Many homes in our older Atlanta suburbs were built in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s with only 60-amp or 100-amp service—sometimes relying on old fuse boxes. When you add modern conveniences like central air, an electric range, a dryer, or an EV charger, these older systems quickly run out of physical space, power, or both. Beyond capacity issues, if your panel is physically damaged, worn out, or made by Federal Pacific or Zinsco (two obsolete brands with well-documented safety flaws), it needs to be replaced to protect your home from fire hazards.
If your existing power capacity is sufficient but your panel is full, worn, or obsolete, I can install a brand-new breaker box and modern circuit breakers while keeping your current service level. When your home needs more raw power to safely handle modern appliances, I will upgrade your entire system to a standard 200-amp service, which includes installing a new exterior meter base, heavy-duty service cables, and updated system grounding to bring everything safely up to code.
What This Covers
- Replacing a fuse box with a breaker panel
- Replacing a full, damaged or outdated breaker panel
- Service upgrades from 60 or 100 amps to 200 amps
- Replacing Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels
- New meter base, service cable and grounding
- A load calculation before you add a large appliance
- Panel replacements in condos and townhomes
Signs It’s Time to Call
- Breakers trip when two or three large appliances run together
- The panel is full, with no open space for a new circuit
- The panel is warm, buzzes, smells hot, or shows rust or scorch marks
- Your home still has a fuse box or low-amp service
- The label reads Federal Pacific, Stab-Lok or Zinsco
- An EV charger, hot tub, heat pump or addition is in the plans
The Process
The Load Calculation
Before anything is decided, I look at the panel, the meter base, the service cable and the grounding, and add up what your home runs now and what you're planning to add. That load calculation shows whether you need a new panel, a bigger service or only a subpanel.
New Panel/Bigger Service/Breaker Replacement
If the numbers leave a choice, you make it, knowing the pros and cons of each option.
Permits and Utilities
The job may need a permit from the building department for your address, and your electric utility has to schedule the disconnect. Some utilities, Cobb EMC among them, want that request to come from the account holder rather than the contractor, so the call may be yours to make.
The Changeover
Your power will, often, be safely disconnected by the utility company for the duration of the project. While the power is off, I will remove your old equipment, install the new panel, modern breakers, and updated grounding system, and carefully migrate and label every individual circuit. To meet modern safety codes, your new installation will also include a dedicated emergency shutoff on the exterior of your house. I can easily install a whole-home surge protector at this stage as well, giving your electronics an extra layer of defense while everything is powered down.
Inspection and the Power Back On
The building department inspects the work. Georgia Power's service rules require that approval before it connects a service, and other utilities may ask for it too. Once the power's back, we test every circuit.
Common Questions
Do I need a new panel or a service upgrade?
If your home already receives enough power from the utility but the electrical panel itself is old, damaged, obsolete, or full, you likely only need a same-size panel replacement or a subpanel.
In contrast, a service upgrade is required when your home is short on total power. Before adding high-draw appliances like an EV charger, electric range, or heat pump, a load calculation determines if your current system can handle the demand. If it cannot, the service must be upgraded. While a 200-amp service is sufficient for most modern homes, a 400-amp service is typically reserved for large homes that rely entirely on electricity for heating, cooking, and vehicle charging.
Should a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel be replaced?
Most electricians recommend it. Both brands have a reputation for breakers that may not trip when they should, though the evidence behind each is different. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels turn up mostly in homes from the 1950s through the 1980s. The Consumer Product Safety Commission tested the breakers in the early 1980s and confirmed they failed some of the calibration tests in the UL safety standard. It closed the investigation in 1983 without settling how serious the risk was and without a recall, and independent testing since then has reported a high defect rate. Zinsco panels show up in homes from roughly the 1960s and 70s. There's no federal finding on them. The concern, reported by electricians and home inspectors, is breakers that work loose where they clip onto the panel and then overheat.
A panel like this can run for decades with no sign of trouble, and you'd only find out whether a breaker will trip on the day it has to. Insurers and home buyers often ask about these panels too.
Can the panel in a condo or apartment be upgraded?
Yes, it can be replaced. A like-for-like replacement of an old, worn, or hazardous panel is standard for these units. While the electrical panel itself sits inside your living space, the exterior meter box and the main feeder cables belong to the building. Because of this shared infrastructure, any work touching the building's side of the system must be coordinated with and approved by your homeowner's association (HOA) or property management company before we can get started.
What sets the price of a panel upgrade?
The cost of a panel upgrade depends on several technical factors, including the capacity of the new system, whether your exterior meter base and main service cables need to be replaced, and the physical distance between your electrical panel and the meter. The price is also influenced by the condition of your home's existing grounding system, how many individual circuits need to be extended or updated to connect properly, and any local city or county permit fees.