase the available power in your home, instead a sub panel can be used when your main panel is full or when you need to bring power to a new location in your home.

When the main panel is “full” some of the circuits may be able to be relocated to a sub panel to allow for additional circuits to be added.
Sub panels are also helpful to bring power to a new location in your home and can sometimes be more cost effective than running new circuits to the main panel.

Panel Installation, Service Change, Service Upgrade

Panel installation, service change and service upgrade are all fairly interchangeable terms. Service changes and service upgrades both require the installation of a new, up to code panel. A service upgrade, however, includes the installation of a new panel and service along with upgrading your current service to a higher amperage.

Service changes and service upgrades both include the installation of a new panel, lever bypass meter, new or updated grounding, and basic labeling of the circuits within the new panel.
A service upgrade involves upgrading the current service size to a larger capacity to allow for more power availability to your home.

Upgrading from 100amp panel to 200-amp panel

Amperage is a unit of electrical current.
The typical standard home uses around 100 amp; but in larger homes or homes that have central AC or heat and the increase in the use of electric cars a 200 amp upgrade is needed.
The more amperage you have the more access you have to power things in your home.

Smart Panels

Smart panels are a great way to learn more about how the electricity in your home is being used. The Leviton Smart panel offers regular and smart breakers, and the smart breakers communicate electrical data about your home to you through an app. A smart panel is a fully customizable way to learn where you use the most power in your home and can help you to gain more control over your home.

You can remotely turn off a breaker, right from your smart phone.
Smart breakers can show you where you use the most power to help you become more energy efficient.

Permits

Electrical work performed by APower Electric Service is always completed at or above local and national code requirements. When the work requires it, APower will pull a permit with your local building department to have the work inspected by an electrical inspector.

APower is licensed with the State of Colorado as an electrical contractor, license number EC.8049 and also maintains current licensing in the following cities and counties:

Adams County, Arapahoe County, Arvada, Aurora, Boulder City and County, Brighton, Broomfield, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Commerce City, Denver, Douglas County, Englewood, Golden, Greenwood Village, Jefferson County, Lafayette, Lakewood, Littleton, Lone Tree, Louisville, Northglenn, Parker, Thornton, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge.
*If your city or county is not listed here but a nearby city or county is, electrical permits may be under state jurisdiction.

Dangers of not fixing/upgrading your Panel

Fire Hazard
Loose connections causing sparking and arching
Power loss
Tripping breakers that do not reset
Electrical shock from not being properly bonded and grounded
Obsolete panels where you can get replacement breakers
Some insurance companies will not renew your policy if the panel is a fire hazard

Frequently Asked Questions

When to replace an electrical panel?

When it is unsafe.
When it is overloaded.
When it is not working properly.
Sometimes when it gets too old.
Any combination of these.

When does a panel get overloaded?

The electrical panel in your home or business is overloaded when the maximum power draw from the combination of your circuits are pulling more power than what is available. There is an electrical calculation used to determine how much power can be drawn from the sum of your circuits to determine when your panel is within safe operating usage and when it is overloaded.

What size panel do I need?

The answer to this question is dependent on a few factors such as; the size of your home, your electrical “needs”, and what is available and allowed by your power provider. To ensure room for future growth, APower typically suggests installing at least a 200 amp panel in most homes.

How long does it take to replace a panel?

Typically, it takes one to two 8-hour days to replace a panel.

How long will I be without power?

When your panel is being replaced you can be without power for up to 8 hours. APower always makes sure your power is up and running by the end of the day. You will never be without power more than 8 hours when APower replaces your panel.

Watch an Electrical Panel Service Change in Action

Service Area

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Electrical Panel Repairs and Replacements in Denver Colorado The Heart of Any Electric Service

Meter / Mast

Ensure that electricity from the utility is connected to your home.

Maintain a safe and efficient connection to the utility electrical source.

Comply with code regulations pertaining to conductor wiring.

Sub Panels

Extend power to specific parts of a home or even another building.

Can be installed in a different room or building than the main service panel.

Promotes safety and prevents crowding of main service panel breaker box.

Arc Fault Circuit Breakers

Prevent your wiring against arcing

Prevent fire hazards

Grounding

Better protect against short circuits, sparking and fires

Gain peace of mind, while promoting safety

Whole House Surge Protection

Protect your electrical system against lightning strikes

Avoid damage to electronics, appliances and systems from power surges

Lifetime manufacturer’s warranty on most systems

Maintenance Schedule

Proactively address issues before they become problems

Ensure safety and reduce failure rate of key electrical components

Improve energy efficiency while protecting electronic equipment, appliances and devices

Electrical Mapping

Understand your electrical system’s layout

Easily identify a tripped breaker

Identify electrical problems quickly

Ensure your electrical system is safely able to meet your demands

Is Your Electric Panel as Safe as it Should Be?

Outdated and Inadequate Electrical Panels

Unsafe Electrical Panels

Panel Services

Panel Repair

Sub-Panels

Panel Installation, Service Change, Service Upgrade

Panel Installation, Service Change, Service Upgrade

Upgrading from 100amp panel to 200-amp panel

Smart Panels

Permits

Dangers of not fixing/upgrading your Panel

Frequently Asked Questions

When to replace an electrical panel?

When it is unsafe.

When it is overloaded.

When it is not working properly.

Sometimes when it gets too old.

Any combination of these.

When does a panel get overloaded?

What size panel do I need?

The answer to this question is dependent on a few factors such as; the size of your home, your electrical “needs”, and what is available and allowed by your power provider. To ensure room for future growth, APower typically suggests installing at least a 200 amp panel in most homes.

How long does it take to replace a panel?

Typically, it takes one to two 8-hour days to replace a panel.

How long will I be without power?

When your panel is being replaced you can be without power for up to 8 hours. APower always makes sure your power is up and running by the end of the day. You will never be without power more than 8 hours when APower replaces your panel.

Watch an Electrical Panel Service Change in Action

Our Favorite Power & Safety Projects

Panel, Meter and Mast Torn Off During Snow Storm

Broken Mast Repair Following Storm

Panel Caught on Fire

Service Area

Electrical Panel Repairs and Replacements in Denver Colorado
The Heart of Any Electric Service