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Electrical Panel Upgrade · Pennsylvania
A panel upgrade replaces your breaker panel, and often the service entrance, so the home can safely carry more load: an EV charger, heat pump, induction range or addition. It always needs a permit, and usually needs the utility to disconnect and reconnect power.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh rowhomes and older suburbs carry original wiring and small services.
Across the Mid-Atlantic, homes deal with humid summers, coastal storms and occasional ice. Permit offices, utilities and housing stock differ by city, which affects how electrical panel upgrade is planned and scheduled. These local guides cover the Pennsylvania cities where we have written specific notes.
A small 60 or 100 amp service is common in older Philadelphia rowhomes, and adding central air, a modern kitchen or a basement finish usually requires a service upgrade. The panel is often in the basement near the front wall, and the new service is coordinated with PECO, which handles the meter and the utility side.
Utility: PECO
Fuse boxes and 60 amp services are still common in older Pittsburgh homes, and adding central air, a modern kitchen or an EV charger usually needs an upgrade. Basement panels in damp stone foundations should be checked for rust and moisture damage, and the new panel may need to go in a drier spot.
Utility: Duquesne Light
Many Allentown rowhouses still have 60 amp services or fuse panels in the basement, sized long before central air, modern kitchens or EV chargers. Converted apartments may have several small services side by side.
Utility: PPL Electric Utilities
Many Scranton homes still have 60 amp services or fuse panels, and converted apartment houses in the Hill Section and on the West Side may have several small services. Adding heat pumps, central air, modern kitchens or EV chargers usually requires an upgrade.
Utility: PPL Electric Utilities
Many Harrisburg rowhouses still have 60 amp services or fuse panels, and adding central air, a heat pump or a modern kitchen usually requires 100 or 200 amps with a new meter base. In Shipoke and other riverside areas, the upgrade is a good time to raise the panel above past flood levels.
Utility: PPL Electric Utilities
Many Lancaster rowhouses still have 60 amp services or fuse panels in the basement, and owners adding central air, a heat pump, a modern kitchen or in-unit laundry usually need 100 or 200 amps. In a rowhouse, the new meter location is limited by the front or rear wall and PPL's rules, and historic district review may apply.
Utility: PPL Electric Utilities
Many Reading rowhouses still have 60 amp services or fuse panels, and converted Centre Park homes may have several small services side by side. Adding central air, a heat pump, a modern kitchen or in-unit laundry usually requires an upgrade with a new meter base.
Utility: Met-Ed (FirstEnergy)
Many Wilkes-Barre doubles still have two 60 amp services or fuse panels side by side in the basement, and owners adding central air, a heat pump or modern kitchens usually need to upgrade one or both. Each side of a double typically has its own meter, so PPL Electric Utilities schedules the disconnect and reconnect for each.
Utility: PPL Electric Utilities
1. Load calculation
The electrician sizes the service from your existing and planned loads.
2. Permit and utility coordination
The permit is pulled and the utility schedules disconnect and reconnect.
3. Install the panel and service parts
New panel, breakers, grounding and bonding, and service conductors or meter base if needed.
4. Inspection
The local inspector checks the work before or after power is restored, depending on the jurisdiction.
Electricians set their own prices; local permit fees and utility requirements add to these factors.
Permits come from the city or county where the home is. For example: Philadelphia: Electrical permits in Philadelphia are issued by the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) to licensed electrical contractors. Pittsburgh: Electrical permits in Pittsburgh come from the city's Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI); surrounding boroughs and townships handle their own. Allentown: Electrical permits inside the city come from the City of Allentown's building standards and safety office; surrounding townships issue their own. Scranton: Electrical permits come from the City of Scranton's licensing, inspections and permits office. Harrisburg: Electrical permits inside the city come from the City of Harrisburg's codes bureau; surrounding townships issue their own. Lancaster: Electrical permits inside the city come from the City of Lancaster's permits office; surrounding townships issue their own. Reading: Electrical permits inside the city come from the City of Reading's permits office; surrounding boroughs and townships issue their own. Wilkes Barre: Electrical permits inside the city come from Wilkes-Barre's code enforcement office; surrounding boroughs issue their own.
Philadelphia: PECO. Pittsburgh: Duquesne Light. Allentown: PPL Electric Utilities. Scranton: PPL Electric Utilities. Harrisburg: PPL Electric Utilities. Lancaster: PPL Electric Utilities. Reading: Met-Ed (FirstEnergy). Wilkes Barre: PPL Electric Utilities.
If you have 100 amps or less and are adding an EV charger, heat pump or electric range, or your panel is a Federal Pacific, Zinsco or fuse box, ask an electrician for a load calculation.
Usually most of one working day, depending on the scope and how quickly the utility reconnects.
Yes, in essentially every US jurisdiction. The electrician pulls it and schedules the inspection.
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