Pricing a 100 to 200 Amp Panel Upgrade

A panel upgrade is a new electrical service, so quote the whole service. Name every piece, and the price stops being a surprise.

The call usually starts with "I need a bigger panel." Often an EV charger, a heat pump or an addition is on the way.

What they are really buying:

• The meter.
• The service wires from the utility.
• The main disconnect and the panel.
• The grounding system.
• Everything the inspector will ask about once the cover comes off.

Check these before you price anything:

• The service. Overhead or underground, and the shape of the service entrance. An underground upgrade can mean the utility replaces its own line, on its schedule, at its price.
• The meter. The utility may make you move it, or add a separate disconnect outside if the panel is indoors.
• The grounding. Ground rods, a bond to the water pipe, or a grounding wire set in the footing. An upgrade almost always means bringing it up to current code.
• The load. A load calculation shows whether 200 amps covers what is coming. It matters when the EV charger and the heat pump arrive in the same year.
• The old panel. Look for doubled-up wires, undersized wire, or a brand the insurer will not cover. Each is a line on the quote, or a reason the job is bigger than a panel.

The utility has to cut the power and turn it back on. In many areas it must also approve the meter spot and the service size before you start.

That takes real time: the call, the paperwork and the planned shutoff. You may also need a second trip if the inspection and the reconnect fall on different days. Price an hour for it. Say on the quote that any utility fees are passed through at cost.

The permit and inspection are a must on a service change. The inspector will check the panel, the service wires, and the grounding and bonding. They often check the AFCI and GFCI breakers on any circuit you touched. Those are the breakers that guard against sparks and shocks.

Depending on which code edition your area uses, those rules can add breakers to the job. Find out before you quote, not at the inspection.

An overhead 200-amp upgrade on a house, with the panel staying where it is. Two electricians, one day. These figures are examples: use your own rate and supplier.

• Labor: 8 to 10 hours for the lead, plus a second tech for most of it. At $150 an hour for the lead and $90 for the second, that is about $2,000 to $2,300.
• Materials: the 200-amp panel and main breaker, plus a new meter base if the utility wants one. Then the service wires, and the weatherhead and mast on an overhead service. Then ground rods, grounding wire, and the breakers to fill the panel, including AFCI and GFCI types. Marked up, this often comes to $900 to $1,600, depending on the breaker count.
• Working with the utility: 1 hour.
• Permit: passed through at cost, plus an hour for the paperwork and the inspection visit.
• Whole-house surge protection: an optional line. Many customers say yes when it is offered plainly.

In this example, a clean overhead upgrade lands around $3,500 to $4,500, before anything the walkthrough turns up. An underground service, a moved panel or a moved meter each change the number a lot. Give each its own line.

Draw the line once, on the quote, and you skip the same argument on every job.

Not included:

• Drywall and paint.
• Trenching.
• The utility's own charges.
• Repairs to circuits that turn out to be faulty when the panel is filled back in.

Included: the panel, the service, grounding to current code, the permit, the inspection, and your labor warranty in years.