200 Amp Service Upgrade Cost: Panel, Meter & Service Entrance
Upgrading from 100-amp to 200-amp service (a "heavy up") typically costs $2,500 – $5,500 installed, and $3,500 – $7,000 when the meter base, weatherhead, or service mast also need replacing. The panel itself is a small part of that. The cost is in the heavier service equipment and the utility coordination. Here is the breakdown.
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| Scope | Installed range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Panel only, service side is fine | $2,500 – $4,000 | New 200A panel, reuse meter and mast |
| Upgrade with new meter base | $3,000 – $5,000 | Meter socket replaced for 200A |
| Upgrade with meter + mast / weatherhead | $3,500 – $7,000 | Full service-entrance replacement |
| Overhead to underground conversion | $5,000 – $12,000+ | Trenching and utility coordination |
| Long service-entrance cable run | +$500 – $2,000 | Detached or distant meter |
| Line item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 200A panel & breakers | $400 – $1,200 | Panel plus code AFCI/GFCI breakers |
| Meter base / socket | $150 – $500 | 200A-rated meter socket |
| Service mast / weatherhead | $300 – $1,200 | Riser, mast, weatherhead, cable |
| Service-entrance cable | $200 – $800 | Heavier 2/0 or 4/0 conductors |
| Electrician labor | $1,200 – $3,000 | Service work plus panel transfer |
| Permit, inspection, utility fees | $150 – $700 | Varies widely by jurisdiction |
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What a "heavy up" actually means
"Heavy up" is the trade term, common in the Mid-Atlantic, for raising a home's electrical service capacity, almost always from 100 amps to 200 amps. It is not just a bigger panel. The entire service path has to carry the higher current: the service-entrance cable from the utility, the meter socket, the main breaker, and the panel bus all step up to a 200-amp rating.
Because the meter and the service drop belong to the utility side, an upgrade requires coordinating a power disconnect and reconnect with your utility, plus a permit and inspection. That coordination is why a heavy-up costs more than a like-for-like panel swap even though the indoor work looks similar. If only the breakers are failing rather than the whole service, a single breaker replacement is a far smaller job.
Why the range is so wide
The spread from $2,500 to $7,000 comes down to one question: how much of the service entrance has to be replaced? If your meter base and mast are recent and 200-amp-rated, the electrician reuses them and the job sits at the low end. If they are original 100-amp equipment, they all get swapped, and the job climbs.
- ·Meter base: a 100-amp meter socket will not pass inspection on a 200-amp service. New socket adds $150 – $500 in parts plus labor.
- ·Service mast and weatherhead: an overhead service often needs a new mast, riser, and weatherhead, adding $300 – $1,200.
- ·Service-entrance cable: 200 amps needs heavier conductors (2/0 or 4/0), so the run from weatherhead to panel is re-pulled. See 200 amp service wire size for the copper and aluminum specifics.
- ·Overhead vs underground: if you also convert to underground service, trenching and utility work can push the total past $10,000.
When you actually need 200 amps
A 100-amp service handles a typical gas-heated home fine. The pressure to go to 200 amps comes from electrification: a heat pump, an EV charger, an electric range, an electric water heater, or a hot tub each add a large load, and stacking two or three of them past a 100-amp service.
Before you pay for an upgrade, ask the electrician to run an electrical load calculation. Sometimes a 100-amp service has more headroom than it appears, and a single new load fits with smart load management instead of a full heavy-up. But if you are adding an EV charger and a heat pump together, 200 amps is usually the realistic floor, and going straight there avoids paying for the service work twice.
Permits, utility coordination, and timeline
A service upgrade is a permitted job in essentially every jurisdiction, and the inspection is non-negotiable because the work happens at the service entrance. The electrician pulls the permit, schedules the inspection, and coordinates with the utility for the disconnect and reconnect. Some utilities do this within days; others have a queue of a few weeks.
The hands-on work is often a single day, but the full timeline (permit, utility disconnect, inspection, reconnect) commonly spans one to three weeks. Build that into your planning if the upgrade is tied to another project like an EV charger or HVAC install. Doing the heavy-up first avoids a stalled second project.
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