Electrical Service Upgrades in Andover, MA
A lot of Andover’s housing stock, especially around the historic center and the older neighborhoods off Main Street and Central Street, was built or last rewired when a 60 or 100 amp electrical service was considered plenty. Add central air, an EV charger, a heat pump, and a rebuilt kitchen with double ovens, and that original service is working harder than it was ever designed to. A service upgrade is how you get the capacity to catch up with the house.
Why Andover Homes Need This
Andover sits at the western edge of where Belfiore works, and the housing here reflects a wide range of build eras. You’ve got colonial-era and early-1900s homes near the town center that may still carry knob and tube wiring or cloth-insulated conductors behind the walls, alongside a large amount of post-war construction and newer builds out toward the reservation and the newer subdivisions. The older end of that mix is where 60 amp services still turn up, sometimes paired with a fuse panel instead of breakers.
The remodel demand in Andover is real and it’s driving this work. People are finishing basements, adding primary suites, converting garages, and putting in EV chargers for the commute down 93 or 495. None of that was accounted for when the house was built with a 60 or 100 amp service. When Brandon gets called out to a panel that’s tripping under normal use, or a house that can’t add a heat pump without upsetting the rest of the electrical system, the service itself is usually the limiting factor, not just the panel inside.
What the Work Involves
A service upgrade is different from a straight panel swap because part of it happens outside the house, on the utility side. Here’s roughly how a 100 to 200 amp upgrade breaks down:
- Utility coordination. National Grid or Eversource, depending on which side of Andover you’re on, has to disconnect service at the drop or the transformer before any work starts, and they reconnect once the new equipment passes inspection. Brandon schedules that piece and handles the paperwork with them.
- Mast and meter. The service mast, weatherhead, and meter socket usually get replaced to handle the larger wire gauge and amperage. If your drop is overhead, this often means a new mast height or position to keep proper clearance.
- Panel and grounding. The panel is upgraded to match the new service size, with breaker slots sized to your actual electrical load, and the grounding and bonding brought up to current code, which is frequently out of spec on older Andover homes.
- The outage. Power is out for the house during the changeover, typically for a matter of hours, not days. Brandon will tell you the expected window before he starts so you can plan around it.
What It Costs
A 100 to 200 amp service upgrade in Andover generally runs {PRICE_LOW} to {PRICE_HIGH}. Where you land in that range depends on a few concrete things: whether your service is overhead or underground, how far the mast has to move, whether the meter socket and grounding need full replacement or just updating, and whether the utility requires trenching for an underground feed. Older homes with knob and tube or an undersized ground rod setup tend to need more remediation, which adds to the job. Brandon gives you a firm number after he’s seen the panel, the mast, and the meter, not before.
How Long It Takes
Most 100 to 200 amp upgrades are a one-day job on the Belfiore side once the utility disconnect is scheduled. The variable is the utility, not the electrician. National Grid and Eversource both have their own queue for disconnects and reconnects, and in a town like Andover with a good amount of overhead service work, that scheduling can add lead time before Brandon’s crew is even on site. Plan on booking a few weeks out rather than expecting next-day turnaround, especially if your job needs a permit review first.
Permits and Inspection
A service upgrade is permitted work in Massachusetts, full stop. Brandon pulls the permit with the Town of Andover before work starts, and the finished job gets inspected by the town’s electrical inspector before the utility will reconnect permanent power. That inspection checks the grounding, bonding, panel labeling, and clearances against the Massachusetts Electrical Code, which is the state’s amended version of the National Electrical Code [EXTERNAL LINK: Massachusetts Electrical Code amendments, Mass.gov – reference for the state-specific code governing this work]. If a contractor offers to skip the permit, that’s a sign to call someone else. It’s also part of why a licensed electrician costs more upfront than an unlicensed handyman and costs less in the long run.
Common Questions
How do I know if my house needs a service upgrade instead of just a new panel?
If your service is rated 60 amps, or you're adding an EV charger, heat pump, or a kitchen remodel with more electric cooking and appliance load, the service itself is usually the bottleneck, not just the panel. Brandon checks the size of your incoming service wire and the rating on your meter to confirm before recommending anything.
Will I be without power during the upgrade?
Yes, for part of the day. The utility has to disconnect service at the drop before Brandon's crew can safely replace the mast, meter, and panel, and power stays off until the new equipment is inspected and the utility reconnects it.
Do I need to be home during the utility disconnect and reconnect?
Not necessarily for the utility's part, but Brandon will coordinate timing with you so someone's available if access to the house or panel is needed.
Is a permit really required for this?
Yes. A service upgrade is permitted and inspected work in every Massachusetts town, including Andover. The town's electrical inspector has to sign off before the utility will restore permanent power.
What's the difference between a service upgrade and a panel upgrade?
A service upgrade deals with the utility side, the drop, mast, and meter, to increase the amperage coming into the house. A panel upgrade or replacement deals with the equipment inside once that capacity exists. Often they happen together, but they're not the same scope of work.
Reach Out for Electrical Service Upgrades
Andover is on the western edge of where Belfiore works out of Salem, so scheduling is a little longer here than in towns closer to home, but the work itself doesn’t change. Call {PHONE} to get Brandon out to look at your panel, mast, and meter, and to get a real number for bringing your service up to 100 or 200 amps.
Contact information
Talk to Brandon
Brandon is the electrician half of Belfiore. He left union work to run electrical for the family business his brother Chris runs the plumbing side of, and service upgrades are a job he’s done often enough to walk you through the utility side without the guesswork. If you’re in Andover and staring down a fuse panel, a 60 amp service, or a remodel that your current electrical setup can’t support, he’ll look at what you actually have and tell you straight what size service makes sense.