Licensed Panel Upgrades — Permit & Inspection Included
Electrical Panel Upgrade in Orange County
100A to 200A · Free Estimates · Licensed C-10 #1108650
Want a heat pump, a new air conditioner, an EV charger or an induction range, and someone told you the panel is too small? That is where we come in. An old or undersized electrical panel is the job we do, not a reason to stop. It is 2026 and your home runs on electricity, so we find a way to make it work. Sometimes that means a 100 amp to 200 amp upgrade. Sometimes a load calculation shows you already have room, or a subpanel does the job for far less. We look at the panel, do the maths, and give you a free written estimate with the options side by side. Electrical problem right now? Same-day service is available.
C10 & C20 Licensed · Fully Insured · Free Estimates · Same-Day Available
The Panel Is the Job, Not the Obstacle
Your electrical panel is the grey metal box, usually on an outside wall or in the garage, where power from the street is split into the circuits that run your home. Its size is measured in amps. Many older Orange County homes were built with 60, 100 or 125 amps. That was plenty when a house had a fridge, a few lights and a gas furnace.
You may hear it called the service panel, the main panel or the circuit breaker panel. They all mean the same box. A home electrical panel upgrade replaces it with a larger, modern one, often along with the meter and the equipment where the utility's wires arrive.
Today the same house may want central air, a heat pump, an EV in the garage, an induction range, a pool pump or solar on the roof. Each of those is a good upgrade. Each of them also asks more of the panel. When the panel is at its limit, the next step is to give it more room, and that step is ours. We are a licensed C-10 electrical contractor, so we do the work ourselves instead of sending you off to find someone else.
Same-day service available: call early and we'll get to you today in most cases. Emergency calls answered 24/7. If you smell burning near the panel, see scorch marks, or the panel cover feels hot, do not wait for an appointment. Call now.
Signs It's Time to Upgrade Your Electrical Panel
You do not need to know anything about electricity to spot these. If one or more sounds familiar, it is worth a visit.
- Breakers trip often, especially when the AC, microwave and hair dryer run together.
- The panel feels warm, buzzes or crackles. A working panel is quiet and cool to the touch.
- Lights flicker or dim when a large appliance starts up.
- You still have a fuse box and keep replacing fuses.
- There is no room for new circuits: every slot is full, or breakers have been doubled up.
- You are adding something big: a new AC, a heat pump, an EV charger, an induction range, an ADU (a granny flat or backyard unit), a pool or spa, or solar panels.
- The panel is a Federal Pacific or Zinsco, two older brands covered below.
- An inspector or insurer flagged it during a sale or a policy renewal.
A warm or buzzing panel and a burning smell are not "book for next week" problems. Turn off what you can safely turn off, keep people away from the panel, and phone us. Everything else on the list is a planning question, and we will help you plan it.
Federal Pacific and Zinsco Panel Replacement in Orange County
Two panel brands come up again and again in older homes here: Federal Pacific Electric, usually with Stab-Lok breakers, and Zinsco. Both were installed widely decades ago and neither is made today.
Many electricians and home inspectors recommend replacing them. The reported concerns are breakers that may not trip reliably when a circuit is overloaded, and, with Zinsco, connections to the metal bars inside that can loosen and overheat. Replacement breakers are also scarce, which makes routine repairs awkward.
We are not going to tell you the house is about to burn down. If the panel is working, you have time to plan. Our honest advice is to replace it before you add a heat pump, a new AC or an EV charger, and to do it sooner if you see any of the warning signs above. A Federal Pacific panel replacement or Zinsco panel replacement is also a good moment to move up to 200 amps, so you pay for the permit and the utility coordination once.
Five Ways to Get More Power Into Your Home
A 200 amp panel upgrade is the answer people have heard of, but it is one of several. We look at your home and the equipment you want, then pick the route that costs least and still leaves you room to grow.
1. Use the capacity you already have
We start with a load calculation. That is a standard worksheet that adds up what your appliances actually draw, rather than guessing from the number on the main breaker. Quite often a 100 or 125 amp panel has more headroom than anyone assumed, and a new dedicated circuit is all the job needs.
2. Add a subpanel
A subpanel is a second, smaller breaker box fed from the main panel. It gives you fresh slots for new circuits near where they are needed, such as a garage, an ADU or the side of the house with the outdoor unit. Read more on our subpanel installation page.
3. Upgrade the main panel to 200 amps
When the calculation says the house needs more power overall, we replace the main panel and, where required, the service equipment with a 200 amp setup. This is the classic 100 amp to 200 amp upgrade and it sets the house up for the next twenty years of electric appliances.
4. Right-size the equipment
The new equipment matters as much as the panel. Modern inverter heat pumps ramp their speed up and down and draw less power than older single-speed units. A heat pump heats and cools, so it can take over from both a furnace and an AC. Choosing well-matched equipment can shrink the electrical work needed.
5. Phase the work
You do not have to do everything at once. We can install the panel now with room for an EV charger and solar later, or run the heat pump circuit this year and the range next year. We write the plan down so each stage fits the one before it.
What Happens When You Call
- We listen and book a visit. Tell us what is happening or what you want to add. If it sounds urgent, we send someone the same day where we can.
- We look, measure and explain. An electrician checks the panel, the meter and the wiring, runs the load calculation and walks you through the options in plain words.
- You get a free written estimate. The price is agreed in writing before work starts. No pressure, and no price that changes on the day.
Once you say yes, we pull the permit, schedule the work, and we coordinate the utility shutoff and reconnection when the service itself is being upgraded. The building inspector checks the finished job, and we are there for that visit. If your adult children are helping arrange the work, we are happy to walk them through the estimate too.
Repair or replace the panel?
Not every problem needs a new panel. A single worn breaker or a loose connection is a repair, and we will tell you so. Replacement makes sense when the panel is a Federal Pacific or Zinsco, when it is full and you need more circuits, when it shows heat damage or corrosion, or when you are adding large loads and the calculation says the house needs more amps. We give you the reasons in writing either way.
Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost in Orange County: 2026 Prices
These are typical Orange County ranges for the work that usually comes with a panel upgrade. Your written estimate will give one firm number for your home.
| Work | Typical 2026 Cost | What Affects the Price |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic / service call | $89 – $150 | Applied to the repair if you go ahead |
| Dedicated circuit for AC or heat pump | $450 – $1,200 | Distance from panel to the outdoor unit |
| Subpanel | $1,500 – $3,500 | Size, location and length of the feed from the main panel |
| Panel upgrade to 200A | $3,000 – $6,500 | Meter and service equipment, wall repair, grounding updates |
| Level 2 EV charger installed | $900 – $2,500 | Charger choice and distance to the parking spot |
| Heat strip kit installed | $650 – $1,600 | Backup electric heat for a heat pump air handler |
| Ductless mini-split, single zone | $3,500 – $5,500 | Often fits on existing capacity with one new circuit |
| AC changeout, 3 ton | $6,500 – $9,500 | Panel work quoted on the same estimate if needed |
| Heat pump system (ducted) | $9,000 – $16,000 | Heats and cools; circuit and panel work priced alongside |
Ranges are typical, not quotes. Permits are pulled under our own licence. Free written estimates on new equipment, panel upgrades and replacements; no phone quotes. We take credit card, check, Zelle and cash, and 0% financing on approved credit is available. We do not service water heaters or tankless water heaters of any brand.
Heat pump incentives from utilities and the state change often. We do not list amounts here because they go out of date, but we will check what currently applies for your address when we visit.
Panel Upgrade for a Heat Pump, New AC or EV Charger
Most of our panel work starts with a different question: "Can I put in a heat pump?" The answer is yes, and the panel is part of how we get there. Because we hold a C-20 licence for heating and air conditioning as well as the C-10 electrical licence, the same company plans the equipment and the power it needs.
Panel upgrade for a heat pump
A heat pump heats and cools your home using electricity, so it often replaces a gas furnace and an old AC in one move. It needs its own circuit, and some systems add electric backup heat for cold mornings. See our heat pump installation page for the equipment side.
Replacing an air conditioner
A new AC may need a different breaker size, a new disconnect by the outdoor unit or a fresh circuit if the old wiring is undersized. We price that on the same estimate as the AC replacement, so there are no surprises.
Panel upgrade for an EV charger
A Level 2 charger is one of the biggest single loads in a home. Sometimes it fits on the existing panel with a load calculation; sometimes it goes on a subpanel in the garage. Our EV charger installation page covers the options.
Useful add-ons while the panel is open
A whole-home surge protector fitted at the panel helps shield the electronics inside a modern furnace, heat pump or EV charger from voltage spikes. If outages worry you, we can plan a generator connection at the same time. If the house still has very old wiring, rewiring can be phased in room by room.
Panel Upgrades for Garage Conversions, ADUs and Mini-Splits
More Orange County families are turning a garage into a bedroom, a home office or a place for a parent to live, or building an ADU in the back garden. These spaces rarely have ducts, so the usual way to heat and cool them is a ductless mini-split: a slim indoor unit on the wall and a small outdoor unit, working as a heat pump that heats in winter and cools in summer.
Each mini-split needs its own 240-volt circuit. A converted garage or an ADU also brings new lights, outlets and often a small kitchen. That is where the electrical plan starts, and we handle every part of it.
Panel upgrade for a mini-split
A single-zone inverter mini-split draws modestly, so it often fits on the panel you have with one new circuit. Garages are handy here: the panel is frequently on the garage wall already, so the run is short. If the panel is full, a subpanel or a 200 amp upgrade gives it room, and that step is ours.
Panel upgrade for an ADU
An ADU is a small home, so it usually gets its own subpanel fed from the main one, with the mini-split, kitchen and bathroom circuits inside it. The load calculation tells us whether the main panel covers the house and the ADU together, or whether an electric panel upgrade to 200 amps should come first. We plan both on one estimate and one permit where the city allows.
Our garage and ADU mini-split page covers the heating and cooling side, and ductless mini-split installation explains the equipment.
Permits, Inspection and Your Licensed Electrician for a Panel Upgrade
Every main panel upgrade and breaker panel replacement we do is permitted. We pull the permit under our own licence, CSLB #1108650, which covers C-10 electrical and C-20 heating and air conditioning. You can check any contractor's licence for free at cslb.ca.gov, and we encourage you to check ours.
Our technicians are EPA 608 certified for refrigerant work, and Title 24 energy requirements are handled when the panel job is paired with new heating or cooling equipment. You can read about our team on the certified technicians page.
A permitted job protects you. The inspector checks the work, you keep the signed-off record, and there are no awkward questions when you sell or refinance. A lower quote that skips the permit is not really a saving.
Electrical Panel Upgrade Questions
How much does an electrical panel upgrade cost in Orange County?
A panel upgrade to 200 amps typically runs $3,000 to $6,500 in 2026. Where you land in that range depends on the panel's location, whether the meter and service equipment are being replaced with it, how much wall or stucco work is involved, and whether grounding needs bringing up to current code. A subpanel is usually $1,500 to $3,500, and a single dedicated circuit for an AC or heat pump is $450 to $1,200. We do not quote over the phone, because we would only be guessing. We come out, look at the panel and give you a free written price before any work starts.
How fast can you do a panel upgrade?
The visit and free written estimate come first. After you approve it, we pull the permit and arrange the utility shutoff and reconnection. The utility sets its own schedule for that part, so we will not promise a date we do not control, but we keep you updated at every step. On the day, we tell you in advance how long the power will be off so you can plan around the fridge, a garage door or any medical equipment. If you have a burning smell or a hot panel, that is different: call now for same-day or emergency service.
My house is old. Is it too late to upgrade the panel?
No. Age is not a barrier, it is simply the starting point. Plenty of Orange County homes still have their original 60 or 100 amp service, a fuse box, or a panel brand that is no longer made. Every one of those can be brought up to date. Sometimes the path is a full 200 amp upgrade. Sometimes it is a new main panel plus a subpanel, or some rewiring of older circuits in stages. We look at what you have and lay out the routes that get you to where you want to be.
Do I need a 200 amp panel for a heat pump or an EV charger?
Not always, and that surprises people. A load calculation, which is simply adding up what your home actually draws, sometimes shows spare capacity in a 100 or 125 amp panel. Modern inverter heat pumps also draw less than older equipment, and a heat pump heats and cools, so it can replace both a furnace and an AC on one circuit. If the numbers are tight, a subpanel or a 200 amp upgrade is the next step, and that step is ours. We show you the calculation so you can see why we recommend what we recommend.
I have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel. Should I replace it?
Many electricians and home inspectors recommend it. Federal Pacific panels with Stab-Lok breakers and Zinsco panels have a long record of reported problems, including breakers that may not trip reliably and connections that can overheat. Replacement parts are also hard to find. If yours is working today, there is no need to panic, but it is worth planning a replacement, and it is sensible to do it before adding a big new load like a heat pump or EV charger. We replace these panels regularly and handle the permit and inspection.
Do I need a panel upgrade to add a mini-split in my garage or ADU?
Often not for a single mini-split. An inverter mini-split is a fairly light load, and if the panel has a spare space and the load calculation shows headroom, one new 240-volt circuit does the job. That is typically $450 to $1,200, on top of the mini-split itself. A full ADU with its own kitchen is a bigger step and usually gets a subpanel, $1,500 to $3,500. If the house and the new space together need more than the panel offers, we upgrade it to 200 amps. Because we install the mini-split and do the wiring, one estimate covers the lot.
Is a main panel upgrade the same as a service upgrade?
Close, but not quite. A main panel upgrade swaps the breaker box for a newer, roomier one, which can fix a full or unsafe panel without adding any power. A service panel upgrade goes further: it raises the amps coming in from the street, for example from 100 to 200, which usually means a new meter and service equipment and a utility shutoff. We tell you which one your home needs after the load calculation, and the written estimate spells out exactly what is being replaced. Both are permitted and inspected, and the permit is pulled under our own licence.
How do I pay, and is financing available?
We take credit card, check, Zelle and cash. For larger jobs like a panel upgrade combined with a new heat pump, 0% financing is available on approved credit, and you can see the details on our financing page. Utility and state incentives for heat pumps and panel work change often, so we do not print amounts that may be out of date. When we visit, we check what currently applies for your address and tell you honestly whether it is worth applying.
Serving Homes Across Orange County
We work from our shop in Fountain Valley and handle panel upgrades throughout the county, including Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and Costa Mesa. For everything else we do on the electrical side, see our electrical services page.
Ready to talk it through? Call us, or request a free estimate online and we will call you back.