Source: thespruce.com | Re-Post 2/25/2019 –
The main electrical service delivered to your house from the electrical utility company has a total available capacity, measured in amps, or amperes. Most homes have an electrical service of between 100 to 200 amps. Amps is a measurement of the volume of electricity flowing through wires, and this measurement can vary between 30 amps in very old homes that have not been updated to as much as 400 amps in a very large home with electrical appliances and extensive electrical heating systems.
Knowing the size of a house’s electrical service can help you know if an update is needed, or if the service is large enough to handle an update, such as a remodeled kitchen or room addition.
How Electrical Current Reaches Your Home
Electrical service reaches your home from the power utility through two 120-volt service wires that offer a combined 240-volts of power (voltage is a measurement of electricity’s pressure, or rate of flow). The main service wires reach your home either through overhead service wires that enter a service mast and pass down through an electrical meter into your home or through underground wires that also pass through an electrical meter. The first stop for the electrical service once it enters your home is the main service panel.