Panel upgrade takeoff

Every line shows the quantity to buy and how StudSheet got it: the spacing, the waste and the package size, so you can check it before the supply house or the quote.

In Canada (100 A to 200 A service)

Set to Canada, the Sheet works the job out again for Ontario: metric sizes, bag sizes, the frost depth and the code notes. It doesn't just convert feet to meters. The first lines:

• 6.10 m — cut to length, SEU cable 4/0-4/0-4/0, aluminum: Service head to the meter base, 4/0 AWG aluminum (2/0 AWG copper). 6.10 m is a guess — measure on site. A mast replaces it where the drop needs height.
• 1 head, SE cable weatherhead: Above the point where the service drop attaches, with drip loops.
• 1 meter-main, Meter-main combination: Meter socket and the 200 A service breaker in one enclosure. From the utility’s approved list.
• 6.10 m — cut to length, SER cable 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0, aluminum: Feeder, meter-main to the panel (4-wire SER): 3.05 m + 1.83 m for the ends + 10%. 4/0 AWG aluminum, or 2/0 AWG copper.
• 4 connectors, SE cable connectors: One at each end of every SE cable run.
• 14 straps, SE cable straps: Outside every 750 mm and within 300 mm of the head and each enclosure; inside every 1.5 m.

1. Load calculation (NEC Article 220): confirm the service size.
2. Apply to the utility for the service change; confirm the meter base and the disconnect date.
3. Pull the electrical permit (electrical subcode) from the town’s construction office.
4. Order the utility-approved meter-main, the panel and a breaker for every circuit.
5. Trace and tag every circuit before the old panel comes out.
6. Utility disconnect day: set the service equipment, the grounding electrode system and the bonding.
7. Move every circuit to its new breaker; torque every lug and terminal to the label.
8. Service inspection, then the utility reconnects and sets the meter.
9. Label the panel directory and the emergency disconnect.
10. Final inspection; give the client the approval.

Must-have tools first, then the ones that help and the ones to rent for the day.

Mistakes that cost a callback or a second trip

• A meter base the utility won’t accept: Each utility has an approved list; the wrong socket means a second disconnect day.
• Sizing from the panel on sale: The service size comes from the load calculation, not from what’s in stock.
• Loose aluminum lugs: Under-torqued aluminum terminations overheat: torque to the label and use the compound where the lug calls for it.
• Neutral and ground bonded in the inside panel: With the service disconnect outside, the inside panel keeps neutrals and grounds apart — a common inspection failure.
• One ground rod: A single rod needs a 25-ohm test to stand alone; most crews drive the second rod instead (NEC 250.53(A)(2)).
• No working space: A panel behind the washer or in a closet fails: 30″ × 36″ clear in front (NEC 110.26).

What the calculator assumes

• Service conductors: 83% of the rating at 75 °C for a one-family service (NEC 310.12): 100 A → 4 Cu / 2 Al, 150 A → 1 / 2/0, 200 A → 2/0 / 4/0, 400 A → 400 / 600 kcmil.
• Grounding electrode conductor by the service conductor (NEC Table 250.66); 6 AWG copper is enough to rods (250.66(A)), 4 AWG to rebar (250.66(B)).
• Rods: 8 ft, two at least 6 ft apart unless one tests at 25 ohms or less (NEC 250.53(A)); a metal water pipe electrode is always supplemented (250.53(D)).
• NEC 2020 and later: outdoor emergency disconnect (230.85) and surge protection at the service (230.67).
• Assumed lengths: 20 ft from the service head to the meter (overhead), 15 ft to the first rod and 15 ft to the water pipe — measure on site.
• The load calculation is the electrician’s; this Sheet doesn’t size the service.
• Labor: typical crew hours for a service change in the same location; relocation, a long run or a second panel add to it. Your crew’s numbers win.

The Sheet sets its code notes for the job's state or province. These are New Jersey's and Ontario's; the code reference has more. Always confirm with your building department.

• Licensed electrical work: permit, utility and inspection: A service change needs an electrical permit (the electrical subcode) from your town’s construction office, filed by an electrical contractor licensed by the NJ Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors — the license number and seal go on the application. The owner of a single-family home may do electrical work on the home they own under a homeowner permit (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15), inspected the same way. The utility has its own steps: the service application, its approved meter base, and the disconnect and reconnect appointment. Rules change — your town’s construction office has the last word.
• Code: NEC 2020: New Jersey enforces the NEC 2020 (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.16, with New Jersey’s changes). Towns can amend it. Rules change — your town’s construction office has the last word.
• The load calculation decides the service size: This Sheet lists the work for the size you picked; it doesn’t size the service. Run the load calculation first (NEC Article 220: the standard method, or the optional method for a dwelling).
• Talk to the utility before you order: Ask for its service requirements: the approved meter socket (some utilities supply it), the meter location, who owns the service drop and its attachment point, and the date to disconnect and reconnect. Many utilities reconnect only after the inspector releases the service.
• Outdoor emergency disconnect (NEC 230.85): One- and two-family homes need an emergency disconnect outdoors, readily accessible: a meter-main, a service disconnect outside, or a listed disconnect ahead of the service disconnect. The meter-main’s breaker is it. Mark it “EMERGENCY DISCONNECT” (red, white letters) as 230.85(E) words it for its type.
• Surge protection (NEC 230.67): A Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device in or right next to the service equipment — required whenever the service equipment is replaced.
• Service conductors: For a one-family service, 83% of the rating at 75 °C (NEC 310.12): 200 A → 4/0 AWG aluminum (180 A) or 2/0 AWG copper (175 A).
• Grounding electrodes and bonding: Bond every electrode that’s there into one system (250.50): the metal water pipe (10 ft or more in the ground, always supplemented, 250.53(D)), two 8 ft rods at least 6 ft apart, unless one rod tests at 25 ohms or less (NEC 250.53(A)). Conductors: 4 AWG copper to the water pipe (Table 250.66), 6 AWG to the rods (250.66(A)). Bond the interior metal water piping (250.104(A)), gas piping through the equipment ground of the circuit most likely to energize it (250.104(B)), and install an intersystem bonding termination for cable, phone and satellite (250.94).
• AFCI and GFCI for the moved circuits: New Jersey deleted the AFCI rule for extended branch circuits (210.12(D)), so moving the panel doesn’t trigger it there. Receptacles you replace where GFCI is now required get GFCI protection (406.4(D)(3)).
• The inside panel is fed like a subpanel: With the service disconnect in the meter-main, the run to the inside panel is a feeder: four wires, neutral and equipment grounds kept separate in the inside panel (NEC 250.24(A)(5), 250.142(B)).
• Where the panel can go: Working space 30″ wide and 36″ deep in front, 6½ ft high (NEC 110.26); never in a bathroom or a clothes closet (240.24(D), (E)).
• Code: Ontario Electrical Safety Code 2024: Ontario enforces the 2024 Ontario Electrical Safety Code (CEC 2024 with Ontario amendments, in force May 1, 2025). The Sheet follows the CEC 2024 rules; check your province’s amendments.

What materials do I need to upgrade to a 200 amp panel?

For the worked example, a 100 A to 200 A service, the Sheet counts 19 lines with waste included, starting with sEU cable 4/0-4/0-4/0, aluminum (20 ft — cut to length), sE cable weatherhead (1 head), meter-main combination (1 meter-main), sER cable 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0, aluminum (20 ft — cut to length). Each line's math is in the table above. Put in your own sizes in the panel upgrade calculator and every line is counted again.

How long does it take to upgrade to a 200 amp panel, and can I do it myself?

About 17 to 26 hours for the worked example, in 10 steps. StudSheet stamps it PRO JOB: hire this out (pros get the full Sheet).

What tools do I need to upgrade to a 200 amp panel?

19 in all. The must-haves start with non-contact voltage tester, digital multimeter, lockout/tagout kit, insulating rubber gloves, insulated screwdrivers (1000 v), torque screwdriver. On the Sheet you mark each one as owned, to buy or to rent.

Stuck while you upgrade to a 200 amp panel? Ask in the Panels and service upgrades group of the StudSheet community with this Sheet attached. Homeowners who've done it and verified pros answer, and anyone can read it.

• Electrical for contractors: run this takeoff at your own prices, send the estimate, and get it signed and the deposit paid.
• Circuits and wiring runs (3 circuits): For electricians: cable by gauge, boxes, devices, breakers and the permit for new circuits.
• All 45 Sheets, across 16 trades.
• Code reference: frost depths, guard heights, stairs, retaining walls.