Most homes built in Nevada before the mid-1990s came with 100 amp service. At the time that was generous. The house had a furnace, a range, a water heater, a dryer, and a television that drew more power than anything else in the living room.
Then we added central air, then a second fridge in the garage, then a home office, then an induction range, then a hot tub, then an electric vehicle. The wiring did not change. The load did.
How to tell if 100 amp service is holding you back
You do not need a meter to spot most of these:
- Lights dim noticeably when the AC compressor or the dryer starts
- There is no free breaker space, and tandem or "cheater" breakers are stacked in to make room
- You have been told by an installer that a new appliance "needs a panel upgrade first"
- The panel is a fuse box rather than breakers
- The main breaker itself trips, not just branch circuits
- The panel is rusted, warm, or the door will not close flush over the breakers
That third one is the most common trigger. Hot tub installers, HVAC companies and EV charger sellers all hit the same wall: there is no capacity left to give.
What a service upgrade actually involves
People imagine swapping a box on a wall. In practice a service change touches the whole electrical entrance:
Load calculation
We total the real connected load of the house against the existing service. This is the part that tells us whether you need 150 amp, 200 amp, or whether 100 amp was never the problem.
Permit and utility coordination
Service changes are permitted, inspected work. The utility has to disconnect and reconnect. We book both so you are not managing three parties.
Cut-over day
Power is off for part of one day. The new meter base, service entrance conductors, mast if needed, and the new load center all go in.
Circuits, labels, inspection
Every existing circuit is transferred, tested and labelled legibly. Then the inspector signs it off and the utility reconnects.
Do you always need 200 amp?
No, and anyone who tells you otherwise without doing a load calculation is selling rather than advising. Plenty of Nevada homes run comfortably on 100 or 125 amp service and simply need a larger load center with more breaker spaces rather than a full service increase.
Where 200 amp genuinely earns its cost is when you are stacking modern loads: EV charging, electric heat, a hot tub, a workshop, or a casita. Two EVs on a 100 amp service is a load management conversation, not an option.
The sub panel alternative
Sometimes the right answer is not touching the main service at all. If the main has headroom but the panel is physically full, a sub panel in the garage or shop gives you breaker space and a shorter run to the loads that need it. This is usually cheaper and faster than a full service change, and we will tell you when it is the better choice for your house.
Panels worth replacing regardless of capacity
A handful of older panel types have documented histories of breakers failing to trip on a fault, or of bus connections overheating. If your home inspection flagged the brand, capacity is beside the point. Replace it. The same goes for any panel showing rust from a leaking exterior wall, scorch marks on the bus, or aluminum feeders with corroded terminations.
How long it takes and what it costs
Most residential panel replacements are a single day of electrical work, with the power off for part of it. Where the meter base or mast has to be replaced, or where the utility has a scheduling backlog, expect two days. Cost tracks amperage, the state of the service entrance, and how many circuits get transferred.
We give one flat number after looking at the actual panel, not a range over the phone. Book a look at your panel and you will know exactly what you are dealing with. See our panel upgrade service for what is included, or call the number at the top of this page.