Home circuit breakers - outdoor vs. indoor (Phoenix: house, live)

[Pink Jazz]

One thing that I have noticed here in the Phoenix area is that almost every home has their circuit breakers located outdoors together with the meter. Why is this? As far as I remember, all homes that we previously lived in had the circuit breakers indoors. In our house we lived in NM, it was located in the garage.

[LBTRS]

I am with you and could not believe it was outside when we moved here. Our builder laughed at me when he needed access to the circuit breaker and found I had locked it. Seems like a easy way for a kid to play a joke and turn off the power and lose a bunch of cold/frozen food.

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[Ultrarunner]

Very common in warm climates and less expensive on the install... meter, service drop and breakers all in one place.

Most can be locked if tampering is an issue.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by Ultrarunner

Very common in warm climates and less expensive on the install... meter, service drop and breakers all in one place.

Most can be locked if tampering is an issue.

Well, my grandparents' house in Puerto Rico has an indoor circuit breaker, however, the main power shutoff switch is located on a pillar outside the house together with the meter.

[observer53]

Old fashioned fuse boxes in older homes inside, circuit breakers outside.

I do keep my breaker box locked. Years ago, in a former home, someone turned off the power before attempting to break into the house. Fortunately, they changed their minds when they realized there were people in the house who were awake.