Panel and service upgrades
We do residential electrical work only. Panels and services for houses, ADUs, and the garages and shops that belong to a home.
When a house needs room for an EV charger, a heat pump, an induction range, an addition or a shop, the panel and the service coming into it are the first question. We look at what you have and what you want to add, then write up the change line by line.
- Licensed residential electrical contractorWASHIC*743DE
- WA registered contractorWASHIC*795O4
- Skagit · Snohomish · Island · WhatcomHomes in the counties we serve
- Bonded and insured
What this covers
Panel replacement
Swapping an old, full or failing panel for a new one, with every circuit landed, labeled and accounted for.
Service upgrades
A bigger service from the utility when the loads you're adding call for one. That can mean a new meter base and mast as well as the panel. The utility's part of a service change depends on who serves you: Puget Sound Energy in Skagit, most of Whatcom and on Whidbey Island, or Snohomish PUD in Snohomish County and on Camano Island.
Subpanels and feeders
A subpanel for a garage, a shop, an addition or an ADU, fed from the main panel.
Load management
Sometimes a load-management device or a smarter circuit plan can make room without a bigger service. We'll say so when it fits your house.
Surge protection
A whole-home surge protector at the panel, often added while the panel is open anyway.
What decides the scope
- What's there now: the size of your service, the panel's condition and how full it is.
- What you're adding: an EV charger, a heat pump, a water heater, a range, a shop or an ADU, and whether they run at the same time.
- Where things are: the meter, the panel and the new loads, and the path between them.
- The utility's side: some service changes need the utility to disconnect and reconnect the service. We explain those steps at the visit.
At the site visit we look at all of it and tell you plainly what we find, including when a panel change has to come before the rest.
Older panels
Homes built before the 1980s may still have their original panel or a brand that's no longer made. If yours is one of them, we look at it at the visit and talk through the options. Replacing it is often part of a bigger change, like an EV charger or a heat pump.
Recent work
Whole-house wiring for a new custom home
Whole-house wiring for a new custom home: the main panel and feeders, branch circuits, the lighting layout and trim-out, with circuits ready for an EV charger, a heat pump and a portable generator.
- A new main panel with every branch circuit landed and labeled
- Labeled circuits for an EV charger and a heat pump, and a mechanical generator interlock on the main panel
- Weather-resistant outdoor receptacles on GFCI protection, plus data and camera rough-in
Shown by town only.
Questions people ask
Do I need a 200-amp service?
Not always. It depends on what's in the house now and what you're adding. We look at your service, your panel and the loads you plan to add, and tell you what we find, including when load management could avoid a service change.
Will my power be off?
For a panel or service change, yes, for part of the job. We tell you before the work starts, so you can plan around it.
Do you also wire the new circuits?
Yes. Most panel jobs come with new circuits, like an EV charger or a heat pump, and we do both.
Are there rebates for a panel upgrade?
Some programs have paid for panel work tied to a heat pump or other electric equipment, mostly for income-qualified households. See rebates and programs to check.
Ask about a panel or service upgrade
Thanks, we have your request
A person reads every request and gets back to you to set up a site visit.
Want to add something? Call (360) 858-8580, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email info@waelectrical.contractors.
What happens next
- A person reads your request.
- We contact you by phone or email, whichever you prefer.
- We visit, look at the panel and the work, and talk through what goes into a written scope.
Already working with us?
Current clients, trades and suppliers: please use your usual contact.