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Upgrading to 200 amps How much $$$
- Thread starter nyjets53
- Start date
Fast Orange
Well-known member
A couple of quick questions-
1) Do you actually need an upgrade to a 200 amp service? Do you actually pull close to 150 amps on your present set up and do you realistically anticipate needing more than 150 amps in the future?Or are you simply out of spaces in your present panel and need to put in a subpanel ?
2)What brand panel and breakers are going to be used-and what brand do you currently have? What are you calling a "pole" that is being replaced?
If your present panel is of decent quality and a currently available brand/type , and you aren't pulling the full 150 amps,you could be better served by putting in a sub in a better location closer to where you need to add circuits.
As to the price quoted for a new 200 amp service,it's possibly a bit high-some electric supplys have packages that run about $350,plus additional lengths of wire and additional breakers and a new meter pan.Call it about $500 for materials,$100 for permits and the rest is labor and profit.
1) Do you actually need an upgrade to a 200 amp service? Do you actually pull close to 150 amps on your present set up and do you realistically anticipate needing more than 150 amps in the future?Or are you simply out of spaces in your present panel and need to put in a subpanel ?
2)What brand panel and breakers are going to be used-and what brand do you currently have? What are you calling a "pole" that is being replaced?
If your present panel is of decent quality and a currently available brand/type , and you aren't pulling the full 150 amps,you could be better served by putting in a sub in a better location closer to where you need to add circuits.
As to the price quoted for a new 200 amp service,it's possibly a bit high-some electric supplys have packages that run about $350,plus additional lengths of wire and additional breakers and a new meter pan.Call it about $500 for materials,$100 for permits and the rest is labor and profit.
ddawg16
Well-known member
Ditto on the questions Fast asked......
For reference, it cost me about $500 when I upgraded my electrical from 60A to 200A. It was about $130 for the new box and about another $50 for the weather head and related pipe/pole and the rest for all the wire.....I only had to provide wire up to the top of the weather head....the electric company did the rest.
Labor wise....it was real easy....the hardest part was running the conduit under the house to my existing meter location so I could tie in to the existing ckts. Running the new circuits to the kitchen was another matter.
For reference, it cost me about $500 when I upgraded my electrical from 60A to 200A. It was about $130 for the new box and about another $50 for the weather head and related pipe/pole and the rest for all the wire.....I only had to provide wire up to the top of the weather head....the electric company did the rest.
Labor wise....it was real easy....the hardest part was running the conduit under the house to my existing meter location so I could tie in to the existing ckts. Running the new circuits to the kitchen was another matter.
snorky18
Well-known member
Charlotte, NC...
I wanted more space, currently have 150AMP box with not many spaces.
For an extra $15 or so, the contractor could have put in 200 AMP in the first place, but I digress......
Got a couple of estimates for each job (new main panel vs. subpanel), both came in close.
We already had a 200AMP meter, and the wires from the transformer to our hosue were big enough for the 200AMPS.
Just to change the box to 40 space 200 AMPS and the wire between box and meter was going to be about $1500. Pull a permit, cut the power (Duke Energy won't turn power back on till you have inspector's approval, that could be quite the circus).
Subpanel was about $600.
So unless you are planning to be welding with one hand, using a plasma cutter simultaneously in the other, air compressor running all the while, while your wife is drying clothes in an electric dryer and your electirc heat is on in the dead of winter and there's a couple of turkeys cooking in your double electric range.......
I'd suggest the subpanel.
I wanted more space, currently have 150AMP box with not many spaces.
For an extra $15 or so, the contractor could have put in 200 AMP in the first place, but I digress......
Got a couple of estimates for each job (new main panel vs. subpanel), both came in close.
We already had a 200AMP meter, and the wires from the transformer to our hosue were big enough for the 200AMPS.
Just to change the box to 40 space 200 AMPS and the wire between box and meter was going to be about $1500. Pull a permit, cut the power (Duke Energy won't turn power back on till you have inspector's approval, that could be quite the circus).
Subpanel was about $600.
So unless you are planning to be welding with one hand, using a plasma cutter simultaneously in the other, air compressor running all the while, while your wife is drying clothes in an electric dryer and your electirc heat is on in the dead of winter and there's a couple of turkeys cooking in your double electric range.......
I'd suggest the subpanel.