Electrical- Advantages of 200 amps vs. 125 amp panel?

Question

Hi,
I need to install an electrical panel for my house. I am getting mixed information. I have been told that I need a 200 amp panel, and I have also been told I only need a 125 amp panel. What advantages would I have by putting in a 200 amp panel, besides be able to add circuits later. It seems like overkill to me. Thanks for your time.

pb4sc

Answer 1

The size of the electrical service for your house depends primarily on the loads that you have and any loads that you may plan to have in the future. If most of the major appliances in the house are gas (stove, oven, water heater, clothes dryer, air conditioner, forced air heater, hot tub/spa, etc) and the house is not a mansion, then 125 amps will usually do fine for most applications. If you do not plan to build a large shop with many large woodworking, welding, large air compressor, and metal machining tools, or add on a huge addition to the house, then 125 Amps should suffice. It will cost a little more for the 200 Amp electrical service(cost of panel, larger wire& conduit, etc.). If you plan to add more loads in the future, it would be most cost effective to install the 200 amp panel now, rather than to have to change it later. Some people feel that it adds to the value of your home to have the larger service installed(the vast majority of these folks never come anywhere near using 200amps unless the house is all electric). Most people these days tend to opt for the larger service just to allow for future use. I am an electrician and I have been doing electrical work for over 20 years, and I have wired many homes that have 100 amp or 125 amp services. My home has a 100 amp service and has never had a problem. I would need more info about the major electrical loads in your home to give you a more precise answer. The NEC (National Electrical Code) section 220 provides methods for calculating the service sizes(Simply adding up the total of the amp ratings of circuit breakers in the panel is Not the correct method). Also, panels (100a, 125a, 200a, etc.) do come in varying sizes (# of openings for circuit breakers), so you would not necessarily be limited by a 125 amp panel. I would recommend that you get bids on both the 125 amp and 200 amp panels. Talk to your electrical contractor to see what they recommend, and then make your decision. When in doubt, too big is better than too small. Good Luck!!

Answer 2

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RE:
Electrical- Advantages of 200 amps vs. 125 amp panel?
Hi,
I need to install an electrical panel for my house. I am getting mixed information. I have been told that I need a 200 amp panel, and I have also been told I only need a 125 amp panel. What advantages would I have by putting in a 200 amp panel, besides be able to add circuits later. ...

Answer 3

Depends on how flexible you want to be in the future with machines and electronics that you may decide on for your home 2, 5, 10 or 20 years from now. Used to be gramma washed clothes by hand and dried them on the line and a family could get by with a 60 amp panel with glass fuses, but those days are long past. An electic water heater uses 30 amps, an electric dryer another 30, an electic range can use up to 50 amps for a couple of burners and the oven. You're already over 100 amps and we're only talking about 3 units. By the time you figure in the lighting, heating, entertainment electronics, etc, etc, you may find that 200 amps is just barely enough. Besides it doesn't cost any more to bolt up a 200 amp panel than a 125 amp panel, just the cost of the panel.

Answer 4

I would recommend putting in a 200 amp service in. In the end it will be better, not only for future improvements, but it will make it a lot easier to sell your house, if the time ever comes. Corky is giving you no useful information at all. In nearly every house with a 200amp service there are way more than 200 amps worth of circuits in the house, but they aren't all used at the same time. Go look at the panel in your house Corky, and add up all of the breakers and compare that to the main at the top.
Anyway, other than clearing up bad information, just put in a 200 amp service if possible.
It will cost more for wire and labor if you hire someone because you will most likely have to run different wire from the meter to the panel and depending on what the power company will charge you if they have to change anything, but it will be worth the cost in the end.

Answer 5

There are two ways to approach your plan. What is the square footage of your home. Do you desire to add circuits in your home. Using your 125 amp. panel it's perfectly OK. to add others, locate other smaller ones (60 AMP) in your cellar directly beneath a kitchen, living room or any area that needs added breaker space. simply run a appropriate gage wire from the existing breaker panel to a secondary panel located where you'd like to add circuits. This eliminates miles of unnecessary wire in your cellar. Kitchens are a good example. New codes require many individual electrical lines to kitchen appliances which draw high amperage. One each for a garbage disposal, refrigerator, Microwave, dishwasher. Circuits That are required to carry high amps. Blowers on forced air heat. You may combine kitchen counter top outlets However outlets on other walls may be combined independent of the counter top outlets. Lighting is another matter. Ceiling lamps and fans can be safely combined. A blower on top of a range can be combined. If your stretching your limitations, a 200 amp. panel is best. You can add an electric welder in your garage. Wire your 220 volt submersible water pump seperately, run underground wire to a seperated garage or a pole barns, swimming pool pumps, outside lighting poles, remote water heaters. The 200 service entrance is required to be grounded by two six foot metal poles impast hammered into the ground near the basement wall. If you go with the 200 amp service the electrician can seperate circuits on the fly.

Answer 6

125 Amp Breaker

Answer 7

we just upgraded from 60 amp to 100amp. my electrician asked if we would be running two major things at any given time.. ie. an arc welder and a table saw. no. therefore, 200 amp was unneccessary.
off 100 amp service, we run the entire house, and hot tub. still room to grow.
if you plan to build a grage or something or have an excessive need for energy.... then go 200, otherwise 100 should be good.

Answer 8

Without question 200 Amp. If you can't afford it, then wait til you can before upgrading the panel.
All things being equal, the 200 amp panel will increase your resale value down the road.

Answer 9

it mite seem like over kill now but when you want to remodel parts of the house later or add things you will end up doing it again and increasing to a 200 amp service. the question you should be asking your self is if you are increasing the size of the panel now why not leave room for future? is the price that mutch higher?

Answer 10

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If your friend is actually competent enough to do it, you need a HOMEOWNERS permit. It basically means that you are doing the work but it's perfectly okay for your friend to do it. Usually an inspector will be a little more critical with a homeowners permit, so make sure he knows exactly what hes doing. He does not need a license. I know electricians that are 20 year veterans, and are brilliant ,that are not licensed. If he works for an electrical contractor that is licensed, he has no use for one.