Panel upgrades are the single most quoted job we do in Utah, and the number that comes back surprises people in both directions. Some expect a few hundred dollars because the panel is "just a box on the wall." Others have been told to brace for five figures. The truth sits in between and depends on a handful of things that are easy to check before you ever call anyone.
What you are actually paying for
A panel upgrade is rarely only a panel. Depending on the house, the job can include the service entrance conductors, a new meter base, a new mast and weatherhead, a grounding electrode system that meets current requirements, permit fees, an inspection, and coordination with the utility to drop and restore power. Swapping the breaker box alone is the cheap version. A full service upgrade is a different animal.
The five things that move the price most
- Service size. Going from 100 to 200 amps usually means new conductors and a new meter base, not just a bigger panel.
- Where the panel lives. A garage wall panel at chest height is a straightforward day. A panel in a finished basement behind a built-in, or on an exterior wall with stucco over it, adds hours and patching.
- How far the meter is from the panel. Long runs mean more conductor, more conduit and sometimes a trench.
- Whether the grounding needs redoing. Many older Utah homes have a single ground rod or a water-pipe bond that no longer qualifies on its own.
- Aluminum service conductors. Common, workable, but they need the right terminations and anti-oxidant treatment, and inspectors look closely.
Do you need 200 amps, or just more spaces?
This is where people overspend. If your service has capacity but the panel is simply full, a sub panel can solve the problem for meaningfully less money. If you are adding an EV charger, a hot tub and a heat pump to a 100 amp service, the load calculation usually sends you to 200. We run the numbers before quoting, which sometimes means talking a customer out of the larger job. See panel upgrades and breaker box replacement for what the work includes.
Panels that should be replaced regardless of load
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco and Challenger panels have long, documented histories of breakers that fail to trip. If you have one, replacement is not an upgrade, it is a repair. Fuse boxes fall in the same category once the household load has moved on. Home inspectors flag all of these, so if you plan to sell, you will meet the issue eventually.
Permits are not optional
Service equipment work is permitted and inspected in every Utah jurisdiction we work in. A contractor who offers to skip the permit is saving themselves time, not saving you money — unpermitted service work turns up during a sale and costs more to unwind than it would have cost to do properly. We pull the permit as part of the job.
How long you will be without power
For most residential upgrades, the outage is a single working day, coordinated with the utility. We tell you the window before booking so you can plan around freezers, home offices and medical equipment.
Getting a real number
Photos of the panel, the meter and the main breaker rating tell us most of what we need. Send those or call (888) 633-7804 and we will give you a range on the phone and a flat price after a look. We do this work in Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden and every other Utah city.