Your electrical panel decides how much power your home can safely use at once. Trouble is, a lot of Wichita homes were built when a family ran a fridge, a TV, and not much else. Now we've got EV chargers, heat pumps, home offices, and kitchens full of appliances, and the old panel is the bottleneck. When it can't keep up, an upgrade, usually from 100 amps to a modern 200 amp service, is the fix, and it's one of the most common big jobs we do across Wichita.
What Are the Signs You Need a Panel Upgrade?
Breakers that trip when a few things run together, the AC and the microwave, say. Lights that dim when a big appliance kicks on. A panel that's completely full, with no room to add a circuit. A house that leans on power strips and extension cords because there's nowhere left to plug in. An old fuse box, which usually tops out around 60 amps and belongs to a different era entirely. Or plans to add a big new load, an EV charger, a hot tub, a workshop, that your current panel simply doesn't have headroom for.
One more that matters here in Wichita: if your panel says Federal Pacific or Zinsco on the label, it's worth a look regardless of how it's behaving. Those brands have a documented history of breakers failing to trip during an overload, which is the one moment a breaker has to work.
Why Is 200 Amps the New Normal?
A 200 amp panel gives your home breathing room. It safely carries the things a 100 amp setup can't, an EV charger overnight, a heat pump, a full kitchen, all running at once without the flickering and tripping. If you're planning to stay in the house a while, or add electric appliances down the road, the extra capacity is what makes that possible without a second project later. It helps at resale too, because buyers and their inspectors notice an updated panel the same way they notice a new roof.
What Does a Panel Upgrade Cost in Wichita?
Most 100 to 200 amp upgrades in the Wichita area land in the low thousands, and Kansas labor rates tend to keep us friendlier than the national average. What moves the number is mostly condition, whether the meter base and service entrance need replacing along with the panel, how far the panel sits from the meter, and whether we open things up and find old aluminum or damaged wiring that has to be dealt with. A panel that needs relocating adds labor too. We look first, then hand you one flat price that includes the panel, the labor, and the permit, so you're comparing a real number, not a teaser that grows mid-job.
Do You Need a Permit for a Panel Upgrade?
Yes, and you want it that way. Panel work in Wichita requires a permit through MABCD and an inspection once the job is done, plus coordination with Evergy to disconnect and reconnect power during the swap. We handle all of it, the paperwork, the inspection booking, the utility call, so nothing lands on your plate. Skipping the permit to save a little is the kind of shortcut that surfaces years later when a buyer's inspector asks who did the unpermitted panel.
What Actually Happens on Install Day?
Most upgrades are a single day of work. We shut the power down in the morning, pull the old panel, set and wire the new one, often update the meter base and grounding while we're in there, and label every breaker so the panel makes sense to a normal human. Power is typically off for a handful of hours during the swap, then Evergy reconnects once the inspection clears. You don't need to do much beyond pointing us to the panel and keeping the area clear, your day is otherwise your own.
Why Have Us Do It?
Panel work is the heart-surgery end of residential electrical, and it's licensed work for a reason. Every upgrade we do is handled by a licensed electrician, done to the National Electrical Code, permitted through MABCD, and backed by our one year workmanship warranty in writing. Call (316) 348 1390 or book online, and we'll take a look, tell you honestly whether you need the upgrade now or can wait, and give you one flat number for the whole job.