PANEL UPGRADE
Upgrading from 100A to 200A service. Licensed work, utility coordination handled, written warranty on the install.
Keil Electric upgrades and replaces residential and commercial electrical panels across San Diego County and the Austin metro. We size the new service to actual load (typical upgrades are 100A to 200A), pull the permit, coordinate with the utility, and back the install with our tiered written warranty.
Same scope on either side. Pick the shop that covers your area and we will route you to the right crew.
We start with a real load calc, not a rule of thumb. Square footage, kitchen and laundry loads, EV charger if applicable, AC tonnage, electric vs gas dryer, electric vs gas range, generator interlock if applicable, future plans for solar or pool equipment. The number we land on usually pushes a 1980s 100A service to 200A.
The upgrade requires a planned cut and reconnect with the local utility. We schedule the disconnect window, do the panel swap, and call for the inspection and reconnect on the same day where the utility supports it. Across the Austin metro that means coordinating with Austin Energy, PEC, or whichever utility serves the property. In San Diego County that is SDG&E.
New main panel, new main breaker rated for the new service, new bus bar capacity, new branch breakers (or transferring existing where compatible), grounding electrode system updates if needed, bonding jumper, and surge protective device at the service entrance. Service entrance conductor upgrade when the existing wire is undersized for the new amperage.
Service upgrades trigger a permit in every jurisdiction we work. We pull it, schedule the rough-in or service-entrance inspection, coordinate the utility-side reconnect, and close out the permit when the work passes. The inspection trail goes in your file.
A licensed electrician walks the property, measures the existing service, and runs the load calc against actual and planned loads.
We write the panel size, breaker count, grounding updates, surge protection, and labor in fixed terms. You sign before we order parts.
When the local AHJ requires a permit, we pull it and book the utility cut and reconnect window. Permit requirements vary by district. Most upgrades happen in a single day with a power-down window of four to six hours.
The panel swap, grounding, and surge install happen during the utility power-down. We call for inspection and utility reconnect, then close the permit.
Not every job requires a permit. When the local AHJ requires one, we pull it, schedule the inspection, and stay with the job until it passes. No paperwork on you.
Written warranty: 5-year on outlets, fixtures, and EV chargers; 10-year on wire and breakers; lifetime on panelboxes and surge protection. Parts and labor. Transfers with the home.
Service upgrades are utility-coordinated work. We schedule the cut and reconnect with Austin Energy, PEC, SDG&E, or your local utility so power is only off during the swap window. Older homes sometimes reveal aged service drops or grounding deficiencies during the work, and we document those before the panel is closed.
Real work from our San Diego and Austin shops. Same standards, same warranty, every job.
For electrical panel upgrade, here's the honest comparison. We'd tell you the same thing if we weren't trying to win the job.
Most electrical panel upgrade calls start when the homeowner is planning ahead: a renovation, an addition, an EV charger, a generator, a panel upgrade, or any project where the existing electrical needs to be sized correctly for the new load. The earlier we walk the property, the cleaner the project sequencing. Bringing us in before the drywall closes saves rework. Bringing us in before the contract is signed with the GC saves scope confusion. We are happy to walk a property at the planning stage even if the install is still months out.
A walk of the property with attention to the panel (age, capacity, available breaker space), conduit accessibility, attic / crawlspace conditions, and the load picture (current loads + planned future loads). For installs that touch the service drop, we factor utility coordination from the start. The estimate we leave with is fixed for the scope as walked. Change orders only happen for genuinely new findings during the work, you hear about them before we proceed.
A panel upgrade is the foundation for everything else electrical in a property. Once the service is sized correctly and the new panel is in, the next decade of EV chargers, generator hookups, kitchen renovations, ADU additions, and equipment upgrades all become smaller jobs because the capacity is there. Doing the upgrade once, sized properly, saves the homeowner from a sequence of mid-renovation surprises.
1960s and 1970s homes typically shipped with 60A or 100A service. That number was sized for the loads of that era: incandescent lighting, gas range, gas dryer, no AC or window units, no EV, no microwave or dishwasher. Modern usage routinely overshoots that baseline. The panel becomes the bottleneck. Upgrading to 200A clears the bottleneck for almost any residential application.
That usually means: a custom home over 4,000 sq ft, multiple HVAC zones, an EV charger plus a workshop or shop building, a pool or hot tub plus generator backup, or a large electric kitchen. The cost difference between 200A is meaningful but smaller at install than retrofitting later.
The load calc as a document. The panel scope and parts list with manufacturer and model. The grounding and bonding scope. The permit number. The utility coordination schedule. The inspection results. The warranty. Everything in a folder you keep. If the property changes hands, the next owner inherits the documentation.
You need to if your load calc exceeds your current service capacity. Most homes built before 1985 have 100A or 60A service and exceed it the moment you add an EV charger, a hot tub, central AC, or a whole-home generator. We run a real load calc and tell you in writing whether the upgrade is required or recommended.
Cost depends on amperage (200A), whether the service entrance conductor needs replacement, the panel brand and breaker count, grounding updates, and the utility coordination required. We quote in writing after the site walk so the number is fixed before work starts.
Typically four to six hours during the utility cut and reconnect window. We schedule the cut early, complete the panel swap, and call for the utility reconnect once the inspection clears. Some larger upgrades or service-entrance changes run longer.
Yes. Service upgrades require a permit in every jurisdiction we work, and we pull it in the homeowner or property owner name. We schedule any inspection and the utility reconnect, and close the permit when the the work is complete.
Sometimes. If the existing breakers are the same brand and current generation, we can transfer the compatible ones. AFCI and GFCI breakers usually transfer cleanly when the manufacturer is the same. Older, brand-mismatched, or recalled breakers (FPE Stab-Lok, Zinsco) get replaced with new code-compliant breakers.
A licensed licensed electrician walks the existing service, runs the load calc, and writes the upgrade scope in fixed-price terms before any wire moves. Backed by our 5/10/lifetime written warranty.
