Your home was probably built with a 100-amp panel, and that was plenty at the time. But now you're adding an EV charger, running the AC all summer, or planning a remodel, and that older panel wasn't designed for the load. Many Sacramento-area homes still have panels from brands that aren't considered safe anymore, and the gap between what your panel can handle and what you're asking of it only gets wider.
We size and install a modern panel, typically 200 amps, with room to grow. We pull the permit, coordinate the shutdown and reconnect with your local utility, and make sure everything passes inspection so the job is done right and on record.
What does a panel upgrade include?
Load evaluation
We calculate your current and future electrical load so your new panel is sized for how you actually use your home.
Modern panel & breakers
A new, properly rated panel with current breakers, surge-ready and built for years of safe service.
Utility coordination
We schedule the disconnect and reconnect with your local utility so your power is off for the shortest time possible.
Permit & inspection
We pull the permit and meet the inspector. The upgrade is documented and on record for your home.
Grounding & bonding
We bring grounding and bonding up to current code, an essential and often-skipped safety step.
Clean finish
Labeled circuits, a tidy install, and a walkthrough so you know exactly what was done.
How do you know if your panel needs an upgrade?
- You have a 100-amp panel and are adding an EV charger or AC
- Your panel uses an outdated or recalled brand
- You rely on power strips because you are out of outlets and circuits
- Breakers trip when several appliances run at once
- Fuses instead of breakers, or a panel over 25 to 30 years old
- You are planning a remodel, addition, or ADU
What a panel upgrade costs in Sacramento
Panel work in the Sacramento area runs from about $2,500 for a sub-panel to $10,000 for a full main panel replacement. Where your project lands depends mostly on the amperage you're moving to and how much service entrance work comes with it. A clean swap on a healthy service entrance costs less than a job that needs a new riser, meter work, or repairs to what a previous owner left behind.
The number we put in writing before work starts is the number you pay. Permits and the inspection are part of the quote, not a surprise at the end, and financing is available so a panel that needs replacing this year actually gets replaced this year.
See the full panel upgrade cost guide
100 amps or 200?
Most Sacramento homes built before the 1990s run on 100-amp service, and for decades that was plenty. Then the EV charger shows up, or the heat pump, or the induction range, and suddenly the panel is the bottleneck.
We run a load calculation instead of guessing. If 100 amps still covers you, we'll tell you that. When an upgrade does make sense, 200 amps is what we usually recommend because it leaves room to add loads later without paying for the same work twice.
100-amp vs 200-amp, compared in detail
How the SMUD side of it works
A main panel replacement is two jobs in one: the electrical work at your house, and the coordination with your utility. For most of Sacramento that utility is SMUD, which has its own application and approval steps before anyone touches the meter. We file that paperwork and line up the disconnect and reconnect, so your power is usually off for hours, not days.
Roseville Electric and PG&E run their own versions of the same process, and we work with all three week in and week out.
