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100A · 200A · 400A Service Upgrades · Panel Replacement · Subpanels

Electrical Panel Upgrades and Service Work

Outdated panels, overloaded service, code-violation Federal Pacific and Zinsco gear, and 200 amp upgrades for homes that grew past their original electrical capacity.

Definition

What is electrical panel upgrades and service work?

A panel upgrade is the replacement of your home or business electrical panel, and often the service entrance and meter base, with modern, properly sized, code-compliant gear. A service upgrade is the related work of increasing the amperage of the entire service, typically from 100 amps to 200 amps to handle modern household loads. Pelican State Electric LLC replaces every flavor of panel: known-defective Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco units, undersized 60 and 100 amp panels in 1970s and 1980s Louisiana homes, and full 200 amp and 400 amp service upgrades for additions, generators, EV chargers, and pool builds.
When You Need This

You should be calling about this if…

Common situations that bring homeowners and businesses to Pelican State Electric LLC. If any of these sound familiar, the rest of the page is worth your time.

You have a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel

Both are documented to fail to trip under fault conditions, creating fire risk. Most insurance carriers either require replacement or charge a premium. Replacement is the correct fix.

Your panel is full and you cannot add another circuit

A full panel limits every renovation, every EV charger install, every pool, every generator. Upgrade once, stop limiting yourself.

Breakers trip when you run two normal loads at once

Usually a sign the panel is undersized or a circuit is shared by too many devices. Sometimes a subpanel solves it, sometimes a full panel upgrade is the right call.

You are installing a Level 2 EV charger

Most home EV chargers want a dedicated 50 A or 60 A circuit. Older panels often cannot take that load on top of existing demand.

You are adding a pool, hot tub, or whole-home generator

These loads commonly trigger a service upgrade. We size the new service to the calculated load with capacity for what comes next.

Your service is still on a fuse box

Time to be done with that.

Our Process

How Pelican State Electric LLC delivers this work.

Every job runs through the same defined process. You know what is happening, why it is happening, and what comes next.

01

Service Audit and Load Calc

We inventory the existing panel, photograph the meter base and weather-head, and run a calculated load against current and future use.

02

Upgrade Recommendation and Quote

Sometimes a subpanel solves it. Sometimes a 200 amp service upgrade is the right answer. We tell you what we would do at our own house, not what costs the most.

03

Permit and Utility Coordination

Service upgrades require a parish permit and a utility disconnect/reconnect. We pull the permit and schedule the temporary service shutoff with Cleco or Entergy.

04

Cut-Over Day

Power off for a few hours. New meter base, new panel, new ground rods, all conductors re-terminated and torqued, every circuit labeled with a typed directory.

05

Inspection and Reconnect

Parish inspector signs off. Utility resets the meter. Power back on, panel labeled, everything documented.

06

Hand-Off

Folder with permit, load calc, and panel schedule. We walk you through what each breaker controls.

What's Included

Every part of the job, covered.

The work included as standard scope. No add-ons, no surprise line items.

Standard Scope

  • Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco replacement
  • 100A, 200A, and 400A service upgrades
  • Meter base and weather-head replacement
  • Sub-panel installs for additions, garages, and shops
  • Ground rod and grounding electrode system upgrades
  • Whole-house surge protection
  • Typed panel directory and circuit labeling
  • Parish permit and final inspection
  • Load calculation for future generator, EV, or pool

Where We Work

Pelican State Electric serves the Northshore, Southshore, Acadiana, and southwest Mississippi from a home base in Folsom, Louisiana. The service region reaches from McComb, Mississippi in the north to Lafayette, Louisiana in the west, including Covington, Mandeville, Madisonville, Slidell, Hammond, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Metairie, and Houma.

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Frequently Asked

Answers to the questions we hear most.

If your question is not below, call 985-590-2337 and we will answer it on the spot.

How much does a 200 amp panel upgrade cost in Louisiana?
A standard residential 200 amp service upgrade with new meter base, new main panel, ground rods, surge protection, permit, and inspection typically lands in the $3,000 to $5,500 range in Louisiana. The variables are the distance from the meter to the panel, whether the existing service mast needs to be replaced, and whether any branch circuits need to be re-terminated. We give a flat written quote.
Do I need a permit to replace my panel?
Yes. Panel and service work always requires a parish or municipal permit, and the utility will not reset the meter without a signed inspection. Pelican State Electric pulls the permit and coordinates the inspection.
My panel is a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok. Is that a real fire risk?
Yes. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok breakers are independently documented to fail to trip during overload and short-circuit conditions at a rate well above any other modern panel. The failure mode is exactly the conditions where a breaker is supposed to protect the wiring. Replacement is the right answer.
How long will my power be off during a panel upgrade?
Plan on three to six hours of no power on cut-over day for a typical residential upgrade. The temporary service shutoff is scheduled with the utility ahead of time. Larger commercial cut-overs take longer and are sometimes done after-hours.
Can I do a partial panel upgrade?
Sometimes. A subpanel adds capacity without replacing the main, and it works when the main panel and service are healthy and the issue is only available space. When the main is also outdated, undersized, or known-defective, a full replacement is the right move.
Will the utility need to disconnect my service?
Yes for any work on the meter base, weather-head, or main panel. We schedule the temporary disconnect with Cleco, Entergy, or your local utility ahead of cut-over day.
Can you install whole-house surge protection on the panel upgrade?
Yes, and we include it on most residential service upgrades. A panel-mounted surge protector knocks down the lightning- and grid-side surges that take out modern electronics.
Related Services

Often paired with this work.

Most homeowners and businesses booking this service end up wanting one of these as well. Same crew, same standard.

Get An Estimate

Ready to plan it?

Call Pelican State Electric LLC and tell us what you are building, fixing, or backing up. We will walk the job with you, plan it together, and give you a straight answer.

985-590-2337