Electrical panel upgrades in Lockport, IL
A 200-amp service, a new panel in place of a Federal Pacific, or a subpanel for the basement you finished. Priced in writing for the house, in conduit the way the City inspector expects it, with ComEd scheduled for the cutover.
Every electrician we send to a Lockport address holds a license from an Illinois licensing-and-testing community, is registered with the City of Lockport Building Department, and carries the City's required bond and liability coverage. Permits are pulled for the work that needs them.
Get a panel estimate
Tell us the year of the house and what the label inside the panel door says. The electrician calls back with a price for the panel, and for the service if the meter side needs to change.
Prefer the phone? (815) 524-0195. Say what tripped, what you want added, or what the inspector wrote up.
Which panel job the house needs
Three different jobs get called a panel upgrade in Lockport, and they are priced differently.
A 100-to-200-amp service upgrade
The whole service changes: a new meter socket on the outside wall, new service-entrance conductors in conduit, a 200-amp panel and a grounding electrode system brought up to code. This is the job for the 1960s and 70s ranches on 100 amps that have picked up a second refrigerator, a hot tub, a workshop and an electric dryer, and for any house about to add a Level 2 charger or a heat pump. Typical Lockport range: $2,400 to $4,800, more if the meter has to move or the mast is in bad shape. One working day, with the power off for four to six hours.
A same-amperage panel replacement
The service stays, the box changes. This is the Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco job, the rusted panel in a damp Fairmont basement, and the panel that is full. New panel, new breakers, every circuit relabeled. Range: $1,600 to $2,800.
A subpanel
A 60-to-100-amp subpanel fed from the main, in the garage, the finished basement or an addition, so the new circuits have somewhere to land. Range: $900 to $1,800, more for a detached-garage feed underground.
Why a panel change costs more here than the cost guides say
The national guides price a panel in plastic-sheathed cable. Chicago-area work is done in EMT conduit, and Lockport's inspectors expect it. Conduit is bent, cut and threaded on site, so a panel change here is a longer day than the same job in most of the country. The estimate reflects it; nobody should be surprised by it.
Signs the panel is the problem, not the appliance
- A breaker that trips when two ordinary things run at once: the microwave and the toaster, the vacuum and the TV.
- Breakers that are warm to the touch, or a panel that hums or smells hot.
- Lights that dim when the furnace blower or the well pump starts.
- A Federal Pacific or Zinsco label, a fuse box, or a panel with no room for one more breaker.
- An insurance letter or a home inspector's report that names the panel.
If it is one circuit and one appliance, that is a repair call, not a panel: electrical repair and troubleshooting.
Permits, inspections and ComEd
A panel change or a service upgrade in Lockport is permitted through the City Building Department at 222 E. 9th Street, with a rough and a final inspection. The electrician pulls the permit under their registration. For a service upgrade, ComEd pulls the meter and reconnects on a scheduled day; the electrician lines that up with the inspection so the house is without power once, not twice. The details are in what needs a permit in Lockport.
Adding a charger and not sure whether the panel can take it? Do you need a panel upgrade for an EV charger answers it with the load math.
Panel questions from Lockport
How do I know if my panel is a Federal Pacific or a Zinsco?
Open the door and read the label inside it. Federal Pacific says Stab-Lok on the breakers, which are usually red-tipped. Zinsco breakers have colored handles that slide onto a bus bar. Both were installed in Lockport houses through the 1970s and both are replaced on sight by most electricians, without waiting for a failure.
Can I upgrade to 200 amps without rewiring the house?
Yes. A service upgrade changes the meter socket, the service-entrance conductors and the panel. The branch circuits in the walls stay unless they are knob-and-tube or damaged aluminum. Most Lockport panel jobs touch nothing past the panel.
Will ComEd have to come out?
For a service upgrade, yes: the meter has to be pulled and the service reconnected, and ComEd does that side on a scheduled cutover. The electrician coordinates it with the City inspection. A same-amperage panel swap is done inside the house with the main pulled and does not need ComEd.
Is there a tax credit or a rebate for a panel upgrade?
The federal credits for panels and chargers were rewritten in 2025 and 2026, and what applies depends on what else you install with it and when. Ask your tax preparer before you count on one; the estimate is priced without it.
How long is the power off?
One working day, with the power off for four to six hours. Freezers stay cold that long if you leave them shut.