You’re sitting in your home, minding your own business—maybe reading or watching TV. Suddenly, your lights flicker. And we’re not just talking about one or two—we’re talking about the lights in a whole section of your home.
What’s going on? Is your house haunted?!
Probably not.
What’s likely going on in this scenario is that your electrical system is trying to tell you something—that it’s overwhelmed. This is a common sign of an outdated electrical panel. Homeowners in our area often don’t think about this, but we’ve been steadily increasing the demand on our electrical systems with the addition of high-efficiency appliances, computer systems, and rechargeable devices over the last couple of decades. If your home is older than this, it’s likely you need an upgrade!
An outdated electrical panel can lead to a number of problems, with some of those problems being potentially unsafe. In addition to flickering lights, you should watch for:
