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Panel Upgrades & Repair
Every Circuit in Your Home Runs Through One Box
The panel is the one part of your electrical system whose only job is safety. Each breaker is supposed to trip before the wire behind it overheats. When a panel is undersized, corroded, double-tapped or simply old enough that the breakers no longer trip reliably, that protection is gone and you usually do not find out until something is warm, buzzing or smoking.
Austin has a lot of these. Homes built through the 1970s in Crestview, Allandale, Tarrytown and the older parts of South Austin often still run on a 100-amp panel, sometimes a fuse box, that was plenty for a house with one window unit and a gas range. Now the same house has central air pulling hard through a 100-degree August, an electric dryer, a kitchen full of countertop appliances and maybe an EV in the driveway. The panel is full, the breakers are warm, and someone has already added a tandem breaker where it does not belong.
Radiant’s licensed electricians evaluate the actual load on the house, tell you honestly whether a repair, a sub-panel or a full 200-amp upgrade makes sense, and put the price in writing before any work starts. If you are adding an EV charger, a standby generator or a new heat pump, we size the panel for that at the same time. Financing is available, and the work is backed by the Home Comfort Guarantee.
- Load calculated, not guessed We add up what the house actually draws, including the AC and anything you plan to add, before recommending an amperage.
- One price, in writing The quote covers the panel, breakers, grounding and permitting. No line items appear after you say yes.
- Home Comfort Guarantee If we cannot resolve the issue, you get a 10% inconvenience refund, up to $1,000.
What to Watch For
Signs Your Panel Needs Attention
A warm panel or a burning smell means call now. The rest mean call before you add the next big load.
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Breakers trip when the AC starts
A compressor drawing its starting current on a panel already near its limit. Common in older homes in July, and a sign the panel is at capacity.
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The panel cover feels warm
Heat means resistance: a loose lug, a corroded bus bar or a breaker that is failing. This one is not a wait-and-see.
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Scorch marks, a hot smell or buzzing
Arcing inside the panel. Shut off what you safely can and call. Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips with a snap and a smell.
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Lights dim when big appliances run
The dryer, the microwave or the AC pulls the voltage down for the whole house. Usually a capacity problem, occasionally a bad neutral.
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No empty slots for a new circuit
You want an EV charger, a hot tub or a workshop and there is nowhere to put the breaker. A sub-panel or an upgrade solves it properly.
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Fuses, or a panel brand with a bad record
Screw-in fuses and a few 1960s to 1980s panel brands with a documented history of breakers that fail to trip should be replaced, not repaired.
What We Do
Panel Work, Start to Finish
The panel, the service entrance, the grounding and the breakers, done by one licensed crew.
- 200-amp panel upgrades The standard for a modern Austin home with central air, an electric dryer and room for an EV or generator later.
- Fuse box replacement Replacing screw-in fuse boxes with a breaker panel, including new grounding and bonding so the rest of the system is protected too.
- Breaker repair and replacement Failed, nuisance-tripping or mismatched breakers, plus AFCI and GFCI breakers where the circuit calls for them.
- Sub-panels For a detached garage, a backyard casita, a workshop or simply to add circuits when the main panel is full but adequate.
- Whole-home surge protection A panel-mounted surge protector installed with the upgrade, which matters here because of spring lightning and post-outage surges.
- Meter base and service entrance The mast, weatherhead and meter base on the outside of the house, coordinated with your utility for the disconnect and reconnect.
How It Works
What a Panel Upgrade Looks Like
Most of the day is careful, methodical work. The part you notice is a few hours without power.
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Evaluate the panel and the load
The electrician opens the panel, checks for heat, corrosion and double-taps, and runs a load calculation for the house and anything you plan to add.
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Get options and a written price
Repair, sub-panel or full upgrade, each with a price. The quote is honored for 72 hours, so you can decide without anyone hovering.
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We permit and schedule
We pull the permit and coordinate the utility disconnect. You will know the date and roughly how long the power will be off.
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Install, inspect, restore
New panel, breakers, grounding and labeling, then the inspection. For a typical residential upgrade, power can be restored before the end of the day.
Current Specials
Save on the work your home needs most.
Panel Warm, Buzzing or Full?
A licensed electrician can evaluate it and give you a written price with no pressure to upgrade.
What Our Customers Say
Don't just take our word for it — hear from our satisfied customers
★★★★★
Had a massive undetectable leak in a new home I just moved into... I was losing 1000+ gallons a day and was so worried about what was going to be the outcome. Then Radiant/ DAVID FARMER my saving grace, best plumber I've ever had, came to my rescue. It was a large job with doing all the leak detection and solving each problem but David was kind enough to teach me everything he was doing/what to look out for in the future to avoid issues later. It was an awful stressful situation that he made easy and fixed quickly. I think they are fairly priced and will work with budget constraints if needed. All I know is I know who my plumber is for life and I really appreciated all that Radiant and David did! UPDATE: used radiant for a AC repair and again they didn’t disappoint! April was my technician and she was AWESOME! So patient and kind and I learned a lot about my system that she showed me! Kudos again Radiant!!
★★★★★
We had another incredible experience with Radiant Plumbing & Air Conditioning that left us very impressed. Back in 2013, we hired this exact company to replace our old water heater, and the entire experience was absolutely outstanding. So, as soon as we realised it was time to replace our 2013 water heater, we didn’t hesitate to contact Radiant once more. Once more, Radiant and Christian, the technician, exceeded all expectations with their efforts. Christian is a true professional. We appreciated how Christian clearly explained all the different choices and worked hard to keep us near our budget limits. Our sincere thanks go to Christian and Radiant for their genuine support in helping us remain as close as possible within our financial limits. Christian was not only kind but also very respectful during his time at our house, and he did an outstanding job. Christian and the gentlemen who accompanied him performed their tasks excellently, demonstrating friendliness, kindness, and deep knowledge of their craft, which clearly marks them as true professionals. I want to express my gratitude to Radiant and also to Christian, thank you both!!
★★★★★
If you're in need of a new HVAC system because the one you got from the new home builder has broken down or is not working right, especially in this heat wave, Radiant can get you setup with a new and energy efficient system that keeps you cool and comfortable no matter the extreme temperature outside.
I highly recommend Radiant for cooling and heating. They are very friendly, knowledgeable and professional.
Their technician (Nathan B.) was outstanding and Breana the customer support manager provided stellar service and support.
They even have an annual warranty service program where they come out twice a year ahead of the winter months for heating system checkup along with system maintenance and then again in springtime to check the cooling ahead of the summer months for cooling system check and and any necessary maintenance to keep your system running efficiently and smoothly.
There warranty service is much cheaper than American HomeShield and does not require a copay or deductible. It's quite a bargain and it provides peace of mind.
Give Radiant a try and your heating and cooling worries will disappear. I absolutely recommend them with the highest rating available.
I highly recommend Radiant for cooling and heating. They are very friendly, knowledgeable and professional.
Their technician (Nathan B.) was outstanding and Breana the customer support manager provided stellar service and support.
They even have an annual warranty service program where they come out twice a year ahead of the winter months for heating system checkup along with system maintenance and then again in springtime to check the cooling ahead of the summer months for cooling system check and and any necessary maintenance to keep your system running efficiently and smoothly.
There warranty service is much cheaper than American HomeShield and does not require a copay or deductible. It's quite a bargain and it provides peace of mind.
Give Radiant a try and your heating and cooling worries will disappear. I absolutely recommend them with the highest rating available.
Maintenance Membership
Join the Care Club
Home maintenance for $9.99 a month.
Care Club members get two HVAC tune-ups and a plumbing safety inspection every year, priority scheduling, no dispatch fees — ever — and 5% off every repair.
- Priority scheduling
- Seasonal HVAC tune-ups
- Annual safety inspection
- Exclusive member discounts
- Free dispatch on repairs
- No long-term contracts
Electrical Panel Questions
How do I know if my electrical panel needs to be replaced?
Age alone is not the reason; condition and capacity are. Replace the panel if it uses screw-in fuses, if it is one of the older brands known for breakers that do not trip, if there is rust or scorching inside, or if the cover is warm to the touch. Replace or add to it if there are no open slots and you need circuits, or if the breakers trip regularly when the air conditioner, dryer or oven runs. If the panel is 30 or 40 years old but clean, cool and adequate for your load, we will tell you to leave it alone. An inspection settles it in an hour.
Is a 100-amp panel enough for my house?
Sometimes. A small home with gas heat, a gas water heater and a gas range can live on 100 amps. The trouble starts when the big electric loads stack up: central air, an electric range, an electric dryer, an electric water heater, a hot tub or an EV charger. Any two or three of those on 100 amps and you are at the limit on a hot afternoon. The honest way to answer is a load calculation, which adds up the house’s actual demand. We run one on every panel call. If the number says 100 is fine, that is what we tell you.
Will the power be off during a panel replacement, and for how long?
Yes. The utility disconnects service at the meter, the old panel comes out, the new one goes in with new breakers, grounding and labeling, and then service is reconnected and the work is inspected. For a typical Austin home, plan on most of a working day without power; the lights can be back on the same evening. We tell you the date ahead of time so you can plan around the refrigerator and, in summer, the air conditioner. Larger homes or jobs that also involve the mast, meter base or a sub-panel can take longer, and we say so in the quote.
Do you replace fuse boxes and older panels with known safety problems?
Yes, and it is some of the most worthwhile work we do. Fuse boxes are not dangerous by design, but they are almost always undersized for a modern home and it is too easy to over-fuse a circuit. A few panel brands from the 1960s through the 1980s have a documented record of breakers that fail to trip under a fault, which defeats the entire purpose of the panel. If you are not sure what you have, send us a photo of the label or ask the electrician during a visit. We will tell you plainly if it should stay or go.
Can I finance an electrical panel upgrade?
Yes. Radiant offers financing through Service Finance Company, LLC, subject to credit approval, including a no-interest, no-payments-for-6-months option. A 200-amp upgrade is a real investment, and it is often the thing standing between you and an EV charger, a generator or a heat pump you actually want. The electrician can run the monthly number on the written quote you already have, so you are comparing a payment against the cost of doing nothing.
*Offers cannot be combined with other promotions or applied to dispatch fees. No cash value. Must present offer at time of service. Call for details.
