If your home still runs on a fuse box or a 100-amp panel, you’ve probably wondered what it costs to upgrade. As a licensed New Jersey electrical contractor, here’s a straight answer along with what actually drives the price.
Typical cost range in New Jersey
Most residential electrical panel upgrades to 200-amp service in NJ start at $4,500. What you pay depends on the service size you are going from and to. A straight panel replacement starts at $1,500; a full service upgrade involving the utility, the meter, and the service entrance runs higher.
What drives the price
- Amperage: Moving from 100-amp to 200-amp is the most common upgrade. 400-amp service for large homes costs more.
- Service entrance work: If the meter, service entrance, or service cable also needs replacing, the utility (PSE&G) must coordinate a disconnect/reconnect.
- Panel location and accessibility: A cramped or finished-wall location adds labor.
- Code corrections: Older homes sometimes need grounding, bonding, or circuit fixes to pass inspection.
- Permits and inspection: Required in every NJ town and included in a proper quote.
How to know if you need an upgrade
Common signs: a fuse box instead of breakers, flickering lights when large appliances start, frequently tripped breakers, or plans to add central air, a pool, or an EV charger. Any of these point to a panel that’s near or past its capacity.
Get an honest assessment
We serve homeowners across Essex, Union, and Morris County. Call Voltus Energy Solutions at (973) 382-9995 for a straightforward panel evaluation and quote.
Our pricing at Voltus
To make budgeting simple, here is how our own pricing works. Panel replacement starts at $1,500. A service upgrade from 100A to 100A starts at $3,000. A service upgrade from 100A to 200A starts at $4,500. 200A to 400A is quoted after an assessment. A service upgrade is more than a panel replacement – it includes coordinating the upgrade documents with your electric utility, permitting with your local building department, checking and updating the bonding of your water main and hot water tank, and installing a new grounding electrode system. Subpanel installations and replacements start at $1,500, with site conditions affecting the final price. Every new panel we install includes a surge protector to help minimize damage from electrical surges – though surges above a device’s rating can still cause damage, so complete protection is never guaranteed.
Learn more about our electrical panel upgrade and replacement service or request a firm quote.
What a panel upgrade costs, tier by tier
- Panel replacement – starts at $1,500. The panel itself, where the existing service entrance stays as it is.
- Service upgrade, 100-amp to 100-amp – starts at $3,000. Typically when a failing 100-amp service is replaced and brought up to current code.
- Service upgrade, 100-amp to 200-amp – starts at $4,500. A new meter pan, new service entrance cable, and PSE&G coordination.
- 200-amp to 400-amp and above – quoted after assessment.
- Subpanel installation or replacement – starts at $1,500.
What is included in a panel upgrade
Every panel and service job we quote includes the following. A quote that comes in well below these numbers is usually leaving one of them out.
- Permits and building-department filing
- Utility coordination with PSE&G, including the disconnect and reconnect
- Inspection
- Water main and hot water tank bonding
- A new grounding electrode system
- A surge protector on every new panel
Can I just replace the breakers instead?
Sometimes, and it is worth asking. If the panel is sound and the service size is adequate, replacing failed breakers is the cheaper answer. But some panel brands, notably Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco, have a documented history of breakers that fail to trip under fault. Swapping individual breakers in one of those does not address the underlying problem, so replacement is the honest recommendation.
Financing. Wisetack breaks projects of $500 or more into monthly payments, and prequalifying uses a soft credit check. Call (973) 382-9995, or see our full published pricing and panel upgrade service page. NJ Electrical Contractor License #34EI01906000.