Electrical Panel Upgrades

Signs your panel needs attention

The electrical panel, sometimes called the breaker box, is where power from the utility meter is split into the circuits that run your house. Most panels last for decades, but not forever. Breakers that trip often or will not reset, a panel cover that feels warm, rust or water stains inside, scorch marks, a buzzing sound and a panel packed with doubled-up breakers and no free spaces are all reasons to have it checked. So is a plan to add an EV charger, a heat pump, a hot tub or a finished basement. Many panels in older homes were sized for a house with gas appliances and no air conditioning.

Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels

Two older panel brands come up often in home inspections. Federal Pacific Electric panels, many sold under the Stab-Lok name, and Zinsco panels have long-standing concerns that some of their breakers may not trip when they should, or may not hold firmly to the bus bar. Not every one of these panels has failed, and one that works today can look perfectly fine. But because a breaker that does not trip cannot protect the wiring, many electricians and home inspectors recommend replacing them, and some insurers ask about them. If your panel carries one of these names, we can inspect it and give you a straight answer and a price.

100, 150 or 200 amps

The amp rating of your service is how much power the house can draw at once. Many older homes around Denver still have 100-amp service, and a few have 60 amps. That can be enough for a modest house with gas heat and gas cooking, but it fills up quickly once you add an EV charger, a heat pump, an electric range or an induction cooktop. Before we recommend an upgrade, we do a load calculation based on the electrical code, adding up what you have and what you plan to add. Sometimes the answer is a 200-amp upgrade. Sometimes a smarter charger setting, a load management device or a subpanel does the job for less.

What upgrade day looks like

Most panel replacements take one day, and the power is off for much of it. We pull the permit first. For a service upgrade, we coordinate with Xcel Energy to disconnect and reconnect power at the meter, and the utility sets that schedule. We replace the panel and, when the service size changes, the meter base, the service mast or cable and the grounding. Current code calls for whole-home surge protection when the service equipment is replaced, so we include it. Every circuit is labeled before we leave. An inspector checks the work, and some upgrades need that inspection before the utility will restore power.

Leave the panel to a licensed electrician

Panel work is not a do-it-yourself job. Even with the main breaker off, the wires coming in from the meter stay live, and a mistake inside the panel can cause a shock, a fire or damage to everything plugged into the house. Panel and service work needs a permit and an inspection in Colorado. If a breaker trips, you can reset it once. For anything beyond that, call us.