200-amp panel upgrades across the metro.
The prerequisite for heat pumps, EV chargers, and induction. Permitted, inspected, code-correct. Same-day swap on most homes.
Trusted by Portland Homeowners
When you need an upgrade
Six signs your panel can't keep up — and why a 200A service finally lets you grow.
Older Portland homes were wired for the loads of their decade — not the heat pump, EV, and induction stack a modern family runs through them. Here's how to tell when the panel is the bottleneck.
You're adding a heat pump
Most heat pump conversions add 30–60 amps of load. A 100-amp panel that's already running a gas furnace, range, and dryer rarely has the headroom — load calc proves it before we start.
You're installing an EV charger
Level 2 EV chargers pull 32–48 amps continuous. On an older panel, that's often the straw — especially paired with a heat pump or hot tub.
You're going induction
Induction ranges + heat pump water heaters + heat pump dryers are the modern electrification trifecta. Together they often push beyond 100A service.
Your panel is Federal Pacific or Zinsco
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels have documented breaker-failure issues that don't trip under fault. Insurers increasingly ask to replace them. We do it cleanly and to current code.
Breakers trip when nothing's changed
Old breakers fatigue. Older panel buses corrode. If the same circuits trip repeatedly without an obvious load change, the panel itself is often the issue — not the appliance.
You're renovating or adding sq ft
A finished basement, a kitchen remodel, or an ADU usually means new dedicated circuits. The panel needs slots — and often more amps.
How it works
Our panel-upgrade process — four steps from old fuse box to 200A modern service.
- 01
Free in-home assessment
We look at the panel, run a real load calculation, check the meter base and service drop, and write you a real number — not a guess over the phone.
- 02
Permits + utility coordination
We pull the city or county permit, schedule the PGE / Pacific Power disconnect, and confirm meter-base compatibility before anyone shows up to swap the panel.
- 03
Same-day swap
Most 100A → 200A swaps are a same-day job. Power off in the morning, new panel and meter in by afternoon. We label every circuit clearly — no more guessing which breaker runs what.
- 04
Inspection & utility re-connect
City or county inspector signs the permit. Utility re-connects the meter. You get the paperwork and a panel that finally has the headroom to grow into.
- Oregon-licensed electricians
- Permitted & inspected
- Same-day swap on most homes
- Wells Fargo financing
Electrical + HVAC under one roof
When the panel upgrade goes with a heat pump — one crew, one schedule.
Most panel upgrades we do are paired with a heat pump install, EV charger, or induction range. Because the same family-owned company does both trades, you don't coordinate two contractors — or get caught in the middle when the inspector shows up and the electrician and the HVAC tech blame each other.
- One company, one permit, one inspection
- Load calc accounts for the new HVAC equipment
- Energy Trust paperwork bundled across the project
Panel upgrade questions, answered.
- Most 100-amp to 200-amp service upgrades run $3,500–$6,500 in the Portland metro. The price moves with whether the mast / meter base needs replacing, whether the service drop has to be re-located, and what the AHJ requires. We quote flat-rate after the in-home assessment, never over the phone.
- Most jobs are one day. You're without power for roughly 4–8 hours of that day. We coordinate with PGE or Pacific Power so the disconnect, swap, and re-connect happen on the same business day whenever possible.
- For a single-family home running heat pump + EV + induction + heat pump water heater, yes — 200A is the comfortable default. For a smaller home with no electrification plans, 100A or 125A can work with a load calculation. We do the math before recommending the size.
- Yes — always. We pull the permit through the city or county AHJ (Portland's BDS, Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington), the work is inspected, and you get a copy of the signed permit. Unpermitted electrical work is an insurance liability we won't take on.
- Some do. Energy Trust of Oregon and PGE / Pacific Power offer panel-upgrade incentives when the upgrade is paired with a qualifying electrification project (heat pump water heater, induction range, heat pump). We flag every rebate you qualify for at the estimate.
- Yes. All electrical work is performed by Oregon-licensed electricians under the supervision of Tristin Morris, who holds Oregon's Signing Supervisor's Electrical License. We pull every permit and never run unpermitted electrical.
Written by Tristin Morris, Co-Founder & Co-Owner
Holds Oregon's Signing Supervisor's Electrical License · CCB#247087
Outgrown your panel?
Free in-home assessment. Real load calculation. Honest number.
We pull the permit, coordinate with the utility, and swap the panel in a day on most homes. Wells Fargo financing available.