When it comes to your electrical panel, I have had countless conversations with homeowners across San Diego, I am sharing some often-asked questions about the process of electrical panel and service upgrades, in hopes to empower you on this significant upgrade.

Why Upgrade Your Electrical Panel or Service?

Hey, neighbor! Mike here, from Raceway Electric & Solar. If you’re living in San Diego, chances are your home has a bit of history. With the median age of homes around 37 years, many of us are nestled in properties over 20 years old. I’ve walked through homes that have seen the roaring ’20s and others that were built when disco was king. Most of these places were designed with 100 to 200-amp panels, which was fine back when a microwave was considered high-tech.

Let me share a story. Last month, I visited a lovely couple in La Mesa. They’d just bought a classic ’60s ranch-style home, dreaming of modernizing it. When they mentioned installing a charging station for their new EV, I had to break it to them: their current electrical panel was about as prepared for an EV as I am for running a marathon – that is, not very. It’s a common tale, and it highlights why upgrading your panel is about embracing today’s lifestyle without compromising on safety.

Speaking of safety, I’ve had more conversations with homeowners about insurance mandates this year than ever before. Just last week, I helped a family in Santee who were blindsided by their insurance company’s demand to replace their outdated Federal Pacific panel. Turns out, insurers are getting serious about reducing risks from these old panels that aren’t up to snuff anymore. It’s becoming a bit of a trend, and honestly, it’s for the best.

So, What Does It Cost?

Now, onto the brass tacks. I’ve been asked to casually share “ballpark numbers” for upgrading more times than I can count, and while I wish I could give a one-size-fits-all answer, it just doesn’t work that way. Some panels are a rebuild, some are a replace, some are buried in brick, and some are in the most convenient places. I’ve seen projects that were straight shots and others that needed a bit of extra digging or navigating tricky access points. Plus, there’s the permit dance with the city. Each job has its unique needs, but rest assured, we’re all about giving you a fair shake.

Do plan for finish work costs. That is a separate job—it’s the finish work that comes after the replacement happens. A common misconception by homeowners is assuming that your electrician is going to stucco or patch bricks. It is in our contract that we don’t do that, but hear me out. You do not want your electrician to be your stucco/brick/wood repair guy. We know wires and electricity and the safety of it all really well, we don’t do finish work like this, it is skill-set that should be left to the experts in that field. We do not hire that out for you, because frankly we would have to charge you a fee to do that. Instead we have expert contractors we trust that we will refer you to (if you don’t have your own). Our stucco contractor is fantastic and works with our customers all of the time. We have and extensive list of trusted vendors we work with. Ask us, we know great reliable people in most skilled trades. That leads me to the next topic, getting ready for the upgrade…

Getting Ready for an Upgrade.

Patience and preparation are your best friends here. There was a project in El Cajon where everything was lined up smooth as butter – until we hit the SDG&E waiting game. It’s a bit of a waiting room situation, but it’s nothing we can’t handle together. Over the years, I’ve learned the ins and outs of working with SDG&E, and while feels like sometimes they take their sweet time (we’re talking up to five months in worse cases), WE make sure the rest of the process is as slick as possible.

Visit our Service Upgrade Page for more information.

Fun Fact: The photo shared in this article is from one of our recent job sites. Here we are installing a smart panel aka “Span Panel”. This panel allows you to monitor how much power you are using by the individual circuits and you can even turn breakers on and off with an app on your phone.

If you’re thinking about giving your home’s electrical system the boost it needs, let’s chat. As you know you can book a quote appointment online or call us at 619-596-1918. We’re here to ensure your home can keep up with the times, safely, and efficiently.

Let’s power up, San Diego! – Mike