Panel replacements
Removal of obsolete or damaged load centers and installation of new listed panels and breakers, with circuits transferred and re-labeled.
Panels & Service Capacity
Electrical panel upgrades in Delray Beach
Your panel is the point where the utility service becomes the circuits in your home. When it is undersized, obsolete, or damaged, everything downstream is affected — nuisance tripping, no room for new circuits, and in the worst cases a real fire risk. We replace panels and upgrade services across Palm Beach and Broward counties from our shop in Delray Beach.
All work is performed by licensed, insured technicians, permitted in your municipality, and inspected. We evaluate the panel and the calculated load before recommending a scope — we do not quote a panel over the phone.
- Panel replacements and 100A to 200A service upgrades
- Load evaluation before anything is specified
- Permit, inspection, and utility coordination handled
- Grounding, AFCI/GFCI, and surge protection reviewed
35+ Years in Business · Licensed & Insured AC and Electrical Technicians · Open 24 hours · 7 days a week · 24/7 Emergency Service
What we do
Service upgrades (100A to 200A and up)
Increased service capacity including service entrance conductors, meter can, grounding and bonding, with utility coordination.
Subpanels and circuit additions
New subpanels for garages, additions, workshops, and pool equipment when the main service has capacity but breaker space is gone.
Grounding and bonding corrections
Verification and correction of grounding electrodes, bonding jumpers, and neutral/ground separation — often the part older panels get wrong.
AFCI/GFCI and breaker upgrades
Arc-fault and ground-fault protection where required by code, plus replacement of failed or obsolete breakers with listed equipment.
Whole-home surge protection
Panel-mounted surge protective devices, commonly added during an upgrade given South Florida's lightning and storm activity.
Generator and EV-ready panel work
Panels sized and configured for a future standby generator transfer switch or a Level 2 EV charger circuit.
Permitting, inspection, and documentation
Electrical permit pulled in your municipality, inspection scheduled and met, and paperwork you can hand to an insurer or a buyer.
Warning signs worth an evaluation
None of these confirm by itself that a panel must be replaced, but each is a reason to have the panel opened and evaluated by a licensed electrician.
- Breakers that trip repeatedly during normal use
- Scorch marks, melted insulation, or a burning smell at the panel
- Warm or hot breakers, cover, or panel enclosure
- Buzzing, crackling, or sizzling sounds from the panel
- Lights that dim noticeably when the AC or a large appliance starts
- A fuse panel, or a panel with no remaining breaker space
- Rust or water staining inside the enclosure
- Insurance or a four-point inspection flagged the panel type
If you smell burning, see smoke, or hear arcing at the panel, leave the area and call 911 or your utility first, then call us at (561) 816-5331.
How a panel upgrade works
- Step 1
Panel and load evaluation
We open and inspect the panel, identify the equipment type, check the service size, grounding, and breaker space, and calculate your actual demand.
- Step 2
Written scope and options
You get the options in plain language — repair, panel replacement, subpanel, or full service upgrade — with what each one solves and what it does not.
- Step 3
Permit and utility coordination
We pull the electrical permit for your municipality and, when the service is being upgraded, coordinate the utility disconnect and reconnect.
- Step 4
Installation day
Power down, remove old equipment, install and terminate the new panel or service, transfer and label circuits, verify grounding, then energize and test.
- Step 5
Inspection and handoff
Inspection sign-off, a labeled circuit directory, a walkthrough of the new equipment, and copies of the permit and inspection records.
Service size and what it usually supports
General orientation only. The deciding factor is a calculated load for your specific home, not the label on the panel.
| Service size | Typically found in | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 100A service | Smaller older homes with modest loads | Usually tight once a Level 2 EV charger, a large AC system, or a whole-home generator is added |
| 150A service | Mid-size homes with electric range and one AC system | Can work with careful load calculation and load management |
| 200A service | Most modern single-family homes in South Florida | Generally accommodates an EV charger plus standby generator when planned together |
| Above 200A | Larger homes, guest houses, pool and dock loads, small commercial | Requires a full calculated load and utility review before design |
Planning an EV charger or a standby generator? Mention it during the evaluation so the panel is sized for the whole plan.
Licensed, insured, and permitted
Delray Beach Air Conditioning & Electrical is a collective of licensed electricians and air conditioning technicians. Work is performed by licensed, insured crews, including permitting and inspection where your municipality requires it. Open 24 hours · 7 days a week.
What we don't do
- We do not price a panel replacement or service upgrade over the phone before seeing the panel, the service entrance, and the load.
- We do not perform panel work without a permit and inspection, and we do not skip utility coordination on a service upgrade.
- We do not install unlisted breakers in a panel they are not approved for, and we do not overfill an enclosure to avoid an upgrade.
- We do not tell you your insurer's requirements — confirm those with your carrier. We provide the permit and inspection documentation for our work.
Choosing a path
Targeted repair vs. a full panel upgrade
Not every problem at the panel is a reason to replace it. A single failed breaker, a loose neutral, or a corroded lug can often be corrected on its own. Replacement becomes the honest answer when the enclosure is obsolete or unsafe, when breakers are no longer available, or when you are adding load the service cannot support.
| Comparison | Targeted repair | Panel / service upgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Best when | One breaker, lug, or circuit is faulty and the enclosure itself is sound and still supported. | The panel is obsolete, corroded, recalled-style, or full — or you are adding EV, generator, or AC load. |
| Typical time on site | Usually a single visit measured in hours. | Commonly a full day, with a utility disconnect and reconnect and an inspection. |
| Permit and inspection | Many like-for-like repairs do not require a permit; we tell you when one does. | Permitted work through Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, or Palm Beach County, with inspection. |
| Power interruption | Short and often limited to affected circuits. | Whole-house outage for part of the day while the service is changed over. |
| What it changes | Restores the existing panel to safe operation without adding capacity. | Adds capacity and modern protection, and creates room for future circuits. |
| Where to read more | See electrical repairs in Delray Beach. | Keep reading this page, or the electrical services pillar. |
Targeted repair
- Best when
- One breaker, lug, or circuit is faulty and the enclosure itself is sound and still supported.
- Typical time on site
- Usually a single visit measured in hours.
- Permit and inspection
- Many like-for-like repairs do not require a permit; we tell you when one does.
- Power interruption
- Short and often limited to affected circuits.
- What it changes
- Restores the existing panel to safe operation without adding capacity.
- Where to read more
- See electrical repairs in Delray Beach.
Panel / service upgrade
- Best when
- The panel is obsolete, corroded, recalled-style, or full — or you are adding EV, generator, or AC load.
- Typical time on site
- Commonly a full day, with a utility disconnect and reconnect and an inspection.
- Permit and inspection
- Permitted work through Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, or Palm Beach County, with inspection.
- Power interruption
- Whole-house outage for part of the day while the service is changed over.
- What it changes
- Adds capacity and modern protection, and creates room for future circuits.
- Where to read more
- Keep reading this page, or the electrical services pillar.
We do not quote either path over the phone. Scope and price are given in writing after someone opens the panel and looks at the service, the grounding, and the loads.
Who this is for
Palm Beach County homes that outgrew their service
Panel work is usually driven by one of four things: an insurer or inspector flagging an obsolete or unsafe panel, a house that trips protection when the AC and the kitchen run together, a coastal enclosure that has corroded, or a new load — EV charger, standby generator, addition, or a second AC system — that the existing service cannot carry.
Delray Beach
Lake Ida and Swinton-corridor bungalows frequently still carry small services with undersized branch wiring, so a panel change is often paired with rewiring decisions. Beachside and A1A buildings need corrosion-resistant equipment.
Boynton Beach
Villa and 55+ communities put the meter and panel on a shared or visible wall, so association approval and permit sequencing come first. Seasonal homes get the panel checked before arrival rather than after a fault.
Boca Raton
Larger homes and renovations west of I-95 usually need subpanels for pool equipment, multiple AC systems, and EV charging. On tenant and office work, the upgrade is scheduled around occupancy and other trades.
Panel upgrade questions
Want your panel evaluated? Call (561) 816-5331 or send the form below and we'll schedule a site visit.
Contact
Request service
Tell us what's going on and when you'd like us out. For anything that feels like a safety issue — burning smell, scorched outlet, sparking — call instead.
- (561) 816-5331
- admin@acdelray.com
- 956 SW 20th Ct, Delray Beach, FL 33445
- Open 24 hours · 7 days a week
24/7 Emergency Service
956 SW 20th Ct, Delray Beach, FL 33445View on Google Maps