Electrical Panel Upgrades in New Hampshire and Massachusetts
200-amp service for southern NH and northern MA homes that have outgrown the panel they have. Installed by a Master Electrician who pulls the permit, coordinates the utility, and explains it in plain English. Free assessment, and the number in writing before anything starts.
Free assessment, no obligation, and you talk to the electrician who will do the work.
Moore Electric Inc. is a family-owned, Master Electrician-led company that upgrades and replaces residential electrical panels across southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Owner Brenden Moore replaces outdated Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and fuse-box panels with modern 200-amp service, handles the town permit and inspection, and coordinates the utility disconnect with your local power company. Most panel upgrades are completed in a single day, and you get a written quote before any work begins. Local pages cover panel upgrades in Plaistow, NH and panel upgrades in Haverhill, MA.
- Services200-amp upgrades, panel replacements, heavy-up service, Federal Pacific and Zinsco swaps, subpanels
- Service areaSouthern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, roughly a 30-mile radius from Plaistow, NH across the Merrimack Valley and the NH Seacoast
- CredentialsMaster Electrician, 25+ years, licensed in New Hampshire (#14511) and Massachusetts (#22825)
- What's handledPermits, inspections, and utility coordination, all managed for you
- TimelineMost upgrades completed in a single day
- Get startedFree on-site assessment, call 603-836-9513
Does Your Panel Need an Upgrade?
Electrical problems rarely fix themselves. If you're noticing these issues, it's time for a professional assessment. Not sure? Our troubleshooting service can diagnose the root cause.
Breakers Trip Frequently
Circuit breakers that trip regularly signal your panel can't handle your home's electrical load.
Flickering or Dimming Lights
Lights that flicker or dim when appliances turn on indicate insufficient capacity.
Panel Feels Warm or Buzzes
Heat or buzzing sounds from your panel are serious warning signs of loose connections.
Relying on Power Strips
If you need power strips everywhere, you've outgrown your electrical system.
Older Homes
Older homes often need rewiring and panel upgrades for modern demands.
Planning for EV or HVAC
Adding an EV charger, heat pump, or whole-home generator? These often require 200-amp service.
Not Sure If You Need an Upgrade?
Send a photo of your panel with the door open and we can usually tell you a lot before we drive out. Either way the assessment is free, and you get a straight recommendation with no pressure and no upselling.
What Is Included in Every Panel Upgrade?
We handle everything from permits to cleanup. You get a complete, code-compliant installation with no surprises.
Permit Handling
We pull all required permits and schedule inspections.
Utility Coordination
We coordinate with Eversource, National Grid, and other local power companies for meter work.
Quality Equipment
We install reliable, professional-grade panels built to last.
Circuit Labeling
Every circuit clearly labeled for easy identification.
Complete Cleanup
We leave your home cleaner than we found it.
What Is the Difference Between a Panel Replacement, a 200-Amp Upgrade, and a Heavy-Up?
These three get used interchangeably in quotes, and they are not the same job. Knowing which one you actually need is the difference between comparing three bids fairly and comparing three different projects.
Panel replacement
The panel comes out and a new one goes in at the same amperage. The service entrance cable, the meter socket, and the utility drop all stay. This is the job when the enclosure itself is the problem. A Federal Pacific or Zinsco that needs to go, a panel with rust or water damage, or one with no room left for breakers but plenty of capacity behind it.
200-amp upgrade
The service itself gets bigger. New panel, new service entrance conductors sized for 200 amps, usually a new meter socket, and a utility disconnect and reconnect to swap the drop. Grounding gets brought up to current code at the same time, which on older homes often means a new ground rod pair and a proper water pipe bond. This is the one most homes need before a heat pump, an induction range, or a Level 2 charger goes in.
Heavy-up
A heavy-up is a 200-amp upgrade where the service entrance itself is the bulk of the work. A new mast and weatherhead on an overhead service, or a new underground lateral and trench, plus the meter base and full utility coordination. It shows up when the mast is undersized or pulling away from the wall. Also when the drop no longer meets height clearance, or when a homeowner converts overhead service to underground.
When you get quotes, ask which of the three each one covers. A cheaper number is often a panel replacement quoted against someone else's 200-amp upgrade, and you find out the difference when the utility will not reconnect.
Electrical Panel Upgrade FAQs: Cost, EV Charging & Services
The wiring is the same. The paperwork around it is not, and that is where jobs stall.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire runs on the National Electrical Code with state amendments, and permits are issued at the town level. Plaistow, Atkinson, Kingston, and Danville each have their own building department, their own inspector, and their own hours. Some towns inspect within a couple of days, others hold to a set schedule. We file with your town, not a regional office, so knowing which desk to walk into matters. Details for our home market are on the Plaistow panel upgrade page.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires a licensed electrician to pull the electrical permit, and the state enforces it consistently. Cities like Haverhill run the process through an inspectional services department with its own application and inspection queue. Massachusetts also amends the NEC on its own cycle, so a detail that passes in one state can get flagged across the line. The Haverhill panel upgrade page covers that side.
The utility step is the one people forget
Any upgrade that touches the meter or the service drop needs the utility to disconnect and reconnect. Eversource covers much of southern New Hampshire, Unitil serves parts of it, and National Grid covers a large share of northern Massachusetts. Each schedules that visit on its own timeline. We book it alongside the install so the power is off and back on the same day rather than leaving you dark overnight.
This is the practical reason to hire someone who works this corner of both states every week. A contractor who does one job a year in your town is learning the process on your project.
How Do You Tell If You Have a Federal Pacific or Zinsco Panel?
Open the panel door and look at the label inside it or on the front of the enclosure. You are looking for two names.
Federal Pacific Electric, usually branded Stab-Lok. The panel cover typically reads FPE or Federal Pacific, and the breakers have a distinctive thin red or orange stripe across the toggle. These were installed heavily from the 1950s into the early 1980s and are common in homes across southern New Hampshire and the Merrimack Valley.
Zinsco, sometimes labeled Sylvania-Zinsco or GTE-Sylvania. The giveaway is the breaker colors. Zinsco breakers came in blue, green, red, and yellow rather than the usual black, and the bus bar behind them is often visibly aluminum.
Both have a documented history of breakers that fail to trip on a fault, which defeats the one job a breaker has. Insurers know the names, and some carriers will price a policy differently or decline it outright when one is in the house. Home inspectors flag them, so they also surface during a sale.
There is no reliable retrofit. Replacement breakers for both are largely aftermarket, and the failure mode sits in the bus and the breaker design rather than in one bad part. Replacing the panel is the fix. If you find either name in your basement, that is worth a call whether or not anything has gone wrong yet.
Two other labels worth knowing. A fuse box with screw-in fuses means you are on 60 or 100 amps and almost certainly need a service upgrade before adding modern loads. And any panel with double-tapped breakers, where two wires land under one screw that is not rated for it, needs attention regardless of brand.
How Much Does an Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost?
Every home is different. Here's what typical projects cost in our area.
Panel Replacement
Same-size panel swap while keeping your current amperage.
200-Amp Upgrade
Upgrade from 100-amp to 200-amp service. Our most common project.
Heavy-Up Service
Complete service entrance upgrade with new meter base and utility coordination.
Prices shown are typical starting points. Every home is unique - we'll provide a detailed written quote after assessing your specific situation. No work begins until you approve the price.
Payment Options
Can You Finance a Panel Upgrade?
Nobody budgets for a panel upgrade. It tends to come up when the breakers keep tripping, or when an EV charger will not fit on the service you have. Financing is available for qualifying customers, so a panel that needs replacing now can be replaced now.
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Get your written quote
Brenden walks the job, then puts the full scope and the price in writing.
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We send you the application
It arrives by email or text. Apply whenever you have a few minutes free.
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Get approved, then get scheduled
Once you are approved, your project goes on the calendar.
Financing Available
Ask about payment options when you get your quote. Approval takes minutes, and the work gets scheduled from there.
Ask About FinancingFinancing available for qualifying customers. See how financing works.
Why Do Homeowners Choose Moore Electric for Panel Work?
We're not the cheapest. We're the electrician you'll recommend to your friends.
Owner on Every Job
Brenden Moore personally oversees every panel upgrade.
Work Warranty
We stand behind our work. Many competitors don't offer warranties.
Clear Communication
"He explained everything so I could make an informed decision."
25+ Years Experience
Brenden has seen every situation in over two decades. Learn more about us.
Best of Newburyport
Voted Best Electrician in Newburyport 2024 and 2025.
Neat, Labeled Work
Every circuit labeled, the panel dressed properly, and the space swept before we leave. "Extremely neat, organized and displayed great attention to the details."
What Happens During a Panel Replacement?
From first call to finished project, here is how a panel upgrade actually runs.
Free Assessment
Brenden opens the panel, checks the service entrance and the grounding, and counts what you actually run. You get told which of the three jobs you need and why, then the scope and the number in writing.
Permits & Utility
We file the permit with your town and book the inspection. If the meter or the drop is involved, we schedule the disconnect and reconnect with your utility so the two line up on the same day.
Install Day
Power goes off in the morning. Old panel out, new one set, circuits moved over and identified as they land, grounding brought to code. Most upgrades are back on by the end of the day.
Inspection & Cleanup
The inspector signs off, every breaker gets a real label instead of a guess, and the space gets swept. You keep the permit record, which is what a buyer's attorney asks for later.
What Our Customers Say
Real reviews from real customers on Google.
"They installed a sub panel and updated old wiring. All workers were very respectful. Absolutely beautiful work."
"Brenden took the time to explain everything so I could make an informed decision. He never tried to upsell."
"I've been in the trades most of my life. Brenden and his crew are among the best. Reliable, communicative, fair."
Panel Upgrade FAQs
What homeowners ask before they commit to the job.
Panel upgrades typically start around $1,800 for basic replacements and $3,000+ for 200-amp upgrades. Complex installations with utility coordination can run higher. We provide a detailed written quote after assessing your specific situation.
Many 100-amp panels need an upgrade for Level 2 EV chargers. We assess your capacity during a free consultation. Learn more about EV charger installation.
Most panel upgrades are completed in one day. Complex installations may take 2-3 days.
The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (IRS Section 25C) used to offer up to $600 toward qualifying panel upgrades. Under the 2025 federal tax law, that credit ended for any work completed after December 31, 2025, so it does not apply to new 2026 installations. Some state, local, or utility rebate programs may still help, and these change often. Check with your local utility and a tax professional for what currently applies to your project. This is general information, not tax advice.
Yes, we handle everything - permits, utility coordination, inspections, and ensuring everything passes code.
Yes. Financing is available for qualifying customers through Wisetack. Once you have your written quote, tell us you would like to look at payment options and we will send an application link straight to your email or phone. You apply on your own time. Once you are approved, we get the panel upgrade on the schedule. Call 603-836-9513 to get started.
For most of the working day, yes. The panel has to come out with the power off, so plan on the house being dark from morning until we energize and test in the afternoon. We tell you the night before so you can move anything in the freezer, charge what needs charging, and plan around a home office. If the meter or the service drop is involved, the utility disconnect and reconnect gets booked for the same day so you are not without power overnight.
You need to be there at the start so we can walk the panel together and confirm the plan, and at the end for the walkthrough and the labeling. In between you are free to go. The inspector needs access when they come, so we coordinate that visit with you rather than surprising you with it.
We fix it and get it re-inspected, and that is included. It is worth knowing that an inspector flagging an unrelated pre-existing issue is common on older homes, since opening the panel exposes what is behind it. If that happens we tell you what is required to pass versus what is optional, and price the optional part separately so you can decide.
The concern is specific rather than general. Stab-Lok breakers have a documented history of failing to trip on an overload or a short, which removes the protection the breaker exists to provide. The panel works fine right up until the moment it needs to do its job. Insurers and home inspectors both know the name, so it also shows up at renewal and at sale. Replacing the panel is the fix, since replacement breakers do not solve a bus and breaker design problem.
Sometimes, and it is worth asking about because it can be the cheaper answer. A subpanel adds breaker spaces, which solves a full panel. It does not add capacity, so it does not solve a service that is already maxed out. If your 100-amp service is running near its limit, a subpanel just splits the same power into more slots. We check the actual load before recommending one over the other.
Looking for Panel Upgrades in Your Town?
We cover the whole region from one team, but permit steps, inspection process, and utility coordination differ town to town. These local pages lay out the specifics for each market we serve.
Panel Upgrades in Plaistow, NH
Town of Plaistow permits, Eversource NH coordination, and local housing-stock guidance for our home market.
View Plaistow PagePanel Upgrades in Haverhill, MA
Haverhill permitting, Massachusetts code requirements, and panel upgrade service across the Merrimack Valley.
View Haverhill PageWhere Do You Install Panel Upgrades?
Panel work runs about 30 minutes from our shop in Plaistow, NH. That covers southern New Hampshire and the northern Massachusetts side of the Merrimack Valley. We are not a statewide outfit and we do not chase jobs three hours out, because a panel upgrade needs the electrician back if the inspector wants something changed.
Southern New Hampshire
Northern Massachusetts
Two towns have their own panel page with local permit and utility detail: Plaistow, NH and Haverhill, MA. If your town is not listed, call and ask.
License Numbers: NH #14511 · MA #22825 · ME #MS60023064
Ready to Power Your Home Safely?
Get a free assessment from a Master Electrician. We'll inspect your panel, explain your options, and give you an honest recommendation.