When is a 400-amp service worth considering?
A larger home with electric heating, substantial workshop equipment or several charging loads can prompt a review beyond a 200-amp service. An addition or planned ADU can bring another set of loads into the design. These projects do not automatically need 400 amps. Start with the equipment and intended use so the recommended service supports the project you are building, including confirmed additions that may arrive later.
How is 200 amps compared with 400 amps?
An electrician evaluates the existing installation and calculates demand from the home and proposed equipment. Service size is not decided by adding the numbers on breaker labels or counting spare slots. Share appliance specifications, charger requirements and workshop loads rather than choosing a target from floor area alone. A useful comparison explains whether a 200-amp arrangement meets those needs and what a larger service would change.
What changes beyond the electrical panel?
A service upgrade can involve meter equipment, service conductors, disconnects and distribution panels, along with utility-side work. Circuits or feeders to a garage, workshop or approved ADU are separate parts of getting power to the equipment. The design should identify those connections and any overhead or underground service changes. Confirm the serving utility’s requirements before treating a replacement panel as the whole installation.
What affects the complete installation price?
Equipment configuration, the existing service route and utility requirements influence the cost. Exterior access, trenching, panel relocation and restoration can add work beyond the new equipment. Compare the service upgrade with the same building connections and appliance circuits in each estimate. Keep utility charges and separately performed work visible, along with the surfaces that will be repaired, so the total reflects the completed project.
How does the work fit the construction schedule?
Coordinate utility review, permits and inspection with the electrical installation and planned power interruption. PSE’s construction process identifies design and site-readiness steps before utility construction; the sequence for your property needs confirmation with its serving utility and contractor. Agree which circuits and buildings will be connected at completion. Retain circuit identification, equipment information and relevant inspection records, and coordinate restoration before the surrounding construction is finished.