Electrical Subpanel
An electrical subpanel is a smaller, secondary service panel that receives power from the main panel to distribute electricity to specific, localized areas of a home or business, such as a garage, basement, or home office. It acts as an extension, allowing for additional circuit breakers when the main panel is full.
Key aspects of a subpanel include:
Purpose: It manages high-demand, localized loads (like EV chargers or hot tubs) and provides more breaker slots when the main panel is out of space.
Components: It features its own set of circuit breakers, bus bars, and, crucially, separate neutral and ground bus bars (unlike the main panel).
Connection: It is connected to the main panel via a dedicated feeder circuit.
Benefits: Subpanels improve energy efficiency, provide local control, and are often more cost-effective than a full main panel upgrade.
