Summary:

• Older homes often have outdated electrical systems that can be unsafe, inefficient, and prone to problems. Modernizing your electrical system can help eliminate risks and provide more functionality, too.
• Installing ring doorbells, security cameras, and alarms can help keep you and your loved ones safe. Core system updates like electrical panels, surge protection, and backup generators preserve your access to power even in a crisis.
• Home automation and smart integration make it easier to monitor and control everything from lighting to charging your EV. If you don’t have an EV charger yet, we can help make your system compatible and install it for you, too.
• Lighting upgrades and solar panels can help reduce your energy bills—or give the option to sell excess back to your provider through net metering. Upgrading to indoor and outdoor LEDs can save you hundreds every year on power. 

They say if it isn’t broken, you shouldn’t fix it—but applying the same logic to your older home’s electrical systems can be downright dangerous. Even if everything seems to work fine on the surface, outdated wiring, overloaded circuits, and inefficient electrical systems can still put you at risk for serious problems, like fires, or lack support for newer technologies.

According to the City of San Mateo, this is a surprisingly common problem. Over 50% of all housing units in our area were built before 1960, a time when most homeowners only needed a few lamps, kitchen appliances, and the odd TV to get by.

Caccia Home Services can make your home safer and more eco-friendly with high-efficiency panel upgrades, dedicated circuits, EV charger installation, and so much more. See our top recommendations for older homes in the list below, then book a consultation.

Related: Expert Electrical Panel Services: Power Your Home Safely

Why Modernizing Your Home Electric Matters So Much

Modern electrical systems do so much more than just keep the lights on, and they’re almost always a wise investment. Most upgrades pay for themselves over time in savings, but they can also make your home safer, more efficient, more functional, and more valuable, too.

Not sure if you can justify making the switch just yet? See the comprehensive breakdown below to learn why it matters so much, exactly how you stand to gain, and how you can spot common warning signs that prove it’s time for an upgrade.

If these warning signs sound familiar, it’s probably time to take action. We’re ready and willing to help you upgrade to a safer, more efficient, and future-proof system!

Security System Upgrades

Security systems help keep intruders out and preserve the safety of your loved ones, but they need to be backed by a reliable electrical system. We can help you install smart locks, cameras, sensors, and ring doorbells, or upgrade your system to better support them. 

Here’s how security upgrades can help:

• Install alarm systems on a dedicated circuit for better reliability.

• Add battery backups that keep systems powered, even during outages.
• Make your home safer by installing alarms, cameras, and motion sensors.
• Add ring doorbells and integrate them with other smart home systems.

Whether you want a smart lock on the front door, or you’re trying to keep your home locked up tighter than Fort Knox, we’re happy to play a small role in protecting your home.

Related: Thorough Electrical Safety Inspections: Prevent Issues Before They Start

Core System Updates

Core system upgrades, like new electrical panels and surge protection, help reduce your risk for fires and failures and make your entire system more forward-compatible. If you’re still using a lower amperage panel or looking to install an EV charger, you might need these first.

Electric Panel

If you still have an old-school fuse box, a 100-amp panel, or an outdated knob-and-tube system, you’ll have trouble supporting modern electricity loads. Newer panels with smart features, like digital circuit breakers, give you greater control and functionality with less risk.

Here’s how upgrading your panel can help:

• May be required for EV charger or solar panel installation.
• You can run most devices at the same time without issues.
• Most new panels come with smart access and monitoring tools.
• Mandatory for some home insurance policies—be sure to check!

Upgrading your panel can also be a great way to future-proof your home or make room for more updates later on. That’s because an upgraded panel is more likely to be compatible with technologies and systems as they evolve and change.

Surge Protection

Power surges from lightning strikes, grid fluctuations, or large appliance cycles can cause serious damage to your electronics or trigger a fire. Whole-home surge protection can help make your entire system more reliable and protect your critical equipment from going offline.

Here’s how surge protection can help:

• Blocks voltage spikes at the panel before they can reach electronics.
• Protects your TVs, computers, gaming consoles, and and smart home tech
• Helps lower wear and tear on HVAC systems, pools, and appliances.
• Protects your whole house, not just your electrical system

Can you go without surge protection? Technically, yes. Your system will still work, but why take the risk when there’s an easy way to prevent any damage?

Backup Generators

Power outages and damage from floods or earthquakes can cut off your access to power and leave you sitting in the dark. With storms, heat waves, fires, and rolling blackouts becoming more common in California, all homeowners should have one of these devices.

Here’s how having a backup generator can help:

• Automatically restore access to power when an outage or crisis strikes.
• Keep fridges and freezes powered so you don’t lose food to an outage.
• Ensure that security systems or medical equipment always stays on.
• Use your HVAC or air conditioner even if your connection goes down.

For backup generators, your options range from simple plug-in fuel-operated converters to complicated permanent systems that kick in without any input. In general, permanent options are more reliable and “hands-free” to run. 

Related: Enhance Your Electrical Safety With Switch and Plug Services

Smart Home Technologies

Upgrades like home automation smart home technology integration make life easier, more convenient, and more eco-friendly. With the right system in place, you can monitor and control everything from lighting to the temperature of your water on the fly.

Home Automation

Home automation makes your home smarter by handling tasks for you—no manual input needed. Instead of taking the time to change the thermostat or turn lights on and off, you can create schedules and program devices to fit your needs throughout the day and night.

Here’s how home automation can help:

• Set times or conditions for lights, thermostats, and appliances to kick on or off.
• Reduce your energy waste by activating automatic efficiency adjustments.
• Use motion sensors and scheduling to optimize when and how you use electricity.
• Activate lights and set cameras to record with motion when you’re away.

It’s important to note that this can overlap with smart home integration, but it isn’t the same. Automation is about doing it for you, while integration is about giving you more control.

Smart Home Integration

Integrating all of your smart appliances and devices into the same remotely accessible ecosystem keeps you in the driver’s seat at all times—sometimes literally! You can interact with your devices and monitor them from a smartphone, tablet, computer, even if you aren’t home at the time. Just make sure you park first if you’re driving!

Here’s how smart home integrations upgrades can help:

• Access your Wi-Fi-connected outlets, switches, and lighting from anywhere.
• Control all devices from the same smartphone or panel while you’re home
• Sign into the system and make adjustments remotely anytime, anywhere.
• Use energy monitoring tools and control hubs to gain more control.
• Integrate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, and Ethernet devices.

Many homeowners upgrade their electric to support both smart home integrations and home automation features at the same time. If you’re curious about your options, we can help!

Related: Power Up at Home With Convenient Chargers

Electric Vehicle Chargers

With the rise of electric vehicles, having a home charging station is becoming more necessary and important than ever. Installing your own charger at home lets you power up overnight, skip the lines at public charging stations, and start the day with your battery full. 

EV Charger Installation

If you’re thinking of going electric, or you already own an EV, our electricians can help with professional EV charger installation. This is one job we don’t recommend trying to handle on your own—you need to be a licensed electrician to get the right permit.

Here’s how installing an EV charger can help:

• Makes owning one or more electric vehicles less of a hassle.
• Charges your vehicle much faster than a standard wall outlet.
• Increases the value of your home, especially here in San Mateo
• Helps future-proof your property for a future surge in EV tech

Whether you choose a Level 1, Level 2, or DC supercharger, we can handle the job for you safely and make sure the work is up to code. Let us know how we can help!

Related: Upgrade to LED Lighting to Save On Energy Bills

Lighting

Older lighting—especially fixtures that still use incandescent or halogen bulbs—waste up to 90% of their energy as heat. Upgrading your indoor and outdoor lighting is the best way to save, but it can also improve visibility or make your favorite spaces feel more cozy.

Energy-Efficient Lighting

Switching to high-efficiency lighting is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to save money on energy. They don’t get as hot, they tend to light up rooms or spaces more effectively, and they’re much more likely to be ENERGY STAR® certified.

Here’s how you benefit from upgrading to energy-efficient lighting:

• Save money on the cost of bulbs and the cost to power them.
• Lower your risk for a fire with LED bulbs that generate way less heat.
• Turn lights on in warm weather without raising the temperature in your home.
• Add path, under-the-cabinet, or recessed lighting to workspaces and walkways.

We can also help you make the switch to smart bulbs so you can control your lighting from anywhere. No more driving all the way home if you happen to leave a light on—or want to sneak a peek at your sleeping pup through the dog cam.

Outdoor Lighting

Lighting the outside of your home is just as important—it can help keep you safe, make it easier for you to enjoy your outdoor spaces at night, and improve your curb appeal. Accent lights, pathway lights, and motion-activated flood lights make your property safer, more secure, and more attractive, too.

Here’s how upgrading your outdoor lighting can help:

• Make the switch and power outdoor lighting with solar.
• Add lighting that lets you see entrances and exits clearly at night.
• Tap into estate home aesthetics by shining a light on all the best features.
• Add lighting for play areas and outdoor spaces to help keep kids safe.

We can also help integrate your outdoor lighting with the rest of your home automation or smart home devices. Turn off forgotten lights by tapping a button—or turn them on instead.

Related: Solar Powered Hot Water Heaters in Burlingame & San Mateo

Solar Panels and Other Eco-Friendly Upgrades

Here in California, we’re all too familiar with the impacts of climate change and why it’s important to reduce our carbon footprint. Some of us have even been involved in wildfires or floods first-hand. Solar panels can help you do your part by bringing down your reliance on fossil fuels—and we’re more than happy to install them for you. 

Here’s how upgrading to solar panels can help:

• Choose from small panels that support outdoor lighting or whole-home systems.
• Save money on energy or sell excess power back to your provider with net metering.
• Store generated solar power with battery backups that help bank excess charge.
• Make EV charging, pools, and water heaters cheaper to run with solar.

If you live here in San Mateo or somewhere else in the Bay Area, you may qualify for rebates that help you with the cost of installing solar. Send us a message if you want to know more.

Related: Make Your Home More Energy-Efficient This Spring

Charge into the Future With Caccia Home Services

Investing in electrical upgrades is one of the best ways to keep your home running safely, efficiently, and comfortably all year round. From core system upgrades that preserve your access to power during a storm to smart home technology, we can help you find ways to step into the future that respect the age of your home and why you love it so much.

Don’t sacrifice the comfort and safety of your loved ones a minute longer. Trust our licensed electricians to help guide you through electrical upgrades that keep your home operating safely and efficiently for less. Book a consultation now!

Frequently Asked Questions About Electrical System Upgrades

How much money can I save with energy efficiency upgrades?

The amount you save will depend on which upgrades you choose—and what you have installed currently. In general, the more substantial the upgrade, the more money you stand to save, especially if your system is over 40 years old.

Upgrading your lighting is one of the easiest and best ways to reduce your energy bills and carbon footprint. Just making the switch to LED alone saves most homeowners around $225 per year, and motion-activated lighting can cut down costs, too.

We can give you a more accurate estimate if you tell us a little bit about your system and daily usage patterns. Give us a call at (650) 442-1470 if you want to have a chat.

My insurance provider says I need a new panel. Why?

It’s a safety thing. Severely outdated panels are a fire and shock risk, but some of them have also been recalled over the years for being unsafe. That’s why you’re seeing so many insurance making it mandatory to upgrade in order to maintain a policy.

We get a lot of complaints about older Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) panels with Stab-Lok breakers and Zinsco panels. Here’s why:

• FPE discontinued Stab-Lok breakers a few years back after a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) investigation. There’s evidence that they may fail under high load. 
• Zinsco panels have a design flaw in the way the breakers connect to the bus bars that makes the connection corrode and heat over time. This can start fires and may invalidate your home insurance.

If you see a label or log from either of these brands on your panel, get in touch with us right away. Failures with these devices can be very sudden and happen when you least expect it, so you may be more at risk than you think.

I have an older electrical system. Can I install an EV charger?

Yes—but we might need to help you with a few upgrades first. If all you want is a standard Level 1 charger and you have access to regular outlets, you’re already in business—that’s all you need. Things get a bit more complicated if you want a Level 2 or DC charger.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A dedicated 240V circuit
• An upgraded electrical panel (no 100-amp panels or fuse boxes)
• Wiring and circuits that can safely carry the load

Without upgrades like these, installing an EV charger could easily overload the system and cause serious problems—including damage to your vehicle. There are almost always ways to work around these limitations, though, so it doesn’t have to hold you back.