Your electrical panel is the heart of the house. Every light, every outlet, every appliance runs through it. When it's undersized or failing, you feel it: tripped breakers, flickering lights, a fuse box you're scared to touch.
Around here the housing stock is old, and so are a lot of the panels. We've pulled plenty of Federal Pacific panels and original fuse boxes out of homes built between the 1920s and 1970s. Some insurance companies won't even write a policy until those are gone.
We're a small family crew, licensed and insured (IL #SE8133), with 18+ years doing this work. On every service call we give your panel a free once-over and show you photos of anything unsafe. No scare tactics. Just what we found and what it means.
Signs Your Panel Is Due for an Upgrade
- Breakers trip whenever you run the microwave and the AC at the same time
- The panel buzzes, hums, or feels warm to the touch
- You still have a fuse box, or a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel
- Your insurance company or home inspector flagged the panel
- You want an EV charger, central air, or a kitchen remodel and there's no room for new circuits
- Lights dim when big appliances kick on
- Rust, scorch marks, or a burning smell near the panel
What's Included
- Full replacement of Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and fuse-box panels with modern breaker panels
- 100-amp to 200-amp service upgrades, and larger when the house calls for it
- New breakers, grounding, and bonding brought up to current code
- Permits and village inspection handled for you
- Photos of the old panel and wiring so you can see exactly what we replaced
- Clear labeling of every circuit before we leave
- Panel work sized for future loads like EV chargers and AC
⚡ While We're There: The Free Panel Check
Every service call includes a quick look at your panel and visible wiring — no charge, no pressure. Most of the hazards we find (Federal Pacific breakers, double-tapped circuits, overheated connections) turn up during a small job like this one. If we see something, we'll show you a photo of it and explain your options. Learn more about our safety inspections and panel upgrades.
How We Work
Panel work follows the same four steps as everything we do. You call, we come look, and you get a free written quote with photos of what we found. On install day the power is typically off for part of the day, and we walk you through the new panel before we go. If something urgent turns up mid-job, we tell you first, not after.
- 1. Free estimate & safety check — we look at the job, give your panel a free once-over, and quote upfront pricing.
- 2. Straightforward plan — scope, materials, timeline, and cost in plain English before we start.
- 3. Professional execution — licensed electricians, clean work, everything to code.
- 4. Final walkthrough — we test everything, clean up, and walk you through what we did.
What Does a Panel Upgrade Cost in the Skokie Area?
Honest answer: it depends on the house. The biggest factors are the size of the new service (a straight panel swap costs less than a 100-to-200 amp service upgrade), the condition of the wiring feeding the panel, and how much grounding and bonding work is needed to meet code. Panel location matters too. A panel in an open basement is quicker than one buried behind finished walls.
What we won't do is guess over the phone and surprise you later. Johnny or one of the crew will come out, look at the panel, and give you a free written quote before any work starts. The price you approve is the price you pay.
“I recently hired Peak Property Electric to replace an old Federal Pacific electrical panel with a new Siemens panel, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. Brandon delivered the quality workma”
— Irshad Hussain, Skokie, IL · Google Review