How to Wire a Shed for Electricity

In this video, Ask This Old House master electrician Heath Eastman helps mason Mark McCullough wire his chicken barn for lights and power.

Mark explains that it’s important for him to have electricity in the shed because he needs to be able to check on the chickens at night, especially in the winter, and also to be able to see when walking out to the barn from his house.

Read these steps to learn how to wire electricity to a shed or barn.

How To Wire a Shed for Electricity

1. Find the electrical supply coming from the home to determine where to mount the electrical panel. Mount it to the wall studs by driving a screw from inside of each corner and into the framing.
2. Determine where you’ll want to install switches (typically by the entry doors) and outlets. Mount the weather-tight electrical boxes to the framing at these locations.
3. Plan the locations for light fixtures and attach the appropriate electrical boxes at these locations.
4. Install conduit to each of the box locations. Use the conduit bender to shape the conduit to the appropriate angles. Connect the ends of the conduit to the boxes with weather-tight connectors. Secure the conduit to the framing with conduit hangers and brackets.
5. Run wires from the fixture locations back to the panel, leaving the wires long by at least 12 inches at each location.
6. Use the wire strippers to strip back the wire and connect the outlets, switches, and lighting fixtures.
7. Connect the wires running from the fixtures into the breaker panel.
8. With the power shut off at the main panel in the house, connect the main power to the panel. Ensure the power is off by checking with an electrical tester.
9. Shut all the breakers in the new panel and turn on the power from inside the house. Flip the main breaker in the subpanel into the on position, and then slowly flip each breaker into the on position one by one.

Shopping list

• Rain-tight panel
• Electrical boxes
• Conduit
• Conduit hangers
• Weatherproof conduit connectors
• Light fixtures
• Switches
• Wire

Tools