Do you notice your circuit breaker tripping regularly at home when you’re using multiple appliances such as air conditioning, washing machines etc.? Or maybe you regularly notice the lights flickering? It’s a really common problem, especially at this time of year, when we may be putting an increasing load on older circuits with all our power-guzzling modern appliances. Whatever the reason, if you’ve noticed that your power isn’t performing as well as it used to, it might be time to upgrade your electrical switchboard.

In fact, many of the older homes in Brisbane still have old fuse-style electrical switchboards which are particularly dangerous and also don’t meet the AS3000 Australian Standards. Did you know, for example, that older switchboards and fuses are a major cause of house fires?

If your property is over 20 years old and hasn’t had a switchboard upgrade in that time, there is a distinct possibility that it still has the old ceramic fuses and not the current circuit breakers. And when you consider the differences in our electrical needs and the volume of appliances we use compared with 20 years ago, you’ll realise that upgrading your electrical switchboard makes sense not only from an energy efficiency perspective but also a safety one, too!

So here are our top 3 reasons for upgrading your electrical switchboard:

1. Safety
   At Unified Electrical we take electrical safety very seriously. Older switchboards and fuse-style switchboards don’t offer nearly the same protection as modern electrical switchboards, leaving a home more prone to a fire.
   What’s more, new switchboards are fitted with safety switches which effectively isolate & control surges in the electrical circuit and are designed to protect people from electrocution and serious electrical injury. You can read more about the benefits of a safety switch in our last blog post.
2. Consistency and Efficiency
   Older homes aren’t designed to supply power to the volume of appliances that we use today. As your switchboard has great control over the functionality of other power sources in your home, upgrading your electrical switchboard means you can enjoy a consistent power supply both now and as you add new appliances to your home.
   The switchboard is the control panel for all electricity that passes through your home, so it’s vital that it is performing at optimum levels at all times.
3. Greater flexibility
   An electrical switchboard upgrade ensures you can accommodate the extra power demand of all the appliances currently in your property as well as the future electrical needs. A switchboard upgrade allows you to use more electrical devices at the same time including more power-hungry’ appliances, which are considered a necessity for many family homes and businesses.