Can a Shed Have Electricity?

Call a trustworthy professional electrician for your needs. Mr. Electric has highly trained and experienced professionals with an excellent reputation. You can trust us to get the job done right the first time without cutting corners or hitting you with hidden costs down the road.

Regulations

Sheds are a place to get away from the world and do your own thing. They're not meant for living in, but some people do just that. Sheds can have electricity if you want them to. However, there are regulations about what type of shed can have electricity and where it can be placed.

The first thing to consider is whether or not your shed is a standalone building or attached to another structure. If it's an attached shed, you should check with your local building codes before installing any electrical work. This will ensure that your work meets all code requirements and provides safety for homeowners, occupants, and visitors.

There are some restrictions if you have a standalone shed and want to install electricity. Check with planning and zoning and the building inspector. Regulations may vary by location.

You cannot connect anything directly into your home's main electrical panel box unless an electrician approves it.

Electricity can make a shed much more functional. You can use lights and electrical outlets for appliances like refrigerators or freezers and power tools such as drills or even a washer/dryer combination unit (if you have enough space). An electrical repair service can even convert a shed into a work-from-home office space.

Hazards

Electricity is dangerous, and it can kill you instantly if you're not careful. If you're going to work with it, you'd better know what you're doing. Even if you know what you're doing, there are still hazards like faulty wiring, which could cause a fire or even an explosion.

If you do decide to install electrical wiring in your shed, make sure that it's up to code and inspected by a licensed electrician before use.

Options To Get Electricity To a Shed

You can get electricity to a shed in a variety of ways. The most common is to run a line from the house, but there are other options.

Run a Line From the House

The easiest way to get power to a shed is to run a line from your home's electrical service panel. This could be done with many wiring methods, including installing conduit and pulling wire through it, using armored cable, or Romex (the most common name for common electrical wire).

If you have an existing shed on your property that you want to add power to, this is often done by running Romex from the breaker box out to the shed and then attaching it inside. You'll need an electrician for this job, but it isn't complicated or expensive.

Hire an Electrician for New Construction

If you're building a new shed from scratch or adding a new structure (like an extra bedroom) to your home, it may be easier to have power run from the breaker box out to where you'll want it. To do this, hire an electrician who will install a conduit (usually PVC) between your house and where you want the power located in the new structure. The conduit will go underground and be buried away from hazards or environmental concerns.

Installing Solar Panels

Solar panels are ideal if you want to power larger appliances such as an air conditioner or refrigerator. They're inexpensive and easy to install; all you need is a drill and some basic carpentry skills. Solar panels come in kits that include everything you'll need: the panels themselves, wiring, mounting hardware, and even some basic instructions on installing them correctly.

Call The Professionals At Mr. Electric

Sheds typically aren't connected to your home's electricity, but there are several ways and reasons to power a shed. Safety concerns arise when wiring a shed since it may be located in the backyard or near gas lines or power lines. If your shed has electric lighting, an outlet for a vacuum cleaner, or is too far from an outside power outlet, you need Mr. Electric.

Call Mr. Electric today to learn more about your options for connecting a shed with electricity.