200-amp service upgrades, panel replacements, and sub-panels for additions, shops, EV chargers, and hot tubs. Most single-home panel swaps wrap in one day. Permitted and inspected every time.
Your main service panel is the single most load-bearing piece of electrical equipment in your house. It's also the piece that most limits what you can add, EV charger, heat pump upgrade, pool equipment, backup generator, mother-in-law suite. If the panel is a 100-amp fused box from 1978 or a known-failing Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco, upgrading it is step one for every other electrical project you're thinking about.
Most panel upgrades I do are 100A → 200-amp service swaps on single-family homes, or 200A main panels paired with a sub-panel for a workshop, addition, EV charging station, or hot tub. I coordinate the utility disconnect/reconnect with Duke Energy or Blue Ridge, pull the permit with your county AHJ, and schedule the inspection.
Most single-day panel swaps can be completed while you're at work, you get back to a clean, labeled, code-compliant panel and a house that can actually support what you want to do with it.
Your panel protects your home. When it's showing any of these, don't wait.
These panel brands have documented failure modes where breakers don't trip under fault. Insurance companies often require replacement. Not a 'maybe someday' issue.
If your panel cover is warm to the touch, breakers feel hot, or you see burn marks / scorched insulation inside, shut it down and call. These are active failure symptoms.
If you've run out of breaker slots for new circuits (EV, hot tub, addition) or still have a fuse box, an upgrade is the practical path forward.
I evaluate your current panel, electrical load, and what you plan to add in the next 5 years. Most upgrades land at 200A service, enough headroom for EVs, heat pumps, and additions without re-upgrading later.
Electrical permit pulled with your county AHJ. Utility disconnect/reconnect coordinated with Duke Energy, Blue Ridge, or your co-op. Everything scheduled so the swap happens in a single day.
Most panel upgrades finish in a single day. Power off, old panel out, new panel in, circuits landed on new breakers, inspector scheduled. You get a labeled panel map at closeout.
If you want to see what a service upgrade actually looks like, meter base, mast, ground rods, modern 4-wire setup, here's a full walkthrough I shot on a real job. 23,000+ folks have watched it on YouTube.
What you'll see in the video:
If your home still has a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or split-bus panel, or your meter is the old 3-wire style, this video shows exactly what a code-current upgrade looks like. Same approach I bring to every job around Lake Keowee, the Cliffs, Keowee Key, and Sunset.
Your panel is the one piece of electrical gear you really don't want to redo in five years.
Have a question not listed here? Call or text (864) 351-7898. I'm happy to talk through it.
Most 200-amp panel upgrades run $2,000 to $4,500 depending on panel brand, circuit count, whether the service drop needs replacement, and meter base condition. Quote is written and itemized before work starts.
Typically 4 to 8 hours on the install day. I coordinate the utility disconnect with Duke Energy or Blue Ridge and work efficiently to minimize downtime.
Most insurance companies now require it, and there's well-documented evidence that Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip under fault conditions. Even without the insurance angle, it's a safety upgrade I recommend without hesitation.
Yes, every time. Panel upgrades require permits in every SC county I work in. I pull the permit in your name, schedule the inspection, and hand you the signed card at closeout.
Sometimes. If your main service is adequate but you need more breaker space for a workshop, addition, or EV charging, a sub-panel can be the right answer. I'll evaluate what makes sense and give you an honest recommendation.
Yes when needed. Old or cracked meter bases get replaced during the panel upgrade, this is coordinated with the utility disconnect so it happens in a single outage window.
A Lake Keowee house is not a normal load profile. The panel feeds the house, then a dock circuit, a boat lift, often a hot tub, sometimes an EV charger, and increasingly a standby generator transfer switch. That is why I start every panel job here with a load calculation instead of a guess.
200A service upgrades, meter base replacements, and Federal Pacific and Zinsco swap-outs across Oconee and Pickens County. I coordinate the utility side with Duke Energy, Blue Ridge Electric Co-op, or Seneca Light & Water depending on which lines feed your property, pull the county permit, and hand you a passed inspection.
A photo of your panel with the door open is usually enough to start. I'll follow up with an itemized price.
Free site visit. Itemized written quote. Most panel swaps scheduled within two weeks.