Does My Home Need a Panel Upgrade?

Aug 11, 2020 | Panel Upgrade, Residential Electric

What is a panel upgrade?

An electrical panel distributes the electricity in your home. It’s that gray box usually found in the wall hallway, bedroom or garage. The power line from the meter outside connects to this box, which contains the circuit breaker switches for your rooms, appliances and garage. Over time, the panel and circuit breakers can have a difficult time keeping up with the demand of your electrical needs. Small appliances, TVs, HVAC systems and other home gadgets can take their toll on your electrical panel. And, even if your new devices are energy efficient, chances are you have more gadgets in your home now, than you did 25 years ago. It’s hard for old panels to keep up.

Do I need an upgrade?

If your home is 25 years old or older, you probably need an electrical panel upgrade. You might be noticing flickering lights, shocks when you turn on light switches, and frequent breaker trips.

If a breaker fails to trip, the system may overheat causing wires to melt and fires to start. Look for rust or corrosion around the circuit breakers. Listen for crackling sounds near the panel. Feel for excess heat inside the panel box. Check if your appliances are running at less than full power. If you notice any of these things, give us a call. We can do a quick inspection and let you know if it’s time to upgrade.

Can I do it myself?

While you may find videos and articles online showing you how to upgrade the electric panel yourself, we don’t recommend this. Wiring is tricky, and you could do more harm than good. We don’t want you to risk electrical fires or paying more if we have to come fix it.

How much does it cost?

There are a few different solutions to fixing outdated panels, so the cost to upgrade electrical panel will be determined by the scope of the project. Typically, this runs anywhere from $1,800 to $4,200 depending on the panel required (e.g. sub-panel (60-100 amps), surface main meter panel (200 amps), flush mount main meter panel (200 amps), etc). We will discuss with you the services and necessary steps needed to make your home safe, so you’ll know exactly what you’ll be paying for before we begin. We also offer a financing option so you can make monthly payments!

What’s the process?

You can expect us to be in your home for a day, and we might need day 2 to finish stucco repairs. While we work, the power to your home will be shut off.

This can be inconvenient, so we recommend making plans to stay somewhere else while we work. Once our team has upgraded everything, an inspector will come out to check our work. After we get the all clear, we will restore power and have you back in your home.

The length of time and exact process will be discussed case by case. Sometimes we have to move the panel, upgrade wires, and make other changes to future proof your home. We will let you know everything before we begin.