A larger service is a real project. Utility scheduling, grounding, meter equipment, feeder path, and the indoor panel all move with it. Ordering a 200-amp panel because a neighbor has one skips the only question that matters: which loads does this property have today, and which loads are actually coming next.
Nix Electrical is a family-owned, licensed contractor serving Cobb, Paulding, and Cherokee. We size residential and commercial service work from a load plan, not from a round number that sounds safe in a group text.
Put today’s service beside tomorrow’s equipment
Start with service size, panel condition, grounding, and how full the bus already is. Then list what is changing this year: heat pump or larger outdoor unit, EV charger, range or dryer move, shop feeder, addition, or a kitchen full of new appliances. The upgrade conversation lives between those two lists.
Slots and amps answer different questions. A panel can look empty and still sit on a service that cannot carry another continuous load. Another panel can be packed with tandem breakers and still serve a house that never adds another large demand. Photograph the directory with the door open. Note the main breaker rating if it is labeled.
We already wrote about tying a 200-amp panel to real new loads. This post is the step before equipment talk: the load plan itself, including items that are only ideas, so they do not quietly inflate the first proposal.
Name each future load, then rank it
An EV charger is a continuous load with a parking-spot route. HVAC has starting current the house already feels on hot afternoons. A welder, compressor, or detached shop feeder is another pattern. Stacking those into one “we need more power” request hides which item is driving the work.
Mark each item as definite this year, likely next year, or only a maybe. A definite charger and a maybe hot tub should not price the same way. Leaving spare capacity or a correctly sized feeder is cheaper while walls and trenches are open than repeating the utility visit after landscaping matures.
If lights already dip when the outdoor unit starts, add that to the packet. Those notes belong in troubleshooting and often change whether the service is the weak link or a connection is. See lights that dim when the air conditioner starts.
Utility steps and indoor panel work are not one line
A true service change often involves the utility, the meter enclosure, grounding, and inspection sequence. Indoor panel replacement at the same service size is a different project. Ask which one is on the page and why.
Working space, directory labeling, and surge decisions belong in the same conversation. A neat larger panel with no room for the circuits you already know you need is only half a plan. Inspections or a buyer report that already flagged the gear should travel with the estimate request so we are not rediscovering notes you paid for.
Commercial occupancies add landlord access, after-hours shutdowns, and sometimes a different utility contact. Put those constraints in writing before anyone orders gear.
Sequence the upgrade with open walls
Kitchen remodels, garage finishes, and additions are the cheap moments to place home runs and plan the outage. Pulling a service change into flooring week is how schedules break. Under renovations we prefer one planned shutdown over several surprise ones.
Range, cooktop, and dryer circuits should be confirmed before cabinet packages freeze. Shop or addition feeders should include future tools so the trench is not immediately obsolete. Outdoor kitchens and pool equipment still belong on the load list even if they install a month later.
What the proposal should separate
Replacing one device or adding one circuit does not automatically change every upstream component. The written scope should say whether service size, meter equipment, feeder, grounding, panel, surge device, and circuit migrations are included. Utility fees and timeline expectations should be named when they apply.
Keep optional circuits and future provisions as their own lines until you confirm them. If we open the gear and find a damaged lug or a grounding problem, that finding gets its own explanation and price. Our panel upgrade versus repair guide is the right companion when the existing equipment is the issue rather than new demand.
What to send before the site walk
List new loads with approximate timing. Send panel photos, the main label if visible, and notes about warm breakers, frequent trips, or dimming lights. Say whether the house or business must stay occupied during a planned outage.
Mark unknowns instead of guessing feeder size. We would rather measure than unwind a wrong assumption after equipment is ordered.
How to reach Nix Electrical
Call (470) 681-7660, use Book Now, or request a free estimate. Tell us your town and which loads are real this year. We serve Marietta, Kennesaw, Acworth, Woodstock, Dallas, Hiram, Canton, Powder Springs, and communities across North Georgia.
A service upgrade that starts with a load plan is easier to compare and harder to regret than one that starts with a round number and discovers the rest after the meter is pulled.