Electrical panel replacement, done in a day.
Panel full? Breakers tripping for no reason? An old Federal Pacific or Zinsco that worries you? We'll swap it for a modern 200-amp service in a single day. We handle the permit, the inspection, and the power-company shutoff. You barely lift a finger.
Which panel problem do you have?
Most folks who call us about a panel fall into one of four situations. We start every one the same way. We come look, do the math on what your home actually draws, and email you a written, itemized quote within 48 hours. No guesses, no verbal prices.
01 Your panel is full or aging - a 200-amp upgrade
Standard panel replacements are our most common scope - moving a home from a 100A or 150A panel up to a modern 200A service. We size the upgrade with an NEC 220 load calculation during the consultation, replace the service-entrance conductors if the existing service is undersized, and coordinate the utility disconnect with Dominion or NOVEC for the service-side work. Most panel swaps complete in one day, power off to power on. Our typical replacement panel brands are Square D QO, Siemens, or Eaton/Cutler-Hammer - the three dominant residential-grade systems.
02 You have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco - the one that can't wait
Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels are the safety-urgency scope. FPE Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip at significantly higher rates than other brands - a failure documented in the CPSC investigation - and Zinsco bus bars can melt and bypass overcurrent protection entirely. Both were installed in millions of homes in the 1960s-80s and are now known to be defective by design. We don't add breakers to FPE panels. We don't "rehab" them. We replace them. If your panel is a Federal Pacific or a Zinsco, we tell you up front - the breakers aren't "old," they're defective by design. If that's the panel in your basement, it isn't something to keep an eye on. It's the first thing we'd want to fix in your house, and we'll tell you so plainly.
03 You're adding load - a subpanel
Subpanel installations often pair with a main-panel replacement - a basement subpanel, a workshop subpanel, a pool-equipment subpanel, or an EV charger subpanel. We size them per NEC 220 and ground them per NEC 250.32, keeping the neutral and ground separated at the subpanel as code requires. 60A or 100A subpanels are typical for residential work. Whether you need one specifically depends on the distance from the main panel and the load you're adding, which we work out during the consultation.
04 You're stacking EV, heat pump, and more - a 320A/400A service
Whole-house service upgrades to 320A or 400A are less common but increasingly relevant for NoVA homes stacking EV charging, a heat pump, an electric range, an electric water heater, and future-planning headroom. We size service-entrance conductors per NEC 230, the meter base gets upgraded, and the utility-side coordination is heavier. For most NoVA homes 200A is still the right call - we run the load calc and tell you honestly which service size you need. For more on the cluster, see the Panels & Power sub-hub.
The six things an inspector checks - and how we get each one right
A panel swap isn't just the box on the wall - it's the service entrance feeding it and the grounding underneath it. Most panel complaints in NoVA come from contractors who get the box right and quietly miss the other two. Here are the six code points your inspector will check, and the choice we make on each one. These are the sections we cite in every Anson panel quote, backed by 20+ years of master-electrician work.
Sized for the full panel rating
Service-entrance conductors carry the entire load of the home from the meter to the panel. They must be sized for the full rating of the service, not the typical day-to-day load, with proper derating for the conductor material and installation method.
Matched panel-and-breaker systems only
Panels and breakers are tested and UL-listed as matched systems. A breaker from one manufacturer may physically fit a competitor's panel but voids the listing and the manufacturer's overcurrent guarantee. Mixed-brand panels are a common inspection failure.
Every circuit labeled by destination
Every circuit in a panel must be clearly and durably labeled with its specific purpose. A directory that says "kitchen" or "outlets" is not specific enough - the requirement is identification clear enough that the next person knows exactly what each breaker controls.
Two ground rods, water pipe bonded
The grounding electrode system gives fault current a safe path back to earth. Code requires two 8-foot ground rods bonded together (or a Ufer ground in the foundation if present), with the cold-water pipe bonded within 5 feet of entry per NEC 250.104.
36 inches of clear working space
A panel needs 36 inches of clearance in front, 30 inches of width, and 6.5 feet of headroom so an electrician can safely work on it live. Panels installed in bathrooms, closets, or over stairs do not meet this and have to be relocated.
The load calc determines panel size
An NEC 220 load calculation totals the home's connected and demand loads to determine the service size it actually needs. It is the only honest way to size a panel - not the homeowner's budget, and not the contractor's default of going as big as the customer will pay for.
What replacing your panel actually looks like
It's the same three steps as every Anson job, with two extra parts that belong to panel work. We do the math up front, and we handle the power-company shutoff in the middle. We pull the permit. You stay out of it.
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01
Free consultation + NEC 220 load calc
We come look at the existing panel, the service entrance, the meter, and the grounding system. We run a load calculation per NEC 220 to determine the right service size for your home, and we bring sample replacement panel options. No high-pressure sales. Most consultations take 30-45 minutes. Typical: same day or next.
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02
Written, itemized quote · we coordinate the utility disconnect
The quote names the NEC sections, the panel brand, the service-entrance scope, the grounding scope, and includes the utility-disconnect coordination with Dominion Energy or NOVEC. Good for 30 days. We pull the electrical permit in your jurisdiction - Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, or independent city. We schedule the disconnect with the utility on a day they can reliably do same-day reconnect. Typical: quote within 48 hours.
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03
Work, inspection, walkthrough
Same crew start to finish. Most panel swaps complete in one day, power off to power on (typically 6-8 hours). A service upgrade adds time for the service-entrance work. We label the panel directory by destination, hand you the inspection card after the AHJ signs off, and walk you through every breaker. Typical: jobs scheduled 1-2 weeks out from quote acceptance.
What a panel replacement runs - and what moves the number
Panel work varies too much for fixed prices. The number is shaped by the panel size (100A to 200A versus 200A to 320A), the condition of the service entrance (existing conductors reusable or replacement needed), the panel location (compliant or requires relocation), the meter base condition, the grounding-system upgrade scope, and whether it is an FPE/Zinsco swap or a modern-panel swap - the defective panels need more inspection prep. Here's how we frame the conversation.
What panel replacement looks like in practice
"A failing panel is the same job, structurally, as a full-house rewire - we just have less to do. The standards on a $3,000 panel swap on a 1970s rambler are the same standards on a $40,000 whole-house renovation. The job size does not change the standard."
Why homeowners hand us the panel and stop worrying about it
The master electrician is on the job.
Brad Anson is a Virginia Master Electrician (license #2705178102), trained in the Shreve/McGonegal lineage, and he's on most panel consultations himself. A panel swap is not the job to hand to whoever's free that week.
The person who quotes it is the person who lands every circuit.
The same crew runs the load calc, kills the power, sets the new panel, and walks the inspector through. No sub you've never met touching your service.
Everything in writing, the permit and the utility handled.
Itemized quote citing the exact NEC sections, permit pulled in your county, the Dominion or NOVEC shutoff scheduled by us, first-time inspection pass.
5.0 on Google, and panels are what we do most.
Panel replacement is the single most common job we run, on 20+ years of master-electrician work. A lot of our 5.0 Google rating comes from repeat customers who called us back for the next thing.
Questions about panel replacement
How much does a panel replacement cost?
Panel replacement cost depends on the panel size, the condition of your service entrance, whether the panel sits in a code-compliant location, and the state of your grounding system. We do not post fixed prices because the variables are too wide. A straightforward modern-panel swap typically runs in the $2.5K-$5K range; a service upgrade with new service-entrance work runs $5K-$10K+. Every number is quoted on site after a free load calculation.
What pushes a panel job toward the higher end: replacing the service-entrance conductors and the meter base, relocating a panel out of a non-compliant location like a bathroom or closet, bringing an old grounding system up to current code, or the extra inspection prep that FPE and Zinsco swaps require. What keeps it lower: a panel that is already in a compliant spot, a service entrance in reusable condition, and a straightforward 100A or 150A to 200A swap. We run the NEC 220 load calc first, then put real numbers on a written quote good for 30 days.
How do I know if my panel needs to be replaced?
Replace your panel if it is a Federal Pacific or a Zinsco regardless of age, if it is full with no room for new circuits, if breakers trip repeatedly without an obvious cause, or if you see scorching, rust, or melted insulation. An insurance flag or a failed real-estate inspection are also clear signals. If your panel does not actually need replacement, we will tell you.
Plenty of the panels we look at are simply full rather than failing - the home added an EV charger, a hot tub, or a basement finish and ran out of breaker spaces. That can sometimes be solved with a subpanel rather than a full main-panel replacement, which is a cheaper fix. We don't push the upgrade just because we're already there. The exception is FPE and Zinsco: those get replaced no matter how clean they look, because the defect is in the breaker mechanism and the bus bar, not in how the panel presents. We tell you which situation you are in, in writing, before any work starts.
Is my Federal Pacific (or Zinsco) panel actually dangerous?
Yes. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip at significantly higher rates than other brands, a failure documented in the CPSC investigation. Zinsco bus bars can melt and bypass overcurrent protection entirely. Both were installed in millions of homes in the 1960s-80s, both are no longer manufactured, and many insurance carriers refuse to insure them or charge higher rates. Replacement is the only fix; no rehab is possible.
The danger with both panels is the same in effect: a breaker that should trip on an overload or a short does not, which means a circuit can keep drawing current past the point where the wire overheats. That is a fire risk, and it is a defect in the design, not a sign of age or neglect. You cannot fix it by swapping individual breakers - the replacement breakers sold for these panels have the same documented problems, and on Zinsco the failure is often in the bus bar the breakers clip onto. We don't add breakers to FPE panels. We don't "rehab" them. We replace them.
How long does a panel replacement take?
A straightforward residential panel swap takes one full day, typically 6-8 hours with the power off, from power off to power on. More complex jobs - a service upgrade, a panel relocation, or code corrections to the service entrance and grounding - run 2-3 days. The power-off window is the part most homeowners ask about; we schedule it for a day the utility can reliably reconnect same-day.
During the power-off window the whole house is de-energized while we remove the old panel, set the new one, land every circuit, and bring the grounding to code. We plan that window with you ahead of time so you can prepare - refrigerators, medical equipment, anyone working from home. On a service upgrade we also replace the service-entrance conductors and the meter base, which adds the utility-side work and usually a second day. We are on site when the utility comes to disconnect and again when they reconnect, so the power-off window stays as short as the scope allows.
Do you coordinate the utility disconnect with Dominion or NOVEC?
Yes, that is included in our scope. We schedule the disconnect with Dominion Energy or NOVEC, we are on site when the utility arrives, and the utility reconnects same-day once our work passes. You do not deal with the utility directly and we do not bill the coordination as a separate change order. It is part of the written quote from the start.
Most NoVA homes are served by Dominion Energy; parts of the region are served by NOVEC, the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative. Either way, the meter and the service drop are the utility's property, so the panel cannot be swapped without their disconnect and reconnect. We handle that scheduling, line it up with the permit and the inspection, and pick a day the utility can reliably reconnect same-day so your power-off window stays short. Coordinating this is one of the parts of panel work that separates contractors who do it routinely from those who treat it as an afterthought.
Do you pull the permit, or do I?
We pull it. Panel replacement requires an electrical permit pulled by a licensed electrician, not the homeowner, in your jurisdiction - whether that is Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, or an independent city. The permit matters because the inspection signature is what legally certifies the work as code-compliant, and unpermitted electrical work can void insurance claims. We pull it, and we pass inspection the first time.
Unpermitted panel work is a real problem on two fronts. First, without an inspection signature the work is not legally certified as code-compliant, which surfaces the moment you sell the house. Second, homeowner's insurance can deny claims tied to unpermitted electrical work, including fire damage. The permit fee is included in our written quote, we handle the paperwork in your jurisdiction, and we schedule the inspection. There is no scenario where we recommend skipping it. Backed by 20+ years of master-electrician work and license #2705178102, our quotes name the NEC sections the inspector will check.
Related panels & power services
Panel replacement usually touches one or more of these adjacent services. Most sit under the Panels & Power sub-hub.
Worried about your panel? Let's take a look.
Free on-site consultation and NEC 220 load calc. Written, itemized quote within 48 hours. Permit pulled. Utility coordinated. First-time inspection pass.