Panel Upgrade
When the panel is the thing holding your house back
A panel does two jobs: deliver enough power, and shut off safely when something goes wrong. Plenty of panels in St. Charles still do the first well enough and no longer do the second at all.
- Fuse box and 60 amp service replacement
- 100 amp to 200 amp upgrades
- Recalled and obsolete panels
- Permitted and inspected
When it is time
Three reasons a panel gets replaced
They are not the same problem, and only one of them is about running out of power.
Capacity
Adding an EV charger, a hot tub, a finished basement or a shop. A 100 amp service that was fine for decades runs out of room fast.
Safety
Certain older panel brands have known breaker failure problems and are frequently flagged by inspectors and insurers. Replacement is the only real fix.
Age and condition
Fuse boxes, rusted enclosures, double-tapped breakers, no main disconnect, or a panel with no space left to add a circuit safely.
Not sure whether you actually need one? Our guide on do I need a panel upgrade walks through the honest test.
Why it matters
What a proper panel upgrade includes
A correctly sized service
Not automatically 200 amp. We calculate your actual load, including what you plan to add, and size it to that.
Modern breaker protection
AFCI and GFCI protection where code requires it, which is the part that actually reduces fire and shock risk.
Proper grounding and bonding
Often the biggest safety improvement, and the thing most commonly wrong in older St. Charles homes.
Permit and inspection
Pulled and scheduled by us. A panel upgrade with no permit record is a problem you inherit at resale.
The utility side
What happens on the day
A service upgrade means the power comes off, and that involves more than just us.
For a straight panel swap on the same service size, we can usually be done in a day with power off for several hours. For a full service upgrade, the meter and service entrance are involved, which means coordinating a disconnect and reconnect with the utility and scheduling the inspection so the power does not sit off overnight. We handle that sequencing rather than leaving you to call around. You will know before we start which kind of job yours is and roughly how long you will be without power.
How we work
What to expect when you call
- 01
We look at the whole picture
Existing panel, service size, grounding, meter base and what you plan to add. A quote written without that is a guess.
- 02
You get a written number
Scope, permit, materials and what the utility coordination involves. Approved before anything is scheduled.
- 03
Install, inspect, label
New panel set and terminated, inspection passed, and every circuit labeled clearly — which the old one almost certainly was not.
Free estimate
Get a panel upgrade quote
Tell us the amp rating on your main breaker or fuse block, and what you are hoping to add. That gets us most of the way to a number.
Related: do I need one, panel upgrade cost, EV charger installation, why breakers trip, permits in St. Charles
Something electrical that is not getting better on its own?
Call for anything urgent, or send the form and we will get back to you within one business day with a real number.