Your old 100A or 125A service was never built to run a heat pump, an induction range, and a Level 2 EV charger at the same time. We replace it — properly, on permit, under license #1062166.
Most homes in Richmond, El Cerrito, Albany, San Pablo and El Sobrante are running on the same 100-amp service panel they were built with — sometimes 60 or 70 years old. That panel was designed for a 1960s electrical load: a stove, a fridge, a few light circuits, and an outlet in every room. It was never engineered for heat pumps, induction ranges, EV chargers, or a 5kW solar inverter feeding back through the bus.
When you start adding modern loads to a tired 100A service, the symptoms show up fast: breakers tripping under load, the stove dimming the lights when it kicks on, the EV charger refusing to deliver full current, the panel itself getting warm to the touch. Sometimes the panel is also a recalled brand — Federal Pacific, Zinsco, FPE Stab-Lok — that insurance companies will not write a policy on.
A panel upgrade is the foundational fix. We replace the meter base, the main service disconnect, the bus, the breakers, and the grounding electrode system, and we coordinate with PG&E to do the actual cut-and-reconnect. The whole job is performed under California State License Board #1062166, with the permit pulled and the city inspector signing off.
The work itself takes one day on site. The paperwork — city permit plus PG&E coordination — is what drives the real timeline, and it varies a lot by city.
We come out, look at your existing panel, your meter, your service drop, and any planned future loads (EV charger, heat pump, ADU). We do an actual NEC 220 load calculation, not a guess.
You get a line-item quote covering panel, meter, permit, PG&E coordination, and any incidental work (relocating the panel, new ground rod, sub-panel feeders). No deposit to see the bid.
We submit the electrical permit with your city or county building department. Approval typically takes 2 to 3 weeks in west Contra Costa, depending on the plan-check queue.
Once the permit is approved we submit the disconnect request to PG&E. This is the real bottleneck. On a responsive city the wait is a few weeks. On a slow jurisdiction it can be months — we have seen it run as long as 8 months on the outer edge.
On site at 8am. PG&E pulls the meter, we replace the panel, meter base, grounding, and re-terminate every branch circuit. Power is back on by mid-afternoon.
City inspector comes out within a few days. We meet them on site, walk the work, and they sign off the permit. You get the paperwork.
A simple 200A upgrade with the meter staying in place lands near $6,000. Complex jobs with a panel relocation or long wire runs push toward $8,500 or higher.
The two biggest drivers of a higher quote are panel location and distance from the existing panel. Moving the panel to a code-compliant location means new conduit, longer wire pulls, and wall patching. Longer distance between old and new panel means more intermediate junction boxes, each one finished and kept accessible. The brand of panel we install is a small part of the final number — it is the length of the rough-in that drives the price.
Real quotes beat ballparks. Your house, your panel, your situation will drive the real number. We give a written quote before any work starts — no deposit to see the bid, no pressure, no surprises.
Almost every panel upgrade we do falls into one of these buckets.
Inspectors flag old panels on disclosure forms. A documented permitted upgrade clears the report and protects the sale price.
Most 100A services do not have the headroom to add a 40A or 50A circuit for Level 2 charging. We size and replace the panel, then run the dedicated charger circuit on the same job.
Heat pump HVAC systems pull a continuous 30–50A. Add an induction range and you are over the existing service capacity. The panel upgrade is the prerequisite.
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco, and Pushmatic panels have known failure modes. Many insurance carriers will not renew a policy with one installed.
Kitchen and bathroom remodels usually require new dedicated circuits, AFCI protection, and updated grounding — work that quickly outgrows a 100A panel with no spare slots.
Warm-to-touch panel cover, breakers that won't reset, a buzz or hum from the panel, or visible scorching on the breaker faces — call us and stop using the affected circuits until we look at it.
We perform panel upgrades across all eight cities of west Contra Costa County, from Crockett at the Carquinez Strait to Albany at the Berkeley line.
For most modern west Contra Costa homes — especially anything built before 1990 with plans for an EV, heat pump, or kitchen renovation — yes. 200A is the current default for residential new construction and most upgrades. We run the load calculation per NEC 220 to confirm before we quote.
About 6–8 hours on cut-over day. PG&E pulls the meter in the morning, we do the work, PG&E re-energizes that afternoon. You are back on before dinner. The longer timeline is waiting for PG&E to schedule the cut-over itself — on a slow jurisdiction that wait can run into months.
Yes. We submit the disconnect/reconnect request to PG&E and schedule the appointment. You do not need to call them.
Sometimes. If your meter is being relocated to meet current code (outdoor, accessible, away from windows) the service drop needs to follow. We coordinate that with PG&E as part of the same job.
Always. Every panel upgrade we perform is on a pulled permit and signed off by the city inspector. You receive the closed permit paperwork at the end.
— Start with a call —
No deposit to see the bid. No pressure. Every job performed under CSLB license #1062166.
510-850-3941Mon – Fri · 8am – 5pm
