# Is this a reasonable estimate for electrical service? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912 "2020-06-22T18:03:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/1 "2020-06-22T18:03:40Z")
Friday I had an electrician come to give me an estimate to replacement my 60-year old fuse box with a breaker box, and upgrade my electrical service from 60 amp to 200 amp. I just got the estimate, and it’s a total of $3700. $2K for the breaker box and $1700 for the service upgrade. Is that reasonable? When we talked on the phone, he’d said he guessed it would be around $2K, but I guess he was just thinking the breaker box. Thanks! StG ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/2 "2020-06-22T19:16:08Z")
I’m upgrading my commercial building from a 200A to a 400A panel. The plans, permits, and PG&E surveys alone are going to run about $5K before any actual work begins. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/3 "2020-06-22T19:26:38Z")
If remember correctly mine (~8 years ago) was about $3k so it’s at least in the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/4 "2020-06-22T21:08:21Z")
We are in the middle of a big addition to our house. The cost for upgrading the Service panel from 200A to 400A is almost $12,000 - and that doesn’t even include the cost of running the new 400A line to the utility’s pullbox. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/5 "2020-06-22T21:23:56Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > The cost for upgrading the Service panel from 200A to 400A is almost $12,000 Wow! Thanks, everyone, for your quick responses. One reason I like this guy is because when I called an electrician last year, he told me it would be 6-8 months before he could schedule anything. I’m in a fast-growing county. This other guy can come in the next couple weeks. Immediacy is worth something, too. StG ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/6 "2020-06-22T22:00:37Z")
He’s not replacing wiring too or anything, is he? Last summer I had my panel upgraded and two outlets replaced for $1,000 so that estimate sounds really high. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/7 "2020-06-22T22:08:03Z")
He’s not rewiring the house or anything, but he is having to do some wiring because the panel is too high on the wall for code. He’s having to lower it, and will have to figure that out, because there’s no play in the wire. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/9 "2020-06-23T12:43:12Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > (post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged). ☹ StG ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/10 "2020-06-23T15:09:40Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > He’s not replacing wiring too or anything, is he? Last summer I had my panel upgraded and two outlets replaced for $1,000 so that estimate sounds really high. The cost to simply replace an old panel with a new panel - e.g. an old 100 A panel with a new 100 A panel - isn’t usually too high. It’s quiet a bit more expensive to _upgrade_ a panel - e.g. replacing a 100 A panel with a 200 A panel - because a new service line will probably be required. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/11 "2020-06-23T15:13:17Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > The cost to simply replace an old panel with a new panel - e.g. an old 100 A panel with a new 100 A panel - isn’t usually too high. It’s quiet a bit more expensive to _upgrade_ a panel - e.g. replacing a 100 A panel with a 200 A panel - because a new service line will probably be required Yeah, it’s a change from a fuse box to a breaker box, and from 60 amp to 200 amp. StG ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/12 "2020-06-24T20:49:04Z")
Last year I had to replace my electric panel, and upgraded from a 125 amp 24 space panel to 200 amp 42 space panel. The work also included a new exterior disconnect. The contractor I used gave me two prices, $3127 for a Square D homeline panel, or $3614 for a Square D QO panel. They did the coordination with the utility company, luckily for me the transformer and service conductors could support the upgrade. Southern NM, our labor costs here are just a bit lower than average. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/13 "2020-06-24T21:26:51Z")
As a bit of a side point, When I bought my house 10 years ago. They insurance very straightforwardly in before inspection they would not even estimate premium for any house unless it was 100amp main box. Because anything less would be a fire hazard with modern needs causing over loading. I would be surprised if any company would accept a 60 amp fuse these days, so it is simply non-optional these days. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/14 "2020-07-25T14:48:06Z")
I replaced, not upgraded, my exterior breaker box about 10 years ago. It cost almost 2K. The problem is whether they have to replaced the wiring from the meter to the box. I had that done. Watching it was scary. The electrician, an experienced licensed professional, simply disconnected the main line from the power transformer, taped each conductor, tossed it over his shoulder, connected the new wire from the the box to the meter, then reconnected the service line. Just watching that made me happy to pay what he charged. As I understand it, he should have called the power company and had the line at the transformer disconnected. That would have cost 2-4 hundred dollars and several days of waiting. So he just showed off. No problems, but scary. The new breaker box alone was well over $1K. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/15 "2020-07-25T15:01:32Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > The electrician, an experienced licensed professional, simply disconnected the main line from the power transformer, taped each conductor, tossed it over his shoulder, connected the new wire from the the box to the meter, then reconnected the service line. Just watching that made me happy to pay what he charged. As I understand it, he should have called the power company and had the line at the transformer disconnected. That would have cost 2-4 hundred dollars and several days of waiting. So he just showed off. No problems, but scary. I’ve done similar things. L1 and L2 are (each) only 120 VAC relative to ground. Yes, it’s potentially lethal (pardon the pun) if you make contact with L1 or L2 with your hand, but rarely is. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-reasonable-estimate-for-electrical-service/911912/16 "2020-07-25T15:16:30Z")
I ended up having it done. I asked for a cash discount and reduced his price by 10%! For $3300 it was done. Then yesterday I had an HVAC guy come out and install a mini split I bought online. Total for the mini split and the installation was about $3K. So for less than $7K I won’t have to haul wood pellets for the pellet stove, I’ll be cool and comfortable in the Tennessee summer. I should’ve done this years ago. StG