Electrical panel upgrades in Algonquin, Illinois
More power for the house, sized to what it runs. A licensed electrician does the work, and the permit, the town’s inspection and ComEd are arranged as part of the job.
Serving Algonquin, Crystal Lake, St. Charles, Geneva and Vernon Hills.
Signs your panel is due for an upgrade
- The main breaker says 100 amps or less, and you’re adding central air, an electric range or a car charger
- You’re finishing the basement and need more circuits
- The panel is full, with no room for another breaker
- You still have fuses rather than breakers
- A home inspector flagged the panel
What’s included
Electrical licensing is set town by town in Illinois. The electrician on your job holds what your town requires and is insured.
Working out what the house needs
What the house runs now and what you plan to add, from heating and cooling to cooking and laundry, added up before a size is chosen.
A new panel
Sized for the new service, with room for the circuits you have and the ones you plan to add.
The service coming in
The meter socket and the wires from ComEd’s connection to the panel, where the upgrade needs them. ComEd sets where the meter goes and how high it sits.
Grounding
ComEd’s own rules ask that every new and existing service have the grounding the local code requires.
The permit and the inspection
The permit before the work, and your town’s inspection before ComEd connects the new service.
ComEd, arranged
ComEd asks that its service application be completed with a licensed electrical professional. The electrician on your job does that and agrees the switch-over date with ComEd.
How it works
- 1
We look at what you have
The panel, the meter, the wires coming into the house and what the house runs today.
- 2
The size is worked out
The electrician adds up what the house draws now and what you plan to add. If 100 amps covers it, you’ll hear that.
- 3
A written estimate
What changes, what it costs and the permit, line by line.
- 4
Permit, then ComEd
The permit comes first; ComEd asks for it before it acts on a job. Where the service comes in on overhead wires, ComEd asks for at least two weeks’ notice to connect it.
- 5
The upgrade and the inspection
The new panel and service go in, your town inspects them, and ComEd connects the new service. ComEd says towns usually bar it from connecting service that hasn’t passed inspection.
How it’s priced
The electrician prices an upgrade after seeing the panel and the service coming in. It costs more when the meter socket, the wires into the house or the panel’s location has to change too.
ComEd may charge for its own part of the work, and it sets out any charge in an agreement before that work begins.
What moves the price
- Whether the service coming in has to change, or only the panel
- The size of panel the house needs
- Moving the panel or the meter, if either has to move
- Grounding that has to be brought up to code
- Any charge from ComEd for its part
You get a written, itemized estimate after we’ve looked, and nothing starts until you’ve signed it.
Why us for this job
Sized to the house
The electrician works out what your house needs before anything is ordered. If 100 amps is enough, you’ll hear that, even though it means no job for us.
Planned with the basement
In Algonquin, the village’s handout for finished basements calls for at least 200-amp service. If finishing is next, the panel goes in first, so the new rooms have circuits to run on.
Permit and ComEd, arranged
The permit, the town’s inspection and ComEd’s paperwork are part of the job, so you’re not the one on the phone with the utility.
Questions about electrical panel upgrades
Do I need 200 amps?
It depends on what the house runs, and the electrician works it out. In Algonquin a finished basement settles it: the village’s handout asks for at least 200-amp service in a single-family home with a finished basement.
Do I need a permit?
Yes. ComEd requires a changed service to be inspected and approved by your town before it’s connected, and Geneva, for one, lists a residential electric upgrade among its required permits. We check your town’s rules before we price the job, and the permit is part of it.
Who deals with ComEd?
The electrician on your job. ComEd asks that its service application be completed with a licensed electrical professional, and the switch-over date is agreed with ComEd ahead of time.
Will my power be off?
Yes, while the old service is disconnected and the new one connected. That date is agreed with ComEd ahead of time, so you can plan around it.
Who licenses electricians around here?
Each town. Electrical licensing in Illinois is set town by town, and the electrician on your job holds what your town requires. Vernon Hills, for one, lists an electrician’s license among its permit requirements.
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Tell us what’s going on. We’ll come out, look and give you a written estimate before any work starts.
Someone from our team calls or texts to set up a visit.