Main Panel Upgrades
Expert electrical panel upgrades for homes and businesses throughout Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, and the Inland Empire. Turnkey service — we handle permits, utility coordination, inspection, and everything in between.
Rhodes Electric, Inc.
Main Panel Upgrades in Murrieta, Temecula & the Inland Empire
Your electrical panel is the hub of your entire home’s electrical system. When it’s undersized, outdated, or from a brand with known safety issues, everything running through it is at risk.
Rhodes Electric, Inc. specializes in main panel upgrades (MPUs) for residential and commercial properties throughout Southwest Riverside County and North San Diego County. We’ve developed a thorough, turnkey process that handles every step, from the permit application to the
final inspection, so you don’t have to coordinate with the city, the utility, or multiple contractors.
Licensed C-10, fully insured, and nearly two decades of experience.
Rhodes Electric, Inc.
Signs You May Need a Panel Upgrade
Your panel is a brand with known problems. Zinsco and Federal Pacific (FPE) panels are no longer UL listed and are no longer approved by local jurisdictions. These panels have a documented history of breakers that fail to trip during overloads, which means the protection they’re supposed to provide doesn’t work. If your home has either of these brands, replacement is
not optional; it’s a safety issue.
Your panel is 100 amps (or less). 100-amp service was the standard for residential construction through much of the 1980s. It’s insufficient for a modern home running air conditioning, multiple large appliances, an EV charger, and the rest of a contemporary household’s electrical load. Most
homes today need 200-amp service minimum.
Breakers trip frequently. A breaker that trips is doing its job. A breaker that trips repeatedly on the same circuit is telling you that circuit is overloaded, which often means the panel as a whole is at or beyond its capacity.
You want to add an EV charger, solar, or a major appliance. A 50-amp EV charger circuit, a solar system’s back-feed breaker, or a new electric appliance may not fit in your current panel, either because there are no open slots or because the panel’s total capacity is already being used. We assess this before quoting any of these additions.
You’re selling your home. Buyers’ inspectors flag outdated panels. An aging panel, especially Zinsco, FPE, or an older 100-amp box, can kill a sale or require a credit at closing. Upgrading before listing is often the cleaner path.
You’re preparing for solar. Solar installers require specific breaker space, correct busbar capacity, and in some cases a full panel replacement as a prerequisite. Having the panel right before the solar crew arrives avoids delays and additional costs.
You’re adding a room or remodeling. A room addition or major remodel often triggers an electrical inspection, and inspectors will flag an undersized or outdated panel as part of that process. Beyond the permit requirement, a remodel is also the most practical time to upgrade the panel, while trades are already on-site and the project is already disrupting the home. Doing it during a remodel costs less and causes less disruption than returning to do it separately later.
Rhodes Electric, Inc.
Our Turnkey Panel Upgrade Process
Panel upgrades aren’t a one-trade job. They involve the city (permit), the utility (service coordination), and sometimes the stucco or drywall around the panel. We handle all of it.
Assessment & Quote
We evaluate your existing panel, amperage, available breaker space, service entrance condition, and overall electrical needs. You'll receive a clear, written quote outlining the scope of work with no hidden fees or surprise charges.
Permit
We obtain the required electrical permit through your local jurisdiction and ensure all work is performed to current code requirements. Permitting protects homeowners by providing documented compliance for future resale, insurance, and safety purposes.
Utility Coordination
When a service upgrade is required, we coordinate directly with SCE or SDG&E to handle scheduling, paperwork, and utility requirements. Our team manages the process from start to finish so you don't have to.
Installation
Your new panel is professionally installed with new breakers, updated grounding, proper circuit labeling, and code-compliant components. We maintain a clean work area and communicate any necessary wall, drywall, or stucco repairs in advance.
Solar Preparation
Planning to add solar in the future? We can prepare the panel during the upgrade by reserving breaker space and installing necessary infrastructure, helping reduce future installation costs and complications.
Inspection
We schedule and coordinate the final inspection, meet with the inspector, and ensure the project receives approval. Once complete, you'll have documentation verifying the work was performed safely and to code.
Rhodes Electric, Inc.
What Our Panel Upgrades Include:
- New main electrical panel (200-amp standard; 400-amp or higher available)
- All new breakers
- New grounding system per current NEC code
- Permit through appropriate jurisdiction
- Coordination with SCE or SDG&E (including all paperwork)
- Scheduling and follow-up of all required inspections
- All materials and labor
- Stucco breaking, repair, and paint if required at the service entrance
- Solar preparation wiring (optional, quoted separately)
Rhodes Electric, Inc.
Why Homeowners Choose Rhodes Electric for Panel Upgrades
- Turnkey Process: one call covers the permit, the utility, the inspection, and the work
- C-10 Licensed & Fully Insured: every project
- Nearly Two Decades of Panel Upgrade Experience: we've done hundreds throughout the Inland Empire
- Honest Assessments: if your panel is fine and doesn't need replacing, we'll tell you that
- Solar-Ready Preparation: we set your panel up correctly for future solar from day one
- Serving Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Riverside, Corona, Fallbrook, Bonsall, and surrounding communities
- Free Estimates
Rhodes Electric, Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a panel upgrade take?
Most residential panel upgrades are completed in one day. If the project includes a utility service upgrade (changing the service size), utility
coordination adds a few days for scheduling the meter pull and reconnect. We’ll give you an accurate timeline when we quote.
Will my power be out during the upgrade?
Yes, the power needs to be off while we work on the panel. For most homes this is a portion of one day. We work efficiently to minimize the outage window.
Do I need to upgrade from 100-amp to 200-amp?
Most homes with 100-amp service benefit from an upgrade. Whether it’s strictly necessary depends on your current load and what you plan to add. If you’re adding an EV charger, solar, or additional large appliances, the upgrade is typically required. If your current load is well within the 100-amp capacity, it may not be urgent. We’ll give you an honest answer.
My panel has open slots, does it still need to be replaced?
Can you upgrade my panel and install an EV charger at the same time?
Yes, this is one of our most common project combinations. We upgrade the panel and install the EV charger circuit under one permit, one project, one inspection. It’s more efficient than doing them separately.
Do you coordinate with the utility or do I have to?
We handle all utility coordination with SCE and SDG&E, including paperwork and scheduling. You don’t need to call them.
What brands do you install?
We install quality residential panels from Siemens, Square D (Schneider), Eaton, and other reputable manufacturers. We’ll specify what’s going in your home when we quote and explain any differences between options.
Ready For a Panel Upgrade?
Call Rhodes Electric for a free estimate. We’ll assess your current panel, tell you what you actually need, and handle the entire process from permit to inspection.