Electrical Panel Upgrade and Replacement for Older or Overloaded Panels
Red Electricians upgrades and replaces electrical panels for homes with older, overloaded or fuse-based panels. An electrical panel upgrade starts from $699 (starting price; your cost may differ), and the estimate is free.
Red Electricians has been doing electrical work since 2010 and has completed more than 10,000 jobs. Same-day service is possible in many cases. Otherwise we come the next day or within a few days. To see everything we do, view every electrical service.
24/7
Emergency service
About 5 min
Callback after a form request
Licensed & insured
In every city we serve
Request a service
Tell us what you
see, hear or smell.
Tell us what you see, hear or smell, and send a photo of the panel. Then call, or send the form.
- A form request gets a callback in about 5 minutes
- Same-day service is possible in many cases
- We offer 24/7 emergency service
Call any time, 24/7
(213) 322-0128
Request a Service
Tell us the problem and we will call you back in about 5 minutes.
Prefer to talk? Call (213) 322-0128.
Signs to look for
When does a home need an electrical panel upgrade?
You usually need an upgrade for one of these reasons:
- You are adding load: an air conditioner, an EV charger, a pool, a remodel or solar equipment.
- The panel is old, or it still uses screw-in fuses.
- Breakers trip often, or fuses blow often.
- An insurer or inspector has asked for a newer panel.
- You are buying or selling a home and the panel is in question.
Many people say “I have two lines of air conditioning and it always shorts” or “I only have a 30 amp fused main”. That is enough to start. Tell us what happens and what you plan to add.
If you have been told your panel is a Zinsco or Federal Pacific type, read about insurers and Zinsco or Federal Pacific panels.
Sizing
What size panel do I need: 100, 150 or 200 amp, and what decides it
Most people do not know their amps, and that is fine. A visit decides the size. It depends on what the home runs today and what you plan to add. If you want a 200 amp panel upgrade, we check whether the home needs it before we size it.
Every price in this section: starting price; your cost may differ.
Step up from 100 amp
Moving to 150 or 200 amp when the home has outgrown its panel.
Fuse box to breaker panel
Replacing an old fuse box with a modern breaker panel.
Replacing a flagged panel
For a panel an insurer or inspector has questioned. Bring their note to the estimate.
Room for new equipment
A main panel with space for an EV charger, air conditioner or pool. Tell us the equipment ratings.
Our electrician’s advice: collect every planned major appliance rating before the design is finalized. A design built on the real equipment list is easier to check later.
Pricing
Electrical panel upgrade cost and what moves the price
How much does an electrical panel replacement cost? Starting prices are below. Every price on this page is a starting price; your cost may differ.
We do not publish a price range for a whole job, because it depends on your panel and your home. Here is a worked Irvine example of what moves the price.
Every price in this section: starting price; your cost may differ.
| Service | Starting price | What changes the final price | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical panel upgrade | From $699 | Where the service sits, utility requirements, protection devices, finish work, permit and inspection | Free estimate |
| Electrical panel installation (new or subpanel) | From $600 | Panel type and the feed from the main panel | Free estimate |
| Electrical panel repair | From $99 | Which part has failed | Quoted on the call |
| Circuit breaker repair | From $79 | The breaker and the circuit it protects | Not free; the free estimate applies to breaker replacement only |
Decision guide
Panel upgrade, service upgrade or breaker swap: which one do you need?
Customers use “upgrade”, “replace”, “change” and “switch the panel” for the same job. Here is how the options differ.
| Option | When it fits | What changes | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panel upgrade or electrical panel replacement | The panel is old, full or too small | The panel and its breakers | Free estimate |
| Service upgrade (“the whole service”) | More capacity is needed coming into the home, not only inside it | The service equipment, often with the panel | We confirm on the call |
| Breaker replacement or breaker box replacement | One breaker is the problem, not the whole box | A single breaker | Free estimate for replacement. Repair is not free. See fixing a tripping breaker |
| Subpanel or new panel | You are adding space, for example a garage or workshop | A new panel fed from the main | Free estimate. See installing a new subpanel |
| Panel repair | One part has failed, and the panel is otherwise sound | That part only | Not free. See electrical panel repair |
Not sure which one you need? Describe it on the call and we will tell you.
The visit
What happens at the estimate visit, and what comes before the new panel is live
- Call or send a request. Tell us what you see and what you plan to add.
- Pick a time. Same-day service is possible in many cases. Otherwise it is the next day or within a few days.
- Estimate visit. The estimate is free. We look at the panel, the service location and what the home needs to run.
- Price. You get the price for your home before work starts.
- Permit. Where one is required, a permit package is prepared with the load schedule. On our March 2025 job it was.
- Power off. The power is off for part of a day. On that job it was one seven-hour interruption, with the utility outage arranged ahead of time.
- Test and label. We test the new panel against the load schedule and label the circuits.
- Inspection. Required inspections are completed before the job is closed.
Case notes
Upgrade case notes: all-electric load, crowded boards and aged enclosures
A 125A home going all-electric. A home with a 125A service planned a heat-pump water heater and a cooking conversion. The combined load calculation showed the service was too small. The panel itself was in acceptable condition, but the future-load design needed more capacity. We upgraded the service distribution to the accepted rating and revised the branch layout. Service and branch checks matched the accepted load schedule. The job took five workdays. The service corner was cramped, so we redesigned it to keep the required working clearance. Our reference for the load calculation and service installation was NFPA 70 (NEC), articles 220 and 230. The owner asked if the upgrade would cut the appliance’s energy use. It does not. Capacity improves supply, not appliance efficiency.
An upgrade rating should come from the accepted equipment plan rather than a standard sales package.
Our electrician
Our electrician’s advice: keep the approved load schedule current when major equipment changes.
A worn service enclosure and a new cooking range
An older service enclosure had worn out while the home was preparing for new cooking equipment. We wrote up the damage and the new load as two separate findings, so the owner saw which work was for repair and which was for capacity. We replaced the service equipment, arranged the utility work and finish access, and finished the inspection sequence. The owner received the inspection information and a circuit schedule.
A crowded panel and a workshop conversion
A home with few free breaker positions wanted a workshop and laundry. Empty breaker spaces did not prove there was capacity, so we reviewed the loads together with the service. We chose a feeder panel and labeled the new circuits separately from the original ones.
Availability
Upgrade coverage and booking windows
We serve homes across our service area. See where we work. Three pages to start with:
If you want an electrical panel upgrade near me, call us. Our call center answers 24/7. We do not promise a time before we hear about your panel.
Customer feedback
Customer feedback on panel upgrades
Reviews are collected by location, so there is no sitewide rating on this page. This one is from our Pasadena profile.
- Google review
“They were my service technicians, and they were prompt, efficient, and very courteous. They discussed with me the electrical panel replacement work that was completed, responded to several questions I had, and thoroughly cleaned up when the work was done. I was very impressed with them.”
Cyrille Kate Tribunalo Narci · Pasadena profile · 10 months ago
Read our reviews.
Common questions
Panel upgrade FAQ: free estimate, price by phone, insurers and old brands
Can you give me an estimate, and is the visit free?
Yes. The estimate for an electrical panel upgrade is free. Free estimates apply only to panel upgrades, panel installation, breaker replacement and whole-house rewiring.
Can you tell me the price over the phone?
A panel upgrade starts from $699 (starting price; your cost may differ). Your own price depends on the panel, where the service sits and what the home needs to run. The free estimate gives you that price.
What size do I need?
A visit decides it. Many people do not know their amps, and that is fine. See the sizing section above.
My insurer or inspector requires it. What now?
Bring their note to the estimate. We look at the panel against what they asked for. Zinsco and Federal Pacific panels are one common case; read about them here.
Will it handle my new AC, EV charger or solar?
A visit shows whether the panel has room for the new load. Bring the equipment ratings. For chargers, see EV charger installation.
I have a fuse box. Can it be replaced?
Yes. We replace fuse boxes with modern breaker panels. Tell us what the fuses do when they blow, and how many amps the main is.
Do you do commercial or multi-unit buildings?
Tell us on the call what the building is. For business work, see commercial electrical services. Commercial work starts from $69 per hour (starting price; your cost may differ).
Do you offer a warranty?
Red Electricians offers a standard warranty on its work. Ask your technician for the details when you call.
Book a panel upgrade estimate
Tell us what is happening with your panel, how old it is and what you plan to add. A photo of the panel helps. The estimate is free. Then call, or send the form.