Your electrical panel decides what your home can do.
An obsolete or overloaded panel isn't just a headache — it's a fire risk and a hard ceiling on your home. Astral replaces it with a modern, solar- and EV-ready 200A service, sized by a real NEC load calculation, permitted and inspected.
Licensed C-10 #1114918 · Permitted & inspected · Financing available
Certified & authorized installer
Six signs your panel is on borrowed time
If even one of these sounds like your home, it's worth 30 seconds to find out where you stand.
An obsolete panel brand
Zinsco or Federal Pacific breakers are documented to fail to trip — a fire hazard still in millions of homes.
A 100-amp service
Little to no headroom left once the AC, oven, dryer and water heater are running — and none for an EV or solar.
Breakers that keep tripping
A panel that trips or buzzes is telling you it's past its limit. Don't wait for the smell of hot plastic.
You're adding big loads
EV charger, solar, battery, hot tub or heat pump — each one needs capacity your old panel likely doesn't have.
The panel is 25+ years old
Aging panels lose reliability and fall behind current code — and insurers are watching.
You're buying or selling
A modern, documented service is leverage in the deal and clears a common inspection red-flag.
Why a 100A panel runs out of room
We don't guess — we measure. An NEC 220 load calculation adds up everything your home actually draws to find its real demand. Here's what it usually looks like:
How full your panel gets
A typical home already pulls about 65A. Add an EV charger's 60A and you hit 125A — 25A over what a 100A panel can safely carry (the red zone). A 200A service fits it all with room to spare.
The EV is what tips it over
A Level-2 charger pulls about 48 amps for hours. Code counts that as a continuous load and sizes it at 125%: 48 × 1.25 = 60A — a dedicated 60-amp breaker. Stack that on a panel already running the AC, oven, dryer and water heater and you blow past what a 100A service can safely carry. An overloaded service doesn't just trip — it overheats.
Why 200A, not just the minimum
The load calc sets a code minimum — but sizing right to that leaves you no room for the next thing. Going to 200A gives real headroom for an EV, a heat pump, a hot tub and future loads, so you upgrade once instead of paying to open the panel again in a few years. It costs little more today and saves a full second project tomorrow.
And if you add solar, your panel has a second limit
The bar above was about power going in to your loads. Solar sends power back into the panel — and that's governed by a different code rule entirely.
The 120% rule · NEC 705.12
How much solar your panel can actually take
Add solar and your panel now has two power sources feeding it: the grid (through your main breaker) and your solar (through its back-feed breaker). So the busbar doesn't overload, code caps the two together:
≈ 3.8 kW of solar — barely a small system, and no room for a battery.
≈ 7.7 kW of solar — plus room for a battery.
That's why a small or old panel chokes your solar — it forces a workaround or a second upgrade later. A solar-ready 200A service gives you the busbar headroom and breaker space to add real solar and a battery, cleanly and to code.
What your panel upgrade includes
New 200A+ service
A modern main panel and service sized by an NEC 220 load calculation — not a guess.
Hazard removal
We remove obsolete/hazardous panels and correct grounding, bonding and code gaps.
Solar- & EV-ready
Busbar and breaker space so solar, a battery and an EV charger just plug in later.
Permits & inspection
Fully permitted with your city and utility, and it passes inspection — on the record.
Clean, safe install
Licensed C-10 team, tidy work, labeled directory, and your power back the same day where possible.
Your own portal
Track your Electrical Score, estimate, photos and every step with a private ID + PIN.
How it works
From first look to final inspection — clear at every step.
Assessment + Electrical Score
A licensed electrician inspects your panel and runs the NEC load calculation — you get your 0–100 score.
Clear, upfront estimate
A plain-English proposal with the price, financing options and any rebates you qualify for.
Permitted install
We pull permits, replace the service, and coordinate the utility — clean and code-compliant.
Inspection + warranty
City inspection, final walkthrough and warranty. Everything documented in your portal.
Not ready for a visit? Know where you stand first.
Get your home's Electrical Score online — snap a few photos, answer a short survey, and a licensed C-10 electrician grades your system 0–100. From $37, credited back if you move forward.
Get my Electrical Score — $37 →Panel upgrade questions, answered
How do I know if I actually need a panel upgrade?▾
The clearest signs are an obsolete Zinsco or Federal Pacific panel, a 100A service, frequent breaker trips, flickering lights, a panel over 25–30 years old, or plans to add an EV charger, solar, a battery or a heat pump. We confirm it with an NEC load calculation so you're never guessing — and never sold something you don't need.
Why do you recommend 200A instead of the minimum?▾
The load calculation sets a code minimum, but going to 200A leaves real headroom for an EV, solar, a battery and future loads. It's one upgrade done right instead of paying to open the panel again in a few years.
Are Zinsco and Federal Pacific panels really that dangerous?▾
Yes. Both are documented to fail to trip under overload or fault — a genuine fire risk. They're widely recommended for replacement, and can raise your insurance premiums or even void coverage.
Do you handle permits and the utility coordination?▾
Always. Every upgrade is permitted with your city, coordinated with your utility (PG&E), brought up to current NEC code, and passes inspection. That protects your home and its resale value.
What will it cost, and can I finance it?▾
Cost depends on your current service, the load and any code corrections — exactly what the assessment determines. You get a clear, upfront number with financing options (as low as monthly payments) and any rebates you qualify for.
How long does it take?▾
Most residential panel upgrades are completed in a day, with power restored the same day where the utility allows. We schedule around you and keep you updated in your portal.
Or call a licensed electrician now: (424) 206-6938