Load centers (defined as distribution boards or panel boards where electrical power sources are routed through, protected by circuit breakers and/or fuses) are used as a distribution center for providing electrical power from a power source (e.g., electrical general, power company). Circuit breakers can act as a safety feature by providing a method of removing power from the load centers. Furthermore, circuit breakers can be used as a manually operated on and off switch, or provide automatic over-current protection in case such over-current conditions occur.
A load center typically comprises a main circuit breaker capable of removing power from the entire load center, and further branch circuit breakers to remove power from selected circuits without removing power from the entire load center. When load centers are built, main circuit breakers are typically installed at a factory level, since the main circuit breakers use hardware such as screws, nuts, and washers to electrically mount and connect to buses. The necessity of such additional hardware results in purchasing, manufacturing, accountability, inventory, and real-estate for storage of the additional hardware, all of which ultimately result in additional cost.