An electrical panel is also called a load center. The distribution of power to the various circuits are protected from over-current by the use of circuit breakers or fuses.

An electrical panel (a.k.a. breaker panel) is a metal box with a door, usually built into a wall in an out-of-the-way corner of your home. Inside, you’ll find all your home’s breaker switches.

You can toggle breaker switches on and off. They’ll also shut off automatically when there’s too much electrical current running through them — that’s what they’re for.

Within the electrical panel, you’ll find a main circuit breaker that controls the power to the entire house. You’ll also see individual breakers, each responsible for providing the electricity to a specific part of your home. Each breaker should have a label that identifies the area of the house it controls.

Some older homes don’t have breakers; they have fuses instead. If you have a fuse box, you won’t see any switches on your electrical panel; you’ll see screw-in fuses. If your home still uses a fuse box, you may have difficulty getting insurance, or you may have to pay a higher rate. We’ll address fuses and home insurance further down the page.

The power to your home comes through an electrical meter outside, which routes power to your electrical panel. You can shut off this main feed of electricity using the main breaker in your electrical panel. Your main breaker also tells you the amperage of your electrical service (amperage is the strength of the electrical current).

Home electric services in Canada range from 60 to 400 amps. Most electrical codes mandate at least 100-amp service.

Home insurance providers are often interested in your home’s amperage. If it’s less than 100, you might need to update your system. Sub-100 amperage could make it difficult for you to find insurance for your home; at the very least, you’ll need to pay a higher rate.

Electrical panels are metal boxes, typically grey in colour. They’re usually embedded in a wall. Electrical panels have doors (or at least, they should). Behind the door, you’ll find an assortment of wires and switches — those switches are your breakers.

Electrical panels are normally in an out-of-the-way part of your home. Basements, storage rooms, laundry rooms, or garages are all common places to install an electrical panel. In older homes, you might even have to look outside the house to find your panel.

In apartments, the most common places to find the panel is right inside the unit near the entrance or in the bedroom, behind the door.

How does an electrical panel work?

Circuit breakers trip (that is, shut off) when the circuit is overloaded. They’re safety devices, meant to prevent damage to electrical devices or to the home itself. If the breaker didn’t trip and shut off the power, overloaded circuits could start fires or electrocute someone. Each breaker controls one circuit; each circuit usually corresponds to a room or an area of the house. Power-hungry devices like electric ranges or air conditioners might have their own breaker.

A breaker is designed to carry a certain electrical load; if the electrical load grows too large for the breaker, it shuts off. This happens if you have too many devices plugged into one circuit, for example.

There are assorted sizes of breakers depending on how much electricity they need to handle. Like the home’s electrical service, individual breakers are divided by what amperage they can handle. Breakers range from 15 to 200 amps; most are either 15, 20, or 30 amps, though.

Breakers also have voltage ratings; a single circuit breaker is normally provides 120 volts — the typical amount needed for lights, TVs, etc. A double circuit breaker is rated for 240 volts. This is for the big appliances that draw a lot of power, such as a stove or electric dryer. Large, power-hungry appliances like stoves or refrigerators should each have their own dedicated breaker.

When the breaker trips, all you need to do is flip the switch to reset it. In older homes with fuse boxes, you can’t just reset it; you need to replace the whole fuse if it blows.