Working from home has become the norm. And at first, while a lot of people thought that this was going to be a short-term solution, not only has it continued, but many workers aren’t sure they want to go back to the office. There are many benefits to working from home. For many, it is easier to make client calls, there are fewer distractions, and work from home makes it more convenient to take care of children and your home. Plus, no commuting can save both money and time. But not everything is easier at home. For decades, electricians have been designing offices to handle the electrical load needed to maintain a productive office space. Meanwhile, most homes (especially older ones) were not designed with things like video conferencing in mind.
Understanding Home Electrical Circuits
Depending on the size of your home, you may have a few separate electrical circuits. When you go to your circuit board, you can see how many individual circuits you have. Depending on the age of your home, you may notice less circuits. This is because older homes didn’t have the electrical appliances we have now. Electricians may have divided a home based on floors for example. Throughout the history of homeownership, the two rooms in the house that were most important to consider were the kitchen and the laundry room. These appliances used to be the biggest electrical loads on a circuit. But now, your home office could be a contender.
Why Your Home Office Needs a Dedicated Computer Circuit
Printers, computers, monitors, and other home office equipment shouldn’t be sharing a circuit with other appliances. If you currently have an extension strip under a random outlet in your home with 5-10 appliances hooked in, this could cause a problem down the road. You are potentially at risk of overloading your circuit. Homes over 10 years old should consider a dedicated computer circuit. If your breaker trips frequently while you are working at home, you might need a panel upgrade.
Do I Need To Upgrade My Home’s Electrical Panel?
While circuit breakers are a good protection against overloading a circuit, they are not a failsafe. If your breaker trips often, especially when you are working on your computer and the A/C is on or another kitchen appliance is on, this could cause risks in the future. An overloaded circuit is a sign that your electrical panel needs to be upgraded.
Home Office Electrical Services in Greater Boston
If you are splitting your time between the home office and your Boston office, we would be happy to help you improve your home office set up. From upgrading panels, to installing dedicated circuits, to simply adding new light switches and outlets, we want to make sure your home office is safe and effective. Give us a call today for more information.