Electrical Panel Upgrades in Arundel, Maine

Most Arundel houses are not old, but a lot of them are sized for a different era of energy use. A home built in the 1980s or 1990s, which describes about 35 percent of the town, often has a 100 or 150 amp panel that easily handled an oil boiler, a well pump and a clothes dryer. With about 62 percent of homes still on oil and roughly 22 percent on propane, the heat pump conversions that are now common elsewhere in Maine are just starting here. Each outdoor unit needs a 240-volt circuit, and adding two or three of them plus a heat pump water heater or a car charger can use up the spare capacity of a service that seemed generous when it went in.

An upgrade begins with a load calculation. From there it may mean moving to a 200 amp service, replacing a fuse box or an older Federal Pacific, Zinsco or Challenger panel, and adding whole-home surge protection. Arundel issues its own electrical permit, with fees that step up for services up to 100 amps and up to 200 amps, and electrical inspections need 48 hours' notice. The utility side depends on where you live: Kennebunk Light & Power District lists Arundel in its service area and takes temporary disconnect requests with 48 hours' lead time, while other homes are on Central Maine Power. Either way, Goodnow Electric schedules the disconnect and reconnect as part of the job.

Manufactured homes deserve their own mention, since about 15 percent of Arundel's housing is mobile homes. Many are fed from a meter and main disconnect on a post or pedestal beside the home, with a feeder running to a panel inside. When that pedestal equipment rusts, when the feeder is undersized, or when the interior panel is an original 100 amp unit, a heat pump or electric water heater can be more than it can carry. Upgrading the pedestal, the feeder and the interior panel together is usually the cleanest fix.