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Electrical Panel Upgrade · Georgia
A panel upgrade replaces your breaker panel, and often the service entrance, so the home can safely carry more load: an EV charger, heat pump, induction range or addition. It always needs a permit, and usually needs the utility to disconnect and reconnect power.
Rapid suburban growth around Atlanta brings EV chargers and additions, while summer storms bring surge and outage calls.
Across the Southeast, homes deal with heat, humidity, frequent thunderstorms and hurricane season near the coast. Permit offices, utilities and housing stock differ by city, which affects how electrical panel upgrade is planned and scheduled. These local guides cover the Georgia cities where we have written specific notes.
Atlanta's in-town neighborhoods, from Virginia-Highland and Grant Park to Kirkwood and East Atlanta, have many homes from the early and mid-1900s with 100 amp or smaller services. Renovations that add central air, a modern kitchen, an EV charger or an addition often need more capacity.
Utility: Georgia Power (some areas: an electric membership corporation)
Mid-century homes in National Hills, Forest Hills and west Augusta often have 100 amp panels, and historic homes in Summerville may have even smaller services. Adding a larger AC system, a heat pump, a standby generator or an EV charger usually requires an upgrade.
Utility: Georgia Power
Many Savannah homes outside the historic districts, from mid-century ranches in Ardsley Park and Habersham Woods to newer homes on the islands, have 100 amp or smaller services that cannot handle a larger AC system, a standby generator or an EV charger. In flood-prone areas near the marsh, an upgrade is a good time to raise the panel and meter.
Utility: Georgia Power
Older Athens homes in Normaltown, Five Points and the neighborhoods near campus often have 60 or 100 amp services, and adding central air, a heat pump, an EV charger or more bedroom circuits for a rental usually requires an upgrade. Mid-century homes may have panel brands electricians suggest replacing.
Utility: Georgia Power (some outlying areas: electric membership corporations)
1. Load calculation
The electrician sizes the service from your existing and planned loads.
2. Permit and utility coordination
The permit is pulled and the utility schedules disconnect and reconnect.
3. Install the panel and service parts
New panel, breakers, grounding and bonding, and service conductors or meter base if needed.
4. Inspection
The local inspector checks the work before or after power is restored, depending on the jurisdiction.
Electricians set their own prices; local permit fees and utility requirements add to these factors.
Permits come from the city or county where the home is. For example: Atlanta: Inside city limits, electrical permits come from the City of Atlanta's Office of Buildings; surrounding cities and counties issue their own. Augusta: Electrical permits come from Augusta's planning and development department. Savannah: Inside city limits, electrical permits come from the City of Savannah's development services; Chatham County and the island communities have their own. Athens: Electrical permits come from Athens-Clarke County's building permits and inspections department.
Atlanta: Georgia Power (some areas: an electric membership corporation). Augusta: Georgia Power. Savannah: Georgia Power. Athens: Georgia Power (some outlying areas: electric membership corporations).
If you have 100 amps or less and are adding an EV charger, heat pump or electric range, or your panel is a Federal Pacific, Zinsco or fuse box, ask an electrician for a load calculation.
Usually most of one working day, depending on the scope and how quickly the utility reconnects.
Yes, in essentially every US jurisdiction. The electrician pulls it and schedules the inspection.
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