We handle panel replacements and service upgrades in Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. Most calls come from one of three places: a renovation that needs more circuits, an appliance the current service will not carry, or a home inspection that flagged the panel.
Panel change or full service upgrade?
These get used interchangeably and they are not the same job.
A panel change replaces the breaker box while keeping the existing service entrance. Appropriate when the service conductors and meter are sound and the panel itself is the problem, whether that is damage, a problem brand, or simply no space left.
A service upgrade increases capacity, typically 100 amps to 200 amps. That means new service conductors, a new meter enclosure, new grounding and bonding, and utility coordination to disconnect and reconnect. Bigger job, bigger cost, and sometimes unavoidable.
Plenty of homes get sold a full service upgrade when a panel change would have done. We will tell you which one your house actually needs.
What triggers it in Chatham
- Adding an EV charger, usually 40 to 50 amps dedicated
- Converting from gas to a heat pump
- A kitchen renovation requiring multiple new dedicated circuits
- A whole-house generator and transfer switch
- A finished basement or addition
- An inspection report flagging the panel before a sale
What a day looks like
For a full service upgrade, power is off for most of a working day. We coordinate the utility disconnect, replace the service entrance and panel, install new grounding, transfer and label every circuit, then get it inspected and the utility back out to reconnect. Circuit labelling matters more than people expect: a properly labelled panel makes every future repair faster and cheaper.
Permits
Both jobs require a permit and municipal inspection. We pull it and meet the inspector. Unpermitted panel work causes real trouble during a CCO inspection when you sell.
See what a panel upgrade costs in NJ, or how many amps your home actually needs.
What it costs
A diagnostic visit starts at $225, which covers the trip and the first hour of labor, including small fixes finished on the spot. Additional time is $125 per hour. If the repair turns into something larger, we price it before we do it.
Who to call
Voltus Energy Solutions is a licensed and insured New Jersey electrical contractor based in Montclair, NJ license #34EI01906000. A licensed electrician handles your job start to finish, and we answer the phone at (973) 382-9995 around the clock.
We serve homeowners across Essex, Union, Passaic and Morris counties, including Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Nutley, Verona, Cedar Grove, West Orange, Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Livingston, Caldwell, Millburn, Short Hills and Springfield.