When it came time for this homeowner to upgrade the appliances in their latest renovation, they realized that the electric service in their home was a small panel rated at only 100 amps. With all of the new electrical loads in their house, they needed a new panel. We decided to talk with an electrical expert to give them some advice.
Assessing the service
Upgrading your electrical service is not a DIY project. You need to call in a professional. Generally, you start with a load calculation — looking at the existing loads on the panel and the size of the service coming in from the utility. Then, you decide if the service is large enough for the loads you want to add.
Cost and installation
Cost will vary depending on the extent of the project. If you have enough service from the utility and just need more space for breakers, you're looking at $500 to $1,000 worth of work. That generally means the electricity will be off in your home for four to six hours, depending on the panel's location. It makes a big difference if it's set into a finished wall.
If you need to increase the service size from the utility, then you'll have to involve the utility and schedule a walk-through with them. As far as cost, you can expect between $1,500 and $5,000, and that's going to vary because of costs from the utility, as well as the difficulty of the work and the time involved. It's largely based on the path from point A to point B — what's in the middle of the road and what they have to do to go around. This type of project can still be done within a day, although it's usually a long one.
Financial incentives
Any time you upgrade a service, it's a good idea to take a deep dive into what you're upgrading now and what you might upgrade over the next five to 10 years because upgrading your service is something you might not do again. Lucky for homeowners, there are federal and some state financial incentives available for upgrading service panels. In some cases, a portion or even all of the costs are covered.
Every renovation is an opportunity to upgrade to save energy and money and make your home a safer place to live.
