If you've squeezed as much life as possible from your old HVAC equipment, it's time to plan for a new central air conditioning and heating installation. However, you may need to consider the state of your home's electrical system first. If your AC is so old that it's past its lifespan, your electrical panel could be old and in need of an upgrade. Here are some options to consider with the help of an electrician.

Add New Circuits To The Old Panel

An electrician needs to inspect your electrical system, consider the demands of modern HVAC equipment, and figure in the needs of other appliances in your home when determining how much power your home needs.

If your home has enough power but not enough circuits, the solution could be as simple as adding new circuits for the new HVAC to your existing panel. HVAC equipment needs its own dedicated circuits because the HVAC, particularly the condenser, needs a lot of power to start up and operate.

Adding new circuits could be an option if your electrical system was upgraded in the past or you have a fairly new system with a large panel that has extra room to put in the circuits you need.

Add A Subpanel For Extra Circuits

If your home's electrical panel doesn't have enough room for the additional circuits that the electrician recommends, a subpanel might be the solution. A subpanel is connected to the main electrical panel, and it has circuit breakers of its own. This is a way of adding as many extra circuits as you need as long as your main panel has enough power for them but just not enough space for the breakers.

Put In A New Electrical Panel For More Power

If the electrical system in your home is decades old, it might not have enough power for modern HVAC equipment. An electrician can check and let you know. If your panel doesn't have the power needed for the new HVAC equipment, the electrician can upgrade the panel so it provides enough amps to power the furnace, air conditioner, and other appliances in your home safely.

In addition to getting a new service panel, the electrician might have to put in new wiring that can handle the demands of the HVAC safely.

Just because you live in an older home, it doesn't mean you'll need to have major electrical upgrades when you get a new HVAC. Different variables are taken into account by the electrician and your HVAC contractor when determining the best way to install your new equipment so that it works safely and so that you don't have to deal with overloaded circuits and tripping breakers when the AC kicks on.

To learn more, contact a resource like Arc Electric & Air Conditioning & Heating Inc.