Your electrician is an idiot. If he is licensed, he should take a
refresher course on the code. Unless you have something that has

Or he's looking for work that doesn't need to be done. Such a statement is
not called for unless you know WHY he made the recommendation.

20A circuits are better than 15A circuits. But you don't necessarily
"need" them unless they are required (such as in your kitchen).

The advantages might not be readily apparent, and you may not get an
instant economic pay off by using the higher amperage circuit, but
here is my experience with this.

I have a room with several computers, monitors, printers, etc. where
my home office is located. It is served by just one 15A circuit.
Does it work?

Yes... 99.5% of the time there is no problem, but I've got enough load
on this particular circuit where it just reaches the tripping point
and overloads the breaker. Every once in a while it overloads and
causes me grief. I have to reset clocks, fix the computer, etc. I
can't plug the 12A vacuum cleaner into the same circuit, for example.

I really wish a 20A circuit had been installed from the beginning. If
I had control of the house during construction, I would have done it
that way. In fact, I would have run at least two 20A circuits just
for this room.

Right now, I live with the single 15A circuit because it would not be
economical feasible to tear up the walls and replace the wiring. I
suspect a lot of readers may have situations like this.

In addition to the higher capacity, 20A circuits have less voltage
drop than 15A circuits and perform better at longer distances from the
breaker box. They make sense for workshops, outdoor garden power
tools, computer rooms, and the larger 120V air-conditioners. Less
voltage drop also means less energy wasted in the form of heating the
wires.

Some would consider this a luxury, but if you are doing new
construction, or you have the walls open and the opportunity to run
new wiring, you might want to consider running 20A circuits instead of
15A. I believe the code allows 15A devices on a 20A circuit so
there is no point in buying the more expensive switches and outlets
unless there is an individual device needing them. The upgraded
(higher gauge) wire and the higher capacity breaker are the key
factors to a better quality electrical installation.

Beachcomber