Electrical Panel Upgrades for EV Charging in Tustin, CA
Upgrading 100-amp service to 200 amps, adding capacity, and clearing full-panel conditions so a charger circuit can be added safely.
When the Panel Is the Real Job
A significant share of Tustin homes were wired for a household that did not own an electric car, a heat pump, or an induction range. Those homes are frequently on 100-amp service with every breaker slot occupied, and no amount of clever routing changes the fact that there is no capacity left to give. A service upgrade replaces the main panel and often the service entrance conductors and meter socket, taking you to 200 amps with open slots and headroom for whatever comes after the car. It is the largest job in this list and the one that most often gets misquoted by installers who only wanted to hang a charger.
What the Job Includes
A documented load calculation.
The calculation that proves the upgrade is required and sizes the new service correctly. It is also what the inspector reviews.
New panel, breakers, and grounding.
Main panel replaced, circuits transferred and labeled, grounding and bonding brought to current code.
Utility coordination.
Southern California Edison has to disconnect and reconnect service, and that appointment drives the schedule more than our crew does.
Permit and inspection.
Filed with the City of Tustin, inspected, and closed out.
How It Goes
- 01
Load calculation and estimate.
We confirm the upgrade is genuinely necessary before quoting it.
- 02
Permit and utility scheduling.
Both filed together; the utility date sets the install date.
- 03
Upgrade day.
Power is out for most of the day while the panel is swapped.
- 04
Inspection and reconnection.
Inspected, then the utility reconnects.
Old Town and the Pre-1970 Tracts
This is the service Old Town Tustin needs most often. Homes around Main Street and the older streets nearby are frequently on original 100-amp service with a panel that has been full for twenty years. We will always check whether a load-managed charger can avoid the upgrade, because that is the cheaper answer when it works, and we will tell you plainly when it does not.
Questions About This Service
Sometimes. Load-management devices let a charger share capacity with an existing large appliance, throttling automatically. If the load calculation supports it, that is a fraction of the cost of a service upgrade.
Most of a working day. We schedule it so you can plan around it.
Always. A service change is a permitted, inspected alteration and requires utility involvement.
For nearly every single-family home, yes, including a second charger, a heat pump, and an induction range. Where it is not, we will say so during the load calculation.
Find Out If Your Panel Actually Needs Replacing
We run the load calculation first and quote the upgrade only when the numbers require it. Call us or request a free quote and we will tell you which answer your house needs.
Licensed C-10 · Bonded & Insured · EVITP Certified · Permit and inspection included