Electrical panel upgrades

An old or overloaded electrical panel can’t keep up with modern demand. You might notice flickering lights, breakers that trip often, or warm outlets, signs the panel is struggling. For homeowners, this is both a safety risk and a limitation: you may be unable to run a new appliance or add a home office circuit. Calling about an upgrade means you’re ready to fix that bottleneck and bring your home’s electrical system up to current standards.

We start by turning off the main power at the meter or utility disconnect. Then we remove the old panel and feeder cables, install a new code-compliant enclosure, and mount a modern breaker set sized for your home’s load. New copper or aluminum service entrance conductors are pulled if needed, and each circuit is torqued to spec. We use a voltage tester to confirm everything is dead before we begin and a torque screwdriver on every termination.

Not every panel swap is the same. Access matters: a panel in a tight basement corner or behind a finished wall takes longer to work around. The existing service entrance cable may be undersized or damaged, requiring a full replacement that adds time. The condition of the meter socket and grounding system also varies. If the home has aluminum branch wiring, special connectors and anti-oxidant compound are needed. These factors shift the labor and material cost without changing the final result.

On the day of the job, we protect the surrounding area with drop cloths and keep the work zone clean. We shut off power for the duration, so you’ll want to turn off sensitive electronics beforehand and plan for a few hours without lights or HVAC. After we finish, we test every circuit, restore power, and clean up all debris. We then schedule the required inspection with your local building department so you’re covered.