“Carlos and Aiden were prompt, polite, and an awesome duo. They knocked out a tough day replacing an ancient panel.”
John R.
Subpanel replacement
200-amp panel upgrades in Santa Cruz County
Upgrade from 100A or 125A to 200A service. A single-day install in most homes — PG&E coordination, the AHJ permit, and a 20-year warranty all included.
CSLB #C10-109723720-year workmanship guarantee4.9 ★ on GooglePermit + inspection handled
02·What this is
A 200-amp panel upgrade in Santa Cruz County isn't a "swap the breaker box" job — it's a full electrical service rebuild.
Every main panel job we do — an upgrade or a like-for-like replacement — renews the full service, not just the panel. The new service handles more circuits, carries modern high-draw appliances (EV chargers, heat pumps, induction ranges), and brings your home up to current California Electrical Code. It's the single highest-leverage electrical upgrade most homes in the county can make. If you're planning an EV charger, a heat pump conversion, an induction kitchen, or going all-electric over the next few years, this is the work that makes those projects possible without daisy-chaining loads onto an undersized service.
Overhead service is the common case. Everything from the weatherhead down to the ground rods gets replaced: new weatherhead, new rigid mast, new service entrance conductors, a new 200A combination meter main — California's standard integrated enclosure holding the meter socket, main disconnect, and primary distribution breakers in one box, and what we install by default — all existing branch circuits transferred to the new bus, and new grounding and bonding to current code. There is no separate "meter base" as its own box in California residential service; it's part of the combination meter main.
Underground service has no mast or weatherhead to replace, but the job still requires PG&E on the utility side. Because the combination meter main holds the utility conductor terminations inside the panel we're replacing, PG&E has to come out and disconnect the underground feeders at the splice point — an underground box or a nearby pole — to de-energize the panel before we can work. We remove the old enclosure, install the new one, reconnect to the utility conductors, and PG&E re-energizes. On a like-for-like same-amperage replacement, the existing underground conductors and conduit stay in place and the utility work is just that disconnect and reconnect. On an amperage upsize, the conductors may need to be replaced with larger ones — and the biggest single underground cost variable is whether the existing conduit is 2" or larger (so PG&E can pull new conductors through) or whether a new conduit has to be trenched. We check the visible conduit at quote and price as if PG&E can reuse it; PG&E's real verification happens post-contract via our application to them. If they reject the existing conduit, we requote and walk through the options with you.
The honest way to know whether you need the upgrade for a specific project is the math. Run the Panel Load Calculator — it applies the NEC 220.82 Optional Method to your home's actual loads — or have a tech verify it in person during a free inspection. The common outcome for the 100A panels in mid-century Santa Cruz homes is "yes, you need the upgrade," but we'd rather show you the calculation than assert it.
A few homes need this for a different reason: the existing panel is a Federal Pacific (Stab-Lok), a Zinsco, or another known-unsafe legacy brand. Those panels are almost always 40+ years old, so they're due for replacement on age alone — separate from the brand-specific safety history. When we're replacing one anyway, going from 100A to 200A is a small marginal cost and worth it to avoid a second project later. If that's your situation, our Federal Pacific panel replacement guide covers the full unsafe-panel rundown.
On scope honesty: Sunrise holds a CSLB C-10 (Electrical) contractor license, #C10-1097237. C-10 covers our full residential electrical work — panel upgrades, service entrance, branch circuits, rewires, lighting, outlets, EV chargers, generators (electrical side), and our own solar PV and battery installs — and we do all of it in-house. For a heat pump we run the dedicated circuit and disconnect on our side while your HVAC contractor sets the equipment (that's C-20 scope); for a generator's gas line we sometimes sub the plumbing portion (C-36), but the electrical work always stays in-house. More on how we work is on our methodology page, and every job carries our 20-year workmanship warranty.
04·What's included
Exactly what we handle — and the two things you handle.
Sunrise provides
- New 200A Siemens combination meter main — enclosure, breakers, supporting hardware (Square D or Eaton on request)
- Overhead service: new mast all the way to the weatherhead — standard on every overhead upgrade in our area
- Underground service: new service-entrance conductors from the meter to the panel (existing wire is rarely sized for 200A)
- New grounding and bonding to current code — every downstream circuit depends on it
- Whole-house surge protector — required on new service panels since the 2020 NEC (230.67), included, not an upsell
- All existing branch circuits transferred to the new bus, plus reconnection of any existing generator or battery
- AHJ permit pulled + inspection coordinated, and PG&E shutdown/reconnect coordination — built into the quote
Warranty: 20-year workmanship, transferable · Permits: pulled + inspection coordinated by us, built into the quote · Cleanup: drop cloths down, old panel + materials hauled away, space left clean (drywall repair where the old panel sat is out of scope — we’ll recommend someone)
You provide
- Access to the panel + utility area on the work day
- A heads-up on planned future loads (EV, heat pump, induction, solar) so we size it right the first time
05·How it works
Start to finish, with real times.
11–2 hrs on-site
Free home electrical inspection
A tech looks at your existing panel + service entrance, talks through your goals and any planned loads, and sends a written report + real quote. No pressure to commit.
22–4 week lead
Schedule + PG&E coordination
We coordinate the install day with you and with PG&E, since main-panel work needs a utility shutdown. Lead time depends on AHJ and PG&E availability.
36–8 hr no-power window
Day of work
PG&E shutdown in the morning; old service out, new combination meter main and service entrance in by midday; branch circuits transferred; AHJ inspection and PG&E reconnect in the afternoon.
4~20 min
Final walkthrough
We walk you through the new panel, label every breaker, register the 20-year warranty, and leave you the itemized invoice + permit number + inspection sign-off (suitable for insurance).
06·Pricing transparency
Every quote is free. The range depends too much on your home to fake it.
Our pricing posture is "starting at" plus a real range at the free home inspection — because the difference between a clean indoor swap in a tract home and an overhead conversion in a coastal corrosion zone is large enough that a single mid-range number would mislead you in either direction. The full service rebuild (overhead: weatherhead → mast → SE conductors → combination meter main → grounding; underground: utility service point → SE conductors → CMM → grounding) is included on every quote in our area — it isn't an optional add-on. Not sure whether you need 200A for your project? The Panel Load Calculator gives you a real NEC-220.82 answer for your specific home.
Financing · GoGreen Home
Financing is available through GoGreen Home when your project qualifies — typically when the panel work is tied to a qualifying energy-efficiency upgrade (EV charger, heat pump, induction range, solar PV + battery). We walk through your specific qualification pathway at quote. No invented monthly figure — you see the real number once the scope is set.
Pre-qualify in 60 seconds — no credit impact What it costs
Quotes are free.The variance on this work is too wide for an honest range — book a free inspection and we’ll give you a real number for your specific home, in writing.
What moves the number
Starting amperage (100A vs 125A vs 150A → 200A) · Overhead vs underground service (different utility-side scope) · Underground only: existing conduit reusable (2"+) vs new conduit trenched — the biggest single underground adder · Panel location + accessibility (exterior wall vs interior + drywall, height, story) · Meter relocation — occasional cost-variance line, requires PG&E coordination · AHJ permit fees by jurisdiction · Coastal corrosion-zone hardware selectionsNo hidden fees. Every quote is free and detailed.
08·What customers say · panel upgrades
146 reviews on Google
Read all reviews “We owned our own business for 25 years, and our experience with Sunrise Electrical was the best experience we have ever had! From the initial contact through the job completion, Branden and his team were fantastic. They are competent, efficient, effective communicators, care about their customers, and take pride in what they do. If you are looking for an Electrical Contractor you would be remis if you didn't give these folks a call.”
Wayne B.
Panel upgrade
“Thank you to the Sunrise Electrical Contracting team for updating the new main electrical system on my mom's home after the storm damaged the power lines and home equipment this winter… They replaced Main Service Upgrade Overhead, and added a Sub-Panel Install/Replacement Outdoors… the team of Branden, Jimmy, Ian, and Tylor worked long hours during the storm for a few days to get us up and running again before the next storm arrived.”
Carrie
Storm-damage main service upgrade
09·Frequently asked questions
10 questions. Real answers.
Pulled from what we actually hear on quotes and on-site. If yours isn't here, ask us — we'll answer in plain English.
How do I know I need a 200A upgrade?
Run the Panel Load Calculator — it applies the NEC 220.82 Optional Method to your home’s actual loads. If the calculator says the existing panel doesn’t have headroom for what you’re planning (EV, heat pump, induction), the upgrade is the answer. The free home inspection has a tech verify it in person.
Is 200A actually needed, or could 100A, 125A, or 150A be enough?
200A is the residential standard in 2026 — most new construction, most upgrades, and most electrification projects (EV + heat pump + induction + solar/battery) need its headroom. 100A is the single most common size we see in existing county homes and is almost always the starting point that gets upgraded. 125A and 150A leave too little headroom for a household adding several high-draw loads, and 150A panels also have fewer breaker slots for new dedicated circuits — which is often what the upgrade is actually for. The marginal cost of going straight to 200A now is small relative to redoing the service in five years.
How long does the power need to be off?
Most 200A upgrades are a single-day install — PG&E shutdown in the morning, power back on by end of day. Plan for a 6–8 hour no-power window (refrigerator, freezer, any work-from-home setup). We coordinate the timing with you and with PG&E so it’s predictable.
Can the upgrade be done while I’m not home?
Generally yes — once we’re in and PG&E has coordinated the shutdown, we don’t need you on site. You’ll just want to plan around the 6–8 hour no-power window.
Overhead or underground — does it change the job?
It changes the utility-side scope. Overhead service includes a new mast and weatherhead; underground has neither, but still needs PG&E to disconnect and reconnect at the splice point because the utility conductors terminate inside the combination meter main. On underground amperage upsizes, the biggest cost variable is whether your existing conduit is 2"+ and reusable or whether a new one has to be trenched.
What if my panel is FPE or Zinsco?
Those are known safety issues and are almost always 40+ years old — due for replacement on age alone. The 200A upgrade is often the right path because you remove the unsafe panel and gain capacity in one trip. The Federal Pacific panel replacement guide has the full story.
What if PG&E says they need to do additional service work?
Sometimes PG&E identifies service-drop work on their side. We coordinate it; on overhead service PG&E typically covers utility-side cost (it’s their infrastructure). Underground trenching is customer-side and shows up in our quote. Timeline can extend slightly if PG&E-side work is required.
Is the permit and inspection included?
Yes. We pull the permit with your AHJ as part of the project — the cost is built into your quote. We coordinate the inspection; all you do is be home for the window.
Does the upgrade affect my insurance?
Generally positively, especially if you’re replacing an FPE or Zinsco panel — most carriers lower premiums or remove surcharges once replacement is documented. We provide the documentation package they want.
How long is the warranty?
20-year workmanship warranty on the install, transferable to the next homeowner. See warranty terms for the full coverage details.
10·Even if Sunrise isn't the answer
Here’s the honest path — wherever it leads.
We'd rather you get the right outcome than the Sunrise outcome. Some of this points away from us on purpose.
Outside Santa Cruz County?
Look for a CSLB-licensed C-10 contractor near you. Verify at cslb.ca.gov, ask for liability + workers-comp proof, and ask for 3 references from panel upgrades in the last year. The work should always include a permit + AHJ inspection.
Browse our field guidesWant to learn more first?
Panel work is worth understanding before you spend. Our field guides cover FPE, Zinsco, and whether your panel can support an EV — free to read, no email wall.
Read the panel guidesNot sure you need it?
A free whole-home inspection tells you what’s actually going on — you keep the written report either way. About a third of these end with no work scheduled, and that’s fine.
Schedule a free inspection12·Service areas
We do this work everywhere in Santa Cruz County.
From Davenport to Pajaro Dunes, San Lorenzo Valley to Pleasure Point. Same crew, same warranty, same pricing.
13·One more thing
Ready for a real number on your panel?
Free on-site inspection, written quote, and a 20-year guarantee on the work. No pressure to book anything on the spot.