A lot (if not all) homeowners and building owners have heard about electrical panels, but not many know what they are exactly or what they do. So, in today’s post, we are going to discuss a little about electrical panels, what they do, their benefits, and the different types of electrical panels.
Let’s get started.
What Are Electrical Panels? What Do They Do?
An electrical panel often referred to as a service panel, panel board, distribution board, breaker box, or circuit box in general is a service box containing an array of circuit breakers that regulate the amount of power going through each electrical circuit throughout your building. This regulation is done to protect circuits from overload and also to help prevent against serious fire hazards.
Electrical panels act as the primary distribution point for all electrical circuits. This means they are responsible for the organisation and distribution of electricity throughout your factories, offices, or homes.
Benefits Of Electrical Panels
From the power lines outside, live power is constantly flowing into your building, which if not properly regulated could lead to certain harmful issues like power surges, fire outbreaks, and other electrical hazards which could endanger human lives, appliances, and even your property.
Electrical panels provide a level of security to your plant, home, or office by bearing the brunt of the electrical surge, ensuring that a safe amount of electricity is running through your building at any given time.
Types Of Electrical Panel
Now that we know what electrical panels are, what they do, and their benefits, it’s time to take a look at the different types of electrical panels that you might come across from time to time.
Main Breaker Panel
The main breaker panel is the main point from which electricity flows into the building and breaks off into separate branch circuits to power everything in a building. It is the main electrical panel you’ll find in most buildings and it houses the neutral and ground busbars, designed to prevent circuits from overheating.
Main Lug Panel
The main lug panel is similar to the main breaker panel, but without a main breaker. Instead, the line wires run directly into a lug connector. This way, if there’s an emergency, you have a separate disconnect that can be used to shut off power.
Sub Panels
Is there a need for multiple circuits in a specific area in a building? Sub panels are a perfect match. Sub panels are designed to give homeowners and building owners increased flexibility of electrical systems, allowing adjustment of electricity distribution. They do not have any disconnects and are powered by a main panel through a circuit.
Transfer Switches
Transfer switches are used to switch a building from utility power to a backup power source. They are a type of sub-panel typically used when your home or office has an alternate power source wired directly into the electrical system. There are 2 main types of transfer switch: automatic and manual transfer switches.
- Automatic: automatic transfer switches automatically turn on the backup generator and switches the electrical system to the backup power source when power goes out.
- Manual: for a manual transfer switch, you’ll have to manually turn on the backup generator and also operate the switch by hand to switch the electrical system.
How can Emobella Engineering help?
You’d be amazed at how the right electrical panel can dramatically improve the value and appearance of any factory, office or home. Whether you need new electrical panels or are planning to upgrade the current panels in your building, it is important to ensure that you have the right set of engineers with good working knowledge and experience to help you analyse and design what’s best for your processes and facilities. We have a team of competent engineers and technicians that are readily available to design, install, or upgrade your electrical panels from start to finish without hassle to completely suit your needs.
To schedule an electrical panel installation or upgrade, call Emobella Engineering at +234013422838 or schedule a free consultation online today!
