Question on electrical panel

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My electric just installed electrical panel. I did not find any GFCI breakers. He said that the house does not need it due to the age. I am planning to rewire the whole house. I am not sure what he is doing is right. He is charging 2400 for 1 main panel and service going up to 200 amp. Any hints? Should I accept his job?

[Robert S.]

@Sophie Maisel Good day, I’m a licensed electrical contractor in NJ. Perhaps I can shed some light on your issue. Your question pertains to the installation of GFCI circuit breakers during an electrical service upgrade. GFCI protection is required for outlets near a water source(like a sink or bath tub), anywhere on the exterior of the building or in an unfinished portion of a structure(like an attic or crawl space). There are a few ways you can accomplish protecting these circuits, however there are two that are used way more than the others. One is the way you mentioned, installing a GFCI circuit breaker, in which case provides GFCI protection for the whole circuit. However, the downside is the cost and that each time an issue arises, you have to reset the circuit at the panel. The other is using GFCI receptacles, these are the outlets you see with the “RESET” and “TEST” buttons on them. For the most part, these keep the reset situations local to the room you are in. Since you hired your electrician to upgrade your service, he is only responsible for that portion of the work, which includes replacing everything from the weather head to the electric panel. If you require your electrician to install GFCI receptacles in other areas of the building or want them to install GFCI circuit breakers, let them know, and they will give you a price for the work. I hope this helps, please let me know if you require any further clarification. Best of luck.