Electrical panel upgrade cost

Upgrading a panel from 100 to 200 amps costs $1,500 to $6,000, with most jobs landing near $2,800. Replacing a panel at the same amperage, which is what you need if the board is unsafe rather than undersized, is $1,300 to $4,000.

Those are two different jobs and the difference matters. An upgrade changes the service coming in from the utility. A replacement swaps the box while the service stays as it is. The second is cheaper because the utility is barely involved.

What the job costs

Broken down, a typical 100 to 200 amp upgrade is roughly:

• The panel itself: $700 to $900
• Breakers: $300 to $500
• Labor, eight to ten hours: $800 to $1,400
• Permit and inspection: $250 to $500
• Meter base and service entrance cable, where needed: $500 to $1,500

Simple like-for-like swaps with easy utility access land at the low end. Jobs needing a new meter base, grounding upgrades or partial rewiring reach $5,000 to $8,000.

When you actually need it

You are adding a large load. An EV charger, a heat pump, an electric range replacing gas, a hot tub, a workshop. This is the most common legitimate reason, and the right test is a load calculation, not a guess.

The panel is a known-defective brand. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels have a documented history of breakers that fail to trip under fault. Many insurers will not write a policy on a house with one, and several will non-renew. If you have either, replace it regardless of capacity. This is the one case where the answer is unconditional.

The panel is full. No spare slots and no room for tandem breakers. Sometimes a subpanel at $600 to $2,000 solves this for far less than an upgrade.

Visible damage. Rust, scorch marks, a burning smell, a warm panel cover, breakers that trip without an obvious cause. Call an electrician the same day.

You have 60 amp service or a fuse box. Common in houses built before 1960 and genuinely undersized for modern living.

When you do not

A 100 amp service is adequate for a great many houses. If yours has gas heat, a gas water heater and a gas range, and you are not adding a car charger, 100 amps is very likely fine.

Being told you need an upgrade as a precondition for some other work is worth a second opinion. Ask for the load calculation. A legitimate recommendation follows one; a sales recommendation follows a look at the age of the box.

Load calculation, briefly

The National Electrical Code sets out how to work out a house's demand. It counts the general lighting and receptacle load by square footage, adds the fixed appliances, applies demand factors because not everything runs at once, and gives a figure in amps.

It routinely shows that a house someone believed needed 200 amps is comfortable at 100, and occasionally the reverse. It takes an electrician under an hour and it is the difference between a $2,800 decision made on evidence and one made on a feeling. Ask for it in writing.

What else the job may drag in

Grounding and bonding. Older houses often have a single ground rod, or a ground to a water pipe that was later replaced with plastic. Bringing grounding to current code is $200 to $800 and is not optional once the inspector looks.

The service entrance cable. The wire from the meter to the panel has to be sized for the new service. On an upgrade it almost always gets replaced.

Utility coordination. The power comes off while the work happens, usually four to eight hours, and the utility must disconnect and reconnect. Scheduling that is often the longest part of the calendar.

AFCI and GFCI breakers. Current code requires arc-fault protection on most circuits. When a panel is replaced, many jurisdictions require the new breakers to comply, which adds $40 to $70 per circuit. On a twenty circuit house that is $800 to $1,400 nobody mentioned.

That last one is the most common surprise on a panel quote. Ask directly whether AFCI breakers are included.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take?

Six to ten hours of work, with the power off for most of it. The permit and the utility appointment usually mean two to four weeks from agreeing the job to doing it.

Do I need a permit?

Yes, everywhere. A panel is inspected work and it involves the utility. There is no version of this job that should be done without one.

Will it lower my electricity bill?

No. Amperage is capacity, not consumption. A 200 amp service does not use more or less electricity than a 100 amp one; it just allows more to be drawn at once.

Can I keep my old breakers?

No. Breakers are matched to the panel by manufacturer and are not interchangeable between brands. New panel, new breakers.

My insurer is asking about my panel. What are they looking for?

Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger, and fuse boxes. Some also ask about aluminum branch wiring. If you have one of these, expect either a requirement to replace it or a refusal to renew, and price the work before the renewal date rather than after.