200-Amp Panel Upgrade Specialists
When the Panel Runs Out of Room
Outgrowing a 100-amp panel? We upgrade Cheyenne homes to 200-amp service so your electrical system can keep up with EV chargers, central air, hot tubs, and everything you plug in next.
More Power, Built for How You Live Now
When Your Panel Runs Out of Room to Grow
An electrical panel upgrade in Cheyenne, WY gives your home the capacity to run modern electrical loads safely. Most older Cheyenne houses were wired for a different era. A 100-amp panel was plenty when a home had a furnace, a water heater, and a handful of outlets. Today that same panel has to carry a central air conditioner, a heat pump, a hot tub, an induction range, and increasingly an EV charger in the garage. When the demand outgrows the supply, you get tripping breakers, dimming lights, and a panel that runs warm to the touch. Moonlight Electric Solutions upgrades that panel so your home has the headroom it needs.
A panel upgrade is different from a panel replacement. A replacement swaps a failing or recalled panel for a new one at the same amperage. An upgrade increases your home’s total electrical capacity, usually from 100 amps to 200 amps, by installing a larger main breaker, a higher-capacity panel, and in most cases a new service entrance, meter base, and grounding system. The result is not just more breaker spaces. It is a fundamental increase in how much power your home can draw from the utility at one time, which is what makes room for the big loads people add to their homes today.
Isaac Garcia, owner and master electrician licensed in Wyoming and Colorado, has upgraded service panels across Cheyenne, Laramie, and Northern Colorado. His background wiring federal government power systems built a habit of doing load calculations correctly the first time and sizing equipment for the real future demand rather than the bare minimum. Every upgrade we perform starts with an honest assessment of what your home actually draws and what you plan to add, so the panel we install has room for the next ten years, not just today.
Signs You Have Outgrown Your Panel
Breakers that trip when you run the microwave and the space heater together. Lights that dim when the air conditioner or well pump kicks on. A panel that feels warm or hums. No open breaker spaces left for a new circuit. Reliance on power strips and extension cords because there are not enough outlets. A plan to add an EV charger, hot tub, or shop and being told the panel cannot support it.
If any of these sound familiar, call (307) 757-5553 for a free load assessment. We will measure your current usage, factor in what you want to add, and tell you honestly whether an upgrade is the right move.
What an Upgrade Includes
Our Panel Upgrade Services
100-Amp to 200-Amp Service Upgrades
The most common upgrade we perform in Cheyenne moves a home from 100-amp to 200-amp service. We install a new 200-amp main panel, a 200-amp main breaker, an upgraded service entrance cable, and a new meter base where the utility requires it. Two hundred amps is the standard for modern homes because it comfortably handles central air, electric heat, large appliances, and an EV charger all at once. For larger homes or those planning a shop or detached garage, we also install 320-amp and 400-amp services.
Added Capacity for EV Chargers
A Level 2 EV charger draws as much power as a clothes dryer and an oven combined, and it runs for hours at a time. Many older Cheyenne panels simply cannot add that load without tripping. We upgrade the panel first, then add a properly sized 240-volt circuit for your charger with room to spare. Doing the upgrade and the charger circuit together saves a second service call and means your garage is ready the day your vehicle arrives. We coordinate this work with our EV charger installation service.
Capacity for HVAC, Hot Tubs & Additions
Heat pumps, mini-split systems, hot tubs, and home additions all add significant electrical demand. Before any of these projects, the panel needs enough capacity to carry the new load on top of everything already running. We size the upgrade around your specific plans so the new equipment runs reliably and the panel never operates at its limit. Running a panel near full capacity shortens its life and creates heat. We build in margin so that does not happen.
Service Entrance & Meter Base Upgrades
A true amperage upgrade is more than a new box on the wall. The service entrance conductors, the meter base, and the grounding electrode system all have to be rated for the new amperage. We replace the service mast, weatherhead, meter socket, and grounding as part of the upgrade and coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with the local utility. This is the part of the job many handymen skip, and it is exactly where safety and code compliance live.
Modern Breakers & Whole-Home Surge Protection
An upgrade is the ideal time to modernize protection. We install arc-fault and ground-fault breakers where current code requires them and add a whole-home surge protection device at the panel. Cheyenne’s frequent summer thunderstorms and the utility switching events that come with them put real stress on home electronics. A surge device at the panel absorbs those spikes before they reach your computers, televisions, HVAC control boards, and smart devices.
Our Process
How a Panel Upgrade Works
Load Calculation & Assessment
We start with a full load calculation under the National Electrical Code. We measure your current service, inventory your existing circuits and appliances, and add in the loads you plan to install. This tells us exactly what size service your home needs, so you are not paying for more than necessary or, worse, upgrading to a size that is still too small in two years.
Proposal & Utility Coordination
You receive an itemized proposal covering the new panel, main breaker, service entrance, meter base, grounding, breakers, permits, and labor. We pull the electrical permit with the City of Cheyenne and coordinate the temporary power disconnect and reconnect with the utility so the schedule is set before we arrive.
Upgrade Installation
Most panel upgrades are completed in one day, typically six to eight hours. We disconnect the old service, install the new 200-amp panel and main breaker, run the upgraded service entrance, set the new meter base, establish proper grounding, reconnect every branch circuit, and label the panel clearly. Power is off during the swap and restored the same day.
Inspection & Reconnect
Every circuit is tested for correct operation, polarity, and grounding. The city electrical inspection is scheduled and passed, the utility reconnects the upgraded service, and you receive full documentation of the work for your records and your insurance company. We walk you through the new panel and the added capacity before we leave.
Common Questions
Panel Upgrade FAQs
How much does a panel upgrade cost in Cheyenne?01
A 100-amp to 200-amp panel upgrade is priced off the scope: whether the service entrance, meter base, and grounding all have to be replaced, and how far the panel sits from the meter. A new mast or a long cable run takes more than a straight swap. We provide a free, itemized quote after a load assessment so you know the exact number before any work begins. Call (307) 757-5553 to schedule.
Do I need 200-amp service or is 100 amps enough?02
One hundred amps is adequate for a small home with gas heat, a gas range, and modest electrical demand. You generally need 200-amp service once you add central air conditioning, electric heat or a heat pump, an EV charger, a hot tub, an electric range, or a workshop. The honest answer comes from a load calculation, which adds up your real and planned loads. If you are planning any major electrical addition, 200 amps is almost always the right target because it leaves room to grow.
Do you need a permit for a panel upgrade?03
Yes. A panel upgrade requires an electrical permit from the City of Cheyenne and a final inspection, because it changes the service entrance and main breaker. We pull the permit, perform the work to current National Electrical Code standards, and schedule the inspection as part of the job. Permitted, inspected work protects you at resale, satisfies your insurance company, and guarantees the upgrade was done safely. We never do service work without a permit.
How long will I be without power during an upgrade?04
The power is off only while we swap the panel and service, which is typically four to six hours of a one-day job. We coordinate the utility disconnect and reconnect in advance so the outage window is planned, not open ended. Most homeowners schedule the upgrade for a day they can be flexible, and we restore power before we leave. If you have medical equipment or other critical loads, tell us during scheduling and we will plan around it.
Will a panel upgrade let me add an EV charger?05
In most cases, yes, and that is one of the most common reasons Cheyenne homeowners upgrade. A Level 2 EV charger draws 40 to 60 amps for hours at a time, which many 100-amp panels cannot support alongside existing loads. Upgrading to 200-amp service creates the capacity, and we add the dedicated 240-volt charger circuit during the same visit. Doing both together is more efficient than two separate projects. See our EV charger installation page for details.
What is the difference between a panel upgrade and a panel replacement?06
A panel replacement swaps a failing, outdated, or recalled panel for a new one at the same amperage. A panel upgrade increases your home’s total electrical capacity, usually from 100 to 200 amps, by installing a larger panel, main breaker, service entrance, and meter base. If your panel works but you are out of capacity, you need an upgrade. If your panel is a hazardous Federal Pacific or Zinsco unit, you need a replacement, and often we do both at once. Our load assessment tells you exactly which path fits your home.
Ready for More Power?
Schedule Your Free Panel Assessment
Find out exactly what size service your home needs. Moonlight Electric Solutions provides free load assessments and honest upgrade recommendations for every Cheyenne home we evaluate.
(307) 757-5553 Request Your Free AssessmentServing Cheyenne, Laramie, Fort Collins & surrounding communities • igarcia@moonlightelectricsolutions.com