Electrical Panel Upgrade

For most residential upgrades (100A → 200A): one full day. Power is off from approximately 9am to 5pm, with PG&E reconnect later that afternoon. Federal Pacific swaps and sub-panel adds typically finish even faster — 4-6 hours.

Standard 100A → 200A residential upgrade ranges $2,800 – $4,500 depending on access, distance from PG&E service, and whether your meter needs replacement. Federal Pacific / Zinsco swaps usually $2,200 – $3,500. We provide written fixed-price quotes before any work starts.

Yes — the home is fully de-energized from when PG&E pulls the meter (around 9am) until they reset it after our work passes city inspection (typically 4-5pm). We coordinate the window in advance so you can plan: empty the freezer if needed, charge devices overnight, etc.

Completely. Service application, load letter, meter pull and reset scheduling, and any required engineering submittal — all on us. You don't talk to PG&E.

Yes. FPE Stab-Lok breakers have a documented failure rate — they often won't trip under overload, which is the breaker's entire safety job. Most home insurance carriers flag FPE panels at policy renewal. We replace them with new UL-listed equipment.

Yes — every panel replacement requires a city building permit + electrical inspection. We pull the permit ($300-500 city fee, included in your quote), schedule inspection, and close it out. You get the permit closeout for your records (important for resale).

Our workmanship is warrantied for 12 months. Eaton/Square D/Siemens panels carry manufacturer warranties of 10-25 years on the panel and 5-10 years on breakers. We give you all paperwork.

The breaker size is matched to the wire gauge behind it. A larger breaker lets the wire carry more current than it is rated for, which overheats the wiring inside your walls and is a leading cause of electrical fires. The right fix is to add a circuit or upgrade capacity, not to oversize the breaker.

Common signs are a fuse box or a panel under 100 amps, breakers that trip often, lights that flicker when large appliances run, a panel that is full with no open slots, or plans to add an EV charger, heat pump, or ADU. We can run a load check and tell you whether an upgrade is actually needed.

For most Bay Area homes adding modern loads (EV charging, induction, heat pumps, ADUs), yes. 200 amp service removes the bottleneck, adds breaker space, and is what buyers and inspectors expect. If you are not adding load and your panel is healthy, it may be fine, and we will tell you honestly.

Depending on your panel you may be able to use tandem breakers, a subpanel, or load management to free up space, or a full upgrade if the panel is old or maxed out. We pick the safest option that fits your future plans instead of just cramming it.

The wiring work itself is usually a day, but PG&E coordination, permits, and inspection can add days to weeks depending on workload and whether the meter or service drop changes. We handle the permit and PG&E paperwork and give you a realistic timeline up front.

Underground service work means trenching, conduit, and often more PG&E involvement, so it costs significantly more than reconnecting an overhead drop. We tell you which type your home has and what drives the price before any work starts.

Sometimes. A smart panel or battery with load management can let you add EV charging or backup power without a full service upgrade by intelligently sharing capacity. We compare the cost of a smart solution vs a traditional upgrade for your home.