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Electrical Panel Upgrade · Texas
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.
Heat, hail and the 2021 winter storm have made generators, surge protection and panel capacity priorities; electricians are licensed by the state through TDLR.
Across the South Central, homes deal with long, hot summers, severe storms and occasional hard freezes. Permit offices, utilities and housing stock differ by city, which affects how electrical panel upgrade is planned and scheduled. These local guides cover the Texas cities where we have written specific notes.
Dallas has many 1950s and 1960s ranch homes with 100 amp services and full breaker panels. Adding a pool, a larger AC system or an EV charger often means a panel or service upgrade.
Utility: Oncor (lines and meters); retail provider of your choice
Many San Antonio ranch homes from the 1950s and 1960s still have 100 amp panels, and adding a pool, a larger air conditioner, an EV charger or rooftop solar is often what pushes them over the edge. In older central neighborhoods like Monte Vista and Tobin Hill, panels may be original or a patchwork of later additions.
Utility: CPS Energy (city-owned)
In Austin, panel upgrades usually start with rooftop solar, an EV charger or an accessory dwelling unit. A 100 amp panel in a Hyde Park or Travis Heights bungalow rarely has room for all three, and an ADU at the back of the lot often needs a feeder or its own service.
Utility: Austin Energy (city-owned)
Mid-century ranch homes around Fort Worth often have 100 amp panels that are already full, and adding a pool, a larger AC system, an EV charger or a backyard shop usually means a panel or service upgrade. Historic homes in Fairmount and Ryan Place may have equipment from several renovations.
Utility: Oncor (lines and meters); retail provider of your choice
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: Dallas: Electrical permits in Dallas come from the city's Development Services department; suburbs such as Plano, Garland and Irving issue their own. San Antonio: Inside city limits, electrical permits come from the City of San Antonio Development Services Department; suburban cities issue their own. Austin: Electrical permits inside the city come from the City of Austin Development Services Department; surrounding cities and Travis County have their own processes. Fort Worth: Inside city limits, electrical permits come from the City of Fort Worth Development Services Department, and Fairmount and other historic districts review exterior changes.
Dallas: Oncor (lines and meters); retail provider of your choice. San Antonio: CPS Energy (city-owned). Austin: Austin Energy (city-owned). Fort Worth: Oncor (lines and meters); retail provider of your choice.
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.
Call now, or send a request and a licensed electrician who serves your ZIP code will contact you.
