Your electrical panel is the heart of your home's power. When it is undersized, outdated, or unsafe, everything else, from your furnace to your EV charger, is at risk. Burkhardt upgrades electrical panels and service across Milwaukee, bringing older homes up to modern capacity safely and to code. Whether your breakers keep tripping or you are planning a remodel, an addition, or an EV charger, we size the service correctly, pull the permit, and get it inspected.
A few clear warning signs tell you it is time. Breakers that trip often or fuses that blow repeatedly mean the panel cannot keep up. Lights that flicker or dim when the AC or a large appliance kicks on point to a strained service. A burning smell, buzzing, or warmth at the panel is a serious hazard that needs immediate attention. Relying on power strips and extension cords, or still running a fuse box or 60- to 100-amp service, are strong signals your home has outgrown its panel. Most modern Milwaukee homes need at least 200-amp service.
For a typical Wisconsin home, upgrading from 100-amp to 200-amp service runs about $1,500 to $3,500, including the panel, labor, permit, and inspection. Homes still on 60-amp service or a fuse box, common in pre-1960 Milwaukee houses, run higher, roughly $4,000 to $8,000, because the service entrance and grounding often need to be rebuilt. If old wiring is discovered during the work, it may need attention too. We evaluate your service, meter, and grounding first, then give you a firm, written, itemized estimate before any work begins.
A panel upgrade starts with a load calculation and an inspection of your existing service, meter, and grounding. We pull the permit, coordinate with the utility if the service entrance or meter needs work, and schedule the swap. On the day of the job, power is shut off, the old panel is removed, the new panel and breakers are installed, circuits are labeled, and grounding is brought up to current code. A city inspection confirms the work. Most standard upgrades are completed in a single day.
Adding a Level 2 EV charger, a heat pump, a hot tub, or a kitchen full of modern appliances can push an older panel past its limit. If you are planning an EV charger installation and your panel is full or still on 100-amp service, an upgrade is often the first step so the new circuit can be added safely. We handle both in a coordinated plan rather than sending you to a second contractor.
Here is something most single-trade electricians cannot offer: Burkhardt does electrical and plumbing under one roof. Panel work in a basement or utility area often sits right alongside water heaters, supply lines, and other systems that may be due for attention. With Burkhardt, that is one company, one coordinated schedule, one set of permits, and no juggling contractors who point fingers at each other. It is the practical advantage of a full-service home services company, not a single-trade shop.
We are three generations of trusted service since 1961, with deep Brown Deer roots, not a national franchise. We know Milwaukee's older housing stock and the local permit process, our electricians are licensed, and we handle the documentation as part of the job. With electrical and plumbing under one roof, there are no surprises and no runaround.
Worried about your panel or planning an upgrade? Call 414-206-3049 or book online for an evaluation and a clear, written estimate. We will assess your current service and give you a firm price before we start.
A typical 100-amp to 200-amp upgrade runs about $1,500 to $3,500, including the panel, labor, permit, and inspection. Homes on 60-amp service or a fuse box can run $4,000 to $8,000 because the service entrance and grounding often need rebuilding. We provide a firm, written estimate after evaluating your service.
Frequent breaker trips, flickering lights, a burning smell or buzzing at the panel, reliance on extension cords, or a fuse box or 60- to 100-amp service are all signs. If you are adding an EV charger or major appliances, an upgrade is often needed to add capacity safely.
Most standard panel upgrades are completed in a single day. Jobs that require utility coordination for the service entrance or meter may take longer, and we will tell you the timeline up front.
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