It is a familiar winter scene in Vermont: It is -10° outside, your living room feels drafty, so you plug in a space heater to take the chill off. You settle in, turn on the TV, maybe start the coffee maker… and click. The room goes dark. Is it time for an electrical panel upgrade?
You have tripped a breaker. Again.
While it is frustrating to constantly walk down to the basement to flip a switch, a tripped breaker is actually doing its job: protecting your home from a fire. Here is why your space heater is such a “circuit bully” and what it tells you about your home’s electrical health.
The Math: Why Space Heaters are Energy Hogs
To understand why your breaker trips, you have to do a little math.
Most standard portable space heaters use 1,500 watts of power on their high setting. Most standard household electrical circuits (especially in older homes) are rated for 15 Amps.
The formula is Watts / Volts = Amps.
- 1,500 Watts / 120 Volts = 12.5 Amps
A single space heater draws about 12.5 Amps. If that heater is plugged into a 15-Amp circuit, you only have 2.5 Amps left for everything else on that circuit.
If you turn on a few light bulbs (0.5 Amps), charge a laptop (0.5 Amps), and turn on the TV (1 Amp), you are right at the limit. When someone plugs in a vacuum cleaner or a coffee maker in the next room (which might share the same circuit), you instantly overload the system, and the breaker trips to prevent the wires from melting.
Signs You Need More Than Just a “Reset”
If you only trip a breaker once a year, you might just need to be mindful of what is plugged in. But if you are experiencing these issues regularly, your electrical system is trying to tell you it is time for an electrical panel upgrade:
- Dimming Lights: Do the lights flicker or dim when the heater or fridge kicks on?
- Hot Outlets: Is the faceplate of the outlet warm to the touch? (This is a major fire hazard).
- The “Extension Cord” Life: Are you relying on power strips because you don’t have enough outlets where you need them?
The Solution: Electrical Upgrades
You don’t have to freeze to keep the lights on. If your modern life is demanding more power than your home was built to handle, Brook Field Service can help with targeted electrical panel upgrades.
1. Dedicated Circuits
We can install a new, dedicated circuit specifically for heavy-load areas. This gives your heater (or other high-draw appliances) its own “lane” on the highway, ensuring it doesn’t interfere with your lights or TV.
2. Panel Upgrades
Many older Vermont homes still operate on 100-Amp panels that were never designed for today’s electronics. Upgrading to a modern 200-Amp panel ensures you have the capacity to run space heaters, heat pumps, EV chargers, and modern appliances safely.
Don’t Ignore the “Click”
A tripping breaker is a warning sign. Constantly resetting it without fixing the root cause puts stress on your wiring and your panel.
Is your home struggling to keep up with the cold? Contact Brook Field Service today. Our licensed electricians can troubleshoot your circuit load and recommend the right upgrades to keep you warm and safe this winter.
