Hillsborough’s historic district has some of the oldest buildings in the region, from the 1700s and 1800s, alongside early-20th-century houses. Wiring in buildings that old was always added later, sometimes several times, and the work is about modern power that respects the building.
Outside town, the roads toward Efland, Cedar Grove and Orange Grove are farms, wooded lots and newer homes with long driveways. Some of those addresses are on Duke Energy and some on Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, and long outages after ice storms make generator inlets and transfer switches a common request.
Common jobs in Hillsborough
- Careful rewiring in historic houses
- Generator inlets and transfer switches
- Feeders to barns, shops and outbuildings
- Service upgrades on rural homes
- Whole-home surge protection
Can an old house in Hillsborough’s historic district be rewired without tearing it apart?
Usually, yes. Electricians fish new cable through attics, crawlspaces, closets and existing chases to avoid opening original plaster where possible. Some walls may need small access holes, which get patched. Ask about any historic-district review that applies before exterior changes such as a new meter or service mast location.
I’m on Piedmont EMC outside Hillsborough. Does that change anything for a service upgrade?
The process is the same, but you coordinate the disconnect, reconnect and any meter work with the co-op instead of Duke Energy. Your electrician handles the house side and works with whichever utility serves you.
What’s the safest way to hook a portable generator to my house?
Through a permitted inlet box and either an interlock on your panel or a transfer switch. Never plug a generator into a dryer or wall outlet with a double-ended cord; it can back-feed the line and injure utility crews. Run the generator outside, well away from doors and windows.
Nearby
Also near Hillsborough.
- Orange CountyChapel HillOur home town. Historic houses near Franklin Street, 1960s ranches off the bypass, and newer neighborhoods on the edges of town.Electrician in Chapel Hill
- Orange CountyCarrboroMill-village houses, bungalows and infill next door to Chapel Hill.Electrician in Carrboro
- Durham CountyDurhamEarly-1900s neighborhoods, mid-century ranches and a lot of new building.Electrician in Durham