The panel is the one piece of electrical equipment every circuit in the house depends on. When it's full, obsolete, or undersized, everything else gets harder — no room for an EV charger, no dedicated circuit for the shop, nuisance trips you can't chase down. Here's what a panel replacement actually involves.
Reasons to replace a panel
- A 60- or 100-amp service in a house that now heats, cooks, and charges electrically.
- No open spaces left, or a panel full of tandem breakers.
- Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco, or Challenger equipment.
- Rust, moisture, scorching, buzzing, or heat at the panel.
- A planned addition, hot tub, well pump, or EV charger.
Panel change versus service upgrade
These get used interchangeably and they're not the same. A panel change swaps the enclosure and breakers while keeping the existing service size. A service upgrade increases the amperage, which also means new service conductors, a new meter base, and coordination with APS. The second is a bigger job with a utility schedule attached. A load calculation tells you which one you need — see our panel installation and upgrade page for the full scope.
What the day looks like
Power is off for most of a working day. We disconnect and remove the old panel, mount the new one, land and label every circuit, install the required AFCI and GFCI breakers, redo grounding and bonding to current code, and reenergize. If the meter or service conductors are changing, the utility disconnects and reconnects around our work.
What gets brought up to code
A new panel triggers current requirements: proper grounding electrode conductors, bonded water and gas piping where applicable, arc-fault protection on most living-space circuits, GFCI where required, and a legible circuit directory. It's also the natural moment to add whole-home surge protection, since it mounts right at the panel.
Permit and inspection
Panel work is permitted and inspected in Coconino and Navajo counties. We pull the permit, coordinate the utility disconnect, and meet the inspector. A documented panel upgrade is also the paperwork buyers and insurers ask for later.
When to bring in a professional
If your panel is full, old, or one of the recalled brands, it's worth getting a real assessment rather than adding one more tandem breaker.
Call (928) 563-6237 and we'll run the load calculation and tell you whether you need a panel change or a full service upgrade.