Don’t Be Left in the Dark: Planning for a Major Electrical System Upgrade

This article addresses the challenges and necessities of upgrading outdated electrical systems in buildings, particularly those over 50 years old.

The article below addresses the challenges and necessities of upgrading outdated electrical systems in buildings, particularly those over 50 years old.

Over time, components like wire insulation, underground conduits, and breakers degrade, often leading to failures. With increased energy demands from modern appliances, air conditioning, and electric vehicle chargers, older systems are ill-equipped to handle these changes.

Obstacles of upgrading electrical systems include space limitations, the need for larger transformers, and significant costs, which can exceed $1 million. Moreover, such projects may trigger additional requirements, such as emergency generators and provisions for future needs. There are often lengthy timelines involved due to permit approvals and equipment lead times.

The key is early assessments by experienced electrical engineers to evaluate a building’s system and identify which parts can be reused or need replacement. This proactive approach allows for better financial planning and smoother execution.

The key takeaway is the importance of addressing electrical issues before they cause major disruptions through timely upgrades and thorough planning, which are essential to avoid unexpected failures and ensure buildings are prepared for modern energy needs.
CONTACT US TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE

Don’t Be Left in the Dark: Planning for a Major Electrical System Upgrade

Electrical systems in buildings over 50 years old will inevitably need replacement. Even if electrical loads in the building have remained constant over the past five decades, there is a shelf life for electrical components.

Insulation on the wires becomes brittle, underground conduits rust and mechanical breakers lose the ability to be reset after they are turned off. Several of our clients have experienced breaker failure after turning off a breaker for maintenance or having an older breaker trip.

TIMES ARE CHANGING
Even with the current push for more energy-efficient lighting and appliances, energy consumption continues to rise. When high-rise residential buildings were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the electrical service size to the building was small. No one was thinking about adding air conditioning or car-charging loads. In buildings with gas cooking, the power provided to the units was particularly small as the electric cooking load was the biggest draw on the system.

As these buildings age and the units are remodeled, it has become desirable to add extra appliances such as washing machines and electric dryers. Dishwashers are now a common appliance in kitchens. Electric cooking is also being desired over gas ranges. Tank-type electric water heaters are being replaced with instantaneous heaters.

These changes all have a detrimental effect on older electrical systems.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING
Love them or hate them, electric vehicles are here to stay. Many buildings have installed public chargers to help alleviate the demand for vehicle charging, but people want the convenience of their own charger. The Hawai’i legislature has mandated that charger installations may not be prohibited if the unit owner agrees to pay the cost of installation.

The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) has mandated expedited permits for vehicle chargers. The tide is coming in for these systems and it may not be long before buildings that cannot offer individual vehicle charging may lose value to the buildings that can.

ROADBLOCKS AHEAD
There are some major obstacles to the replacement of an existing building’s electrical system.

First, there will have to be a new place in the building to run the system. A residential building cannot just shut down for six months to install a new system.

A new system will need to be installed and energized prior to the old system being de-energized. Older buildings often lack the space for this and innovation on the part of the electrical engineer is required.

Second, the Hawaiian Electric Co. transformer is likely to get bigger. If a building is currently on a pole-mounted transformer, it is likely that a location will need to be found to install a pad-mounted transformer.

Third, a path will need to be forged into each unit’s panel (if there is one). The only path to the units is often down the corridor.

Finally, this is a big capital improvement project that could cost $1,000,000 or more and will probably require bank financing or a giant assessment.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
An electrical system upgrade will trigger the requirement for an emergency generator, if the building doesn’t already have one, which then raises several additional questions.

Should the generator be sized for a future fire pump? How many electric vehicle chargers are desired? If there is gas cooking, should there be provisions for future electrical cooking?

Sometimes these questions have practical answers based on space limitations and the standard sizes of electrical panels. Guidance is required from the engineer in answering these questions optimally.

Lead times for electrical equipment are very long, over a year for some items. It is currently taking over one year to get permits approved by the DPP for infrastructure upgrade projects. HECO review takes one year or longer.

If a building decides to upgrade an electrical system today, it would be two to three years before construction is completed, even if the equipment is ordered during the wait for the permit.

NEXT STEPS
The present electrical system should be assessed by a licensed electrical engineer with experience in the type of system installed in the building. Experience is the key qualification here. Just because something is old does not necessarily mean it is unsafe.

An assessment will help identify if a total replacement is just around the corner, or if it is something a building can plan for over the next 10 years. There may be parts of the system that can be reused and others that require replacement.

The assessment will indicate if there is capacity for more air conditioning units or not. It is possible the system will have capacity for vehicle chargers but not air conditioners, based on the service size compared to the unit feeder sizes.

The assessment should also include an infrared scan of the connections. Even if a total replacement is planned, this will identify problems and extend the life of the system, so it does not go down during the long and arduous wait for the permit.

Once there is a proper assessment, planning can begin for the next step, whether it be a phased repair or total replacement. This will allow planning for finances also. A good engineer can estimate budget prices based on their experience in the local market. Planning for this expenditure in advance can make it relatively painless when the time comes to start the project.

Buildings do not function without electricity. One of our clients recently went without electricity in their unit for three days while numerous electricians tried and failed to diagnose the problem. Sometimes electrical problems are elusive, and in this case an underground wire shorted out and tripped the main breaker. Once we diagnosed the problem, we had to find an electrician to run a new feeder to the unit, which required board approval to run the new feeder up three floors. It took two days to install the new feeder. Luckily, this failure only affected one unit and not the entire building.

Are you feeling lucky?  If not, then it is time to get the ball rolling on an assessment.

Scroll to Top