Panel or service upgrade. We handle both.

Panel and service upgrades: who they are for

A panel or service upgrade gives your home the power and safety it needs for today and for what you add next. It is for homes where the panel is unsafe, out of room, or too small, and for homeowners whose insurance company has told them to replace it.

We work on anything from a remodel to a new build. We do both kinds of upgrade, and a panel swap is often the first step before another project.

Panel upgrade vs service upgrade: what is the difference

The panel is the breaker box inside your house. It sends power to the circuits that run your lights, outlets, and appliances. A panel upgrade replaces it with a new one.

The service is what brings power to the house. It is the wires, the meter equipment, and the amount of power, in amps, that your utility delivers to you. A service upgrade raises that amount.

A panel upgrade can usually go ahead on its own. A service upgrade takes more coordination, because your utility has to be part of it. We handle that for you, whether your utility is Portland General Electric (PGE), Pacific Power, Canby Utility, or another local utility.

Why do people upgrade their panel or service?

• A remodel or addition. New rooms, a finished basement, or a bigger kitchen add load to the panel.
• An EV charger. A charger needs its own circuit and a lot of power.
• Solar or a battery. Both connect to your panel and your service, so they need room.
• An old FPE or Zinsco panel. These older brands are a known fire risk.
• An insurance or home sale requirement. An insurer or a buyer's inspection may ask for a new panel.
• A new build. We size and install the panel and the service for new homes.

Insurance-driven replacements: FPE and Zinsco

If your insurer has sent a notice, the most common cause is a Federal Pacific (FPE) or Zinsco panel. These older brands are a known fire risk because their breakers do not always trip when they should, and insurers flag them. Some insurers give you a deadline before they will renew your policy.

We replace these panels with a modern panel, pull the permit, coordinate the inspection, and give you the sign-off documentation your insurance company asks for. Other things insurers flag include old fuse boxes, overloaded panels, and missing safety protection such as GFCI near water or AFCI in bedrooms. Read the full story on our insurance-required panel upgrade page or in our blog post insurance requiring an electrical panel upgrade.

What is included

• An assessment of your panel and your service that tells you exactly what the home needs
• Sizing for what you have today and what you plan to add
• Permit applications, handled by us
• Coordination with your utility, including the planned power shutoff during the work
• Removal of the old panel and installation of the new one, with every circuit reconnected
• Testing, labeling, and inspection support
• Sign-off paperwork for your insurance company when they require it

How a panel or service upgrade works

1. Consultation and design. We look at your panel, your service size, and your plans, then tell you what the work needs. If an insurer is involved, we read the requirement with you.
2. Permitting and paperwork. We pull the electrical permit. For a service upgrade, we also work with your utility on the shutoff and reconnection.
3. Installation. We remove the old panel, install the new one, and reconnect and test every circuit. Power is off for a planned period on the day.
4. Activation and support. We label the panel, support the final inspection, and provide the sign-off report if your insurer needs it.

Smart panels and the home of the future

Utility rates keep rising, and a smart electrical setup gives your home more control. We install SPAN smart panels, which let you see and control where your power goes. A smart panel pairs with solar, a battery, and an EV charger, including bidirectional EV chargers that can send power back to the home. We wire all of it, so the pieces work together as one system.

Brands we install

For electrical gear, we install Eaton, Square D, Siemens, Leviton, and SPAN smart panels.

Incentives and permits

A permit and inspection are part of every panel upgrade, and we handle them. Some utility and state programs may help with panel work when it supports an EV charger, solar, or a battery. Programs change, so we check what applies at quote time. The federal homeowner solar credit has ended, so we do not count on it.

Signs you need a panel or service upgrade

• Your insurance company asked for one, or you have an FPE or Zinsco panel
• Breakers trip often, or you still have fuses
• Lights flicker or dim when appliances turn on
• You see scorch marks or smell burning near the panel
• You are planning a remodel or an addition
• You are adding an EV charger, solar, a battery, a heat pump, or a hot tub to a 100 amp service

More signs are covered in 10 signs it is time for a panel replacement.

Why one licensed electrical team

One licensed team means one set of people who design the work, pull the permit, wire it, and answer the phone after it is running. Energy Solutions has been doing this since 2013, our crew carries 50+ years of combined team experience, and our Oregon CCB license number is 202002. Licensed electricians are on our own crew, so the electrical part of your job is not handed to a stranger.

A panel or service job is licensed electrical work from first look to final inspection. Our electricians do the assessment, the upgrade, and the paperwork, and because we also install solar, batteries, and EV chargers, we can tell you whether this upgrade is enough for the next project too.

What customers say

"We were first introduced to Energy Solutions in May of 2020 when we decided to install solar panels... in August 2025 we decided it was time to upgrade our electrical panel... they were able to come out same day and give us a quote."

Ryan Herrick, Google review, Jun 2026

Where we do panel and service upgrades

We work across the Portland metro, down to Salem, out to the coast and Mount Hood, and into SW Washington. Local pages: Canby Gladstone Happy Valley Lake Oswego Milwaukie Molalla Mulino Oregon City West Linn Wilsonville. See the full service area.