St. Louis Electrical Service Upgrades

What Changes in a Service Upgrade and What Stays Put

An electrical service upgrade rebuilds the path power takes from the utility to your panel. Most of what sits behind your walls doesn't move.

Four parts of the system change during the upgrade:

• The meter base and service entrance conductors – The wire between the meter and the panel gets sized to the new service, since 200-amp equipment won't pass inspection on 100-amp conductors.
• The mast or the point of attachment – An overhead service often requires a taller riser and a new weatherhead to maintain the required clearance over the yard and roof.
• The main panel and its bus – We size the new panel for the calculated load plus open spaces, so the circuits your remodel adds have somewhere to land.
• The grounding and bonding – Ground rods, the water pipe bond, and intersystem bonding get brought current, a common correction in older houses.

Branch circuits that test sound stay in place. Where our electricians find aluminum branch circuits or knob-and-tube feeding the rooms you're opening, we replace them and price it in the quote.

When a Sub-Panel Carries the Addition Instead

Sometimes the service is fine and the panel is the bottleneck. If the calculation comes back under your service and the panel is out of slots, a sub-panel fed from that main solves it for less money and downtime. Finished basements and detached garages are the usual candidates.

However, a sub-panel distributes capacity rather than adding it. When the calculation says the service is short, we'll say so instead of selling you a sub-panel that puts you back here in two years.

Where This Work Lands in the Remodel Schedule

Two other parties control this schedule, which is why we want the conversation early. Ameren Missouri handles the disconnect and reconnect whenever the service size changes. Contractors are allowed to pull and reset a residential meter in St. Louis City and County only when the size stays the same, so an upgrade goes on the utility's calendar, and we book it while your project is on paper.

The inspector is the second party. We pull the permit, set the new service, and rough in the added circuits before insulation and drywall, because covered work has to come back open. We set the outage window around whatever the house can't go without, and we've planned one around a nap schedule and a medical device.

The service upgrade is the least visible money in a remodel, and it still goes first. That's why we offer financing options.

Frequently Asked Questions About Electrical Service Upgrades

Most of the following are asked before a single wall comes down, even though the answers still determine what gets built. Ask us the rest when you call.

How Long Does an Electrical Service Upgrade Take?

The work at the house usually takes one day, and part of that day is without power. How soon it arrives depends on the permit and on when the utility can schedule the disconnect and reconnect.

Can I Add an EV Charger Without Upgrading the Service?

Often, yes. A load calculation shows whether your service can support a 40-amp or 48-amp charging circuit. When it doesn't, a load management device allows the charger to share capacity.

Does Finishing a Basement Require a Service Upgrade?

It depends on what goes down there. Lighting, receptacles, and a bath fan rarely move the total. A second HVAC system, an electric water heater, or a wet bar often does.

Will the New Panel Have Room for Circuits I Add Later?

Yes, and that's deliberate. We leave open spaces in the panel because homeowners who upgrade during a remodel tend to come back for a charger or a hot tub.