Panel Upgrades & Replacement

Electrical Panel Upgrades in Kansas City and Lenexa, KS

The electrical panel is the hub of your home’s power distribution. When it is undersized, outdated, or physically deteriorating, every circuit in the house runs on borrowed time. Panel upgrades are one of the most consequential electrical projects a Johnson County homeowner can make, both for daily reliability and for the capacity to support modern home systems.

Lutz licensed electricians handle panel upgrades and full service replacements throughout Lenexa, Overland Park, Shawnee, Olathe, Prairie Village, and the Kansas City metro. We manage the complete project: load calculation, permit coordination, utility notification, installation, and inspection. Call (913) 631-2667 or contact us online.

Signs Your Panel Needs to Be Upgraded

Many Johnson County homes built in the 1970s and 1980s were wired for 100-amp service, which was adequate at the time but falls short of the power demands of a modern household. Specific signals that a panel upgrade warrants serious consideration:

Breakers that trip regularly under normal household load, not because of a single overloaded circuit but because the panel is consistently near its capacity.
A fuse box that has never been updated. Fused panels are obsolete, carry insurance implications in many policies, and cannot be safely expanded.
Plans to add an EV charger: a Level 2 charger requires a dedicated 240V/50A circuit, and many older panels do not have the available capacity or breaker slots to support it without an upgrade.
Plans to add a whole-home standby generator: the transfer switch and generator connection require available panel capacity and often a dedicated breaker.
A panel that feels warm to the touch, shows signs of scorching, or has breakers that feel loose or difficult to reset. These are safety concerns that require immediate attention.
A Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel: these specific brands have documented safety issues and are widely flagged by home inspectors and insurance underwriters. Replacement is strongly recommended regardless of apparent current function.
The panel is over 30 years old with no history of inspection or service.

100-Amp vs. 200-Amp Service: What the Difference Means

A 100-amp service panel was the residential standard through the 1970s. It can run the basics: lighting, a central HVAC system, appliances, and general outlets. It does not have headroom for the combination of an EV charger, a tankless water heater, a home office load, and a whole-home generator that many Johnson County homeowners are adding.

A 200-amp service upgrade doubles the available capacity and typically adds breaker slots that allow for the dedicated circuits modern homes require. For homes planning any electrification projects, including EV charging, heat pump systems, or induction cooktops, a 200-amp panel is the practical baseline. Some larger homes or homes with significant electrical loads may benefit from a 200-amp panel with a subpanel in the garage or workshop.

What a Panel Upgrade Involves

A panel upgrade is a full-day project for most residential installations. Here is the general sequence:

Load calculation: We calculate your home’s current and projected electrical load to confirm the right panel size and identify any circuits that need attention.
Permit and utility coordination: Panel upgrades require an electrical permit from Johnson County or the relevant jurisdiction. On service upgrades (changing the size of the service entrance), the utility (Evergy) must be notified and will coordinate the meter disconnect.
Installation: The existing panel is de-energized, the old panel is removed, and the new panel is installed. All branch circuits are reconnected, labeled, and verified. AFCI and GFCI breakers are installed where required by current NEC code.
Inspection: Johnson County requires inspection of panel upgrade work. We coordinate the inspection as part of the project. Passing inspection on the first visit is standard for our installations.
Power restoration: Once the inspection is complete, the utility restores the meter connection and the home is re-energized. We verify all circuits before leaving.

Federal Pacific and Zinsco Panels in Johnson County Homes

A meaningful number of 1970s and 1980s homes in older Lenexa, Shawnee, and Overland Park neighborhoods still have Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco electrical panels. Both brands have documented failure modes: breakers that do not trip reliably under overload conditions, which allows circuits to remain energized when they should have shut off. This is a fire risk. Most insurance carriers flag these panels, and home inspectors routinely call them out. If your home has either of these panels, replacement is worth scheduling proactively rather than waiting for a sale or an insurance renewal to force the issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a panel upgrade cost in Kansas City?

A 100-amp to 200-amp panel upgrade in the Kansas City area typically ranges from $1,800 to $3,500 installed, including the panel, labor, permit, and utility coordination. Projects involving service entrance upgrades, significant rewiring, or subpanel additions run higher. We provide a specific written quote after assessing your home’s existing service and load.

How long does a panel upgrade take?

Most residential panel upgrades are completed in a single day. The home will be without power for several hours during the installation and until the utility restores the meter connection after inspection. We coordinate that window with you in advance.

Do I need a permit for a panel upgrade in Lenexa?

Yes. Panel upgrades require an electrical permit and inspection in Lenexa and throughout Johnson County. We pull the permit and coordinate the inspection as part of the project. Unpermitted panel work creates real liability at resale and may affect your homeowner’s insurance coverage.

My home has a Federal Pacific panel. How urgent is replacement?

Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels have a documented history of breakers failing to trip under overload conditions. This is a fire hazard, and most electrical professionals recommend replacement. It is not necessarily an emergency requiring same-day action, but it should be scheduled rather than deferred indefinitely. If you are also planning an EV charger or any other electrical upgrade, combining it with the panel replacement reduces overall project cost.

Can I add an EV charger to my existing 100-amp panel?

Sometimes, but it depends on your current load. A Level 2 EV charger typically requires a 240V/50A dedicated circuit, which draws 50 amps continuously. Adding that to a 100-amp panel that is already running a full household load often leaves insufficient headroom. We perform a load calculation before recommending whether your existing panel can support an EV circuit or whether an upgrade is needed first. See our EV charger installation page for more on the circuit requirements.

What is an AFCI breaker and do I need them?

An Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) breaker detects arc faults, the type of electrical fault that causes most home electrical fires, and shuts the circuit down before a fire can start. Current NEC code requires AFCI protection on most living area circuits in new construction and on circuits being replaced or added. When we perform a panel upgrade, we install AFCI breakers on the circuits required by current code.

Is financing available for a panel upgrade?

Yes. See our financing page for current options.