When a homeowner hears they need a panel upgrade, one of the first questions is always: how long will I be without power? The honest answer is most of a day. A standard panel upgrade — replacing an existing panel with a new 200-amp service — takes 6–8 hours from when we arrive to when your power is back on.
Here's what actually happens during that time.
Step 1: Utility Coordination
Before we can touch the panel, the utility company has to pull the meter and de-energize the service entrance. We coordinate this with Xcel Energy (or your local utility) ahead of the job date. On the day of, we confirm the disconnect and typically start work once the utility has cleared the line.
Step 2: Removing the Old Panel
With the power off, we remove the old panel. Every circuit breaker comes out, every wire is carefully labeled and disconnected, and the old enclosure comes off the wall. If the panel is in a finished space, we take care not to damage drywall or trim.
Step 3: Installing the New Panel
The new panel goes up, the service entrance wiring is connected, and every circuit gets landed in its new home with a correctly-sized breaker. We follow the current National Electrical Code, which means AFCI protection on most living area circuits and GFCI protection in all wet areas — your new panel will be up to current code, not just a like-for-like swap.
Step 4: Reconnect and Test
Once the panel is wired, we call the utility to reconnect the meter. Then we go circuit by circuit testing that everything is energized and working correctly. Any issues that come up — outlets that aren't responding, a circuit that needs tracing — get resolved before we leave.
Step 5: Inspection
Panel upgrades require a permit and inspection in Minnesota. The inspection typically happens after the job — we schedule it with the state as part of the permit process, and an inspector reviews the completed work. You don't need to be home for the inspection in most cases; we coordinate the timing.
What Makes a Job Take Longer
- Upgrading the service entrance conductor (the wiring from the utility connection to the meter) — adds time and may require a separate utility appointment
- Moving the panel to a new location in the house
- Adding circuits at the same time as the panel upgrade
- Older homes where circuits aren't labeled and need to be traced
- Utility scheduling delays — the utility connect/disconnect is the one piece we don't fully control
Planning for the Day
You'll be without power for the bulk of the workday — typically 6–8 hours, sometimes a bit more. We do the work in a single visit whenever possible so you're not dealing with multiple days of outage. Plan to be home, or have someone available, since we may have questions during the job.
If you're in the Twin Cities and thinking about a panel upgrade, give us a call at (612) 217-1423 or book online. We'll come take a look at your current setup and give you a straight assessment of what's involved.