Cost to upgrade 60 amp service or replace a fuse box

How much does it cost to upgrade 60 amp service?

The cost to upgrade 60 amp service depends on how much of the system has to change. The panel and 200-amp work usually costs $1,300 to $3,000, according to This Old House, and new service conductors and a meter base add to that. If the whole service has to change on a pre-1960 house, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina electrician puts it at $4,000 to $8,000. Get a licensed electrician's written bid before your inspection deadline, and ask the seller for that number.

Key takeaways

• Spare fuses lying around or scorch marks on the panel cover go to an electrician before any money talk.
• Ask whether the bid includes the permit and any power company work. Utility work is where the price and the timeline jump.
• On a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) 203(k) rehab loan, the service has to reach at least 100 amps.

What does 60 amp service mean on my report?

Your service size is the rating on the main fuse or main breaker. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) tells inspectors it is marked 60, 100, 150 or 200 in most homes.

Is 60 enough? InterNACHI says that with modern appliances like dishwashers, air conditioners and electric stoves, "60-ampere installations may be inadequate." It recommends "a minimum of 100 amperes," with "150 or 200-amperes as the emerging standard." Whether yours is enough depends on what the house runs, and an electrician answers that.

Read your report's wording closely. InterNACHI says discarded fuses lying around are "often an indication that there may be an overloaded circuit somewhere." It also tells inspectors to check the panel cover for "signs of scorching or burn marks." If your report notes either, have a licensed electrician look at the panel before your deadline.

If the report also names an obsolete panel brand, that finding has its own page. See Bulldog Pushmatic panel on an inspection report for one example.

What does the upgrade cost?

The price turns on scope, so match the row to what your electrician says the job is.

Before the bid arrives, price the scope you're likely to get. Going from 60 amps to 200 usually means new service conductors and a new meter base along with the panel, so the 200-amp row alone understates it. On an older house, use the Winston-Salem row and ask whether it already includes the permit. This page prices the service upgrade. If your service is already 100 amps or more and only the fuse box is changing, ask the electrician for a breaker panel bid, which covers that swap.

Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional's quote.

Two things can push the bid higher. If the job needs the power company, such as a transformer upgrade, the same Winston-Salem electrician adds $2,000 to $25,000 and 3 to 6 months. And if your report also lists cloth wiring, ask the electrician to look at it while the panel is open.

Will 60 amp service affect an FHA loan?

It can. The FHA rulebook is the Department of Housing and Urban Development's HUD Handbook 4000.1. The appraiser must "report if the amperage and panel size appears inadequate for the Property." The appraiser must also flag it to your lender if the electrical system is "not adequate to support the typical functions performed in the dwelling without disruption."

A 203(k) rehab loan is firmer. There, the handbook says the service "must be upgraded to the greater of 100 amp or local code." On either kind of FHA loan, ask your loan officer now whether the upgrade has to happen before closing.

What do I ask the seller for?

Start with a licensed electrician. They confirm the actual service size, whether you need a new panel only or a full service upgrade, and whether any branch wiring has to change. Ask for the bid in writing with the permit included, and ask whether the job needs the power company. The guide to getting repair estimates during the inspection period covers how to get one fast.

Then ask for the bid total, not a round figure, and attach the bid. Ask for a credit if you want to pick the electrician. Ask for the repair if your lender requires it before closing. If the job needs the power company, that wait can run past your closing date, so a credit is the simpler ask. If the lender requires the repair and the wait may run past closing, ask your lender whether a repair escrow or holdback is allowed, and ask your agent about a closing-date extension, which your contract sets.

The buyer repair request letter template has the wording, and what to ask for after a home inspection covers the rest of your list.

What if the seller says no?

Once an electrician quotes your scope, this finding has a price. That makes it a line to negotiate, not by itself a reason to leave. It changes if the bid comes back with rewiring in the five figures. Weigh that against your budget with when to walk away after a home inspection.

If the seller offers to do the work instead, ask for a licensed electrician, a permit, and the paperwork before closing. Your contract sets the exact deadline and terms, so confirm them with your agent.

Is 60 amp service legal?

The International Residential Code, the model code for houses, says a one-family home's service conductors must be "not less than 100 amperes". Whether that reaches an existing 60-amp service depends on the code your city or county has adopted. Your local building department or a licensed electrician answers that for your address.

How much does a 100 amp panel cost?

This Old House puts a 100-amp panel upgrade, installed, at $800 to $1,500. Ask your electrician to price 200 amps as well, so you can compare the two.

How do I know what the rest of my list is worth?

The electrician's bid covers this line, but your report has others.

If the fuse box is one line of many, upload your inspection report to Kept and spend your remaining days on the bids that need an electrician.

Sources

• This Old House, What Is the Cost To Upgrade an Electrical Panel?
• Caudill's Commercial Electric, Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost Guide
• InterNACHI, Electrical Module Section 3
• HUD Handbook 4000.1, Update 18
• UpCodes, Residential Code Section E3602, Service Size and Rating