Increase Your Home's Power Capacity
Electrical Service Upgrades in Winston‑Salem and the Piedmont Triad
Older panels and underpowered service lines can't keep up with modern homes. Bretco Electric Company has upgraded service for Winston-Salem homeowners for 36 years.
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What an Electrical Service Upgrade Involves
An electrical service upgrade increases the amount of power coming into your home from the utility line, typically moving a house from 60 or 100 amp service to 150 or 200 amp service. This usually means replacing the main panel, the meter base, and sometimes the service wire running from the street or transformer to your house.
Homeowners across Winston-Salem, Kernersville, and Clemmons often need this work when they add central air conditioning, finish a basement, install a hot tub, or want to add a home generator or EV charger. An electrical panel replacement is also common when the existing panel is outdated, undersized, or made by a manufacturer known for reliability problems.
If your breakers trip often, your lights dim when large appliances kick on, or an inspector flagged your panel during a home sale, a service upgrade is usually the fix. Our electricians evaluate your current load and walk you through the home electrical upgrades your house needs, from a simple panel swap to a full service increase.
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Benefits of Upgrading Your Home's Electrical Service
A properly sized electrical service does more than solve a nuisance problem. It gives your home room to grow and protects the equipment plugged into it every day.
- Supports modern appliances, HVAC systems, and home electronics without overloading circuits
- Reduces the risk of breaker trips, flickering lights, and overheated wiring
- Adds capacity for future additions like an EV charger or standby generator
- Improves home insurance eligibility and resale value with a code-compliant panel
- Allows for whole-house surge protection to be installed at the main panel
- Brings older wiring systems up to current National Electrical Code standards
What to Expect
How Bretco Handles Your Electrical Service Upgrade
Every service upgrade starts with an honest look at your home's current panel, wiring, and power needs. From there, our licensed electricians handle every step of the job in-house.
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On-Site Evaluation
We inspect your current panel, meter, and service line, then ask about any planned additions like a generator, EV charger, or home renovation so the new system is sized correctly.
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Permit and Utility Coordination
We pull the required permits and coordinate with the local utility for any temporary power disconnection, so the upgrade proceeds without surprises or delays.
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Panel and Service Installation
Our electricians install the new panel, breakers, and service equipment to code, including grounding and bonding work that older homes often lack.
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Inspection and Walkthrough
Once the upgrade passes inspection, we walk you through the new panel, label every circuit clearly, and answer any electrical questions before we leave the job site.
Why Choose Us
Why Winston‑Salem Homeowners Choose Bretco for Panel Upgrades
Bretco Electric Company is a family owned electrical company that has served the Piedmont Triad for 36 years. We bring that experience to every panel upgrade, large or small, residential or light commercial.
Since 1990Family owned in Winston-Salem
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Licensed and Experienced Electricians
Our team holds the licensing required for electrical installation work in North Carolina and has performed service upgrades on homes of every age and style across the Triad.
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Straightforward, Honest Pricing
We explain what your home needs and why before any work begins, with no pressure to buy more capacity than your house will actually use.
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Code-Compliant Workmanship
Every panel upgrade is permitted, inspected, and installed to current code, giving you a system that passes inspection and protects your home for years.
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Local, Family-Owned Service
As a locally owned business based right here in Winston-Salem, we answer our own phones, show up when we say we will, and stand behind the work we do.
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Signs Your Winston‑Salem Home Needs a Service Upgrade
Many homes in established Winston-Salem neighborhoods like West End, Ardmore, and Buena Vista were built decades ago with electrical systems designed for a much smaller load. A 60 or 100 amp panel that was fine for a house with a window unit and a handful of outlets often struggles once central air, modern kitchens, and home electronics enter the picture.
Watch for warning signs like a fuse box instead of a breaker panel, a panel with a double row of tripped breakers, warm spots near the panel, or a burning smell when multiple appliances run at once. Homes in Pfafftown, Lewisville, and Rural Hall that have added additions or detached garages over the years often outgrow their original service without the owner realizing it.
Summer storms and the heavy AC load that comes with Piedmont humidity put extra strain on an already stretched panel. If your breakers trip during the hottest part of the day or your lights dim when the HVAC system starts, it's worth having a licensed electrician check your service size before the system fails completely.
What our customers say
What Local Homeowners Say About Our Electrical Services
Read electrician reviews from homeowners and business owners across the Winston-Salem area who have trusted Bretco Electric Company with their electrical work.
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Electrical Service Upgrades Across the Piedmont Triad
Bretco Electric Company provides electrical panel upgrades and service upgrades to homeowners and light commercial properties throughout Winston-Salem and the surrounding towns.
Home base since 1990
Winston-Salem
301 Thurston StWinston-Salem, NC 27103 Electrician in Winston-Salem
Ready for More Power?
Get Your Electrical Service Upgrade Scheduled
Don't wait for a breaker panel to fail during an ice storm or a summer heat wave. Call Bretco Electric Company today and our licensed electricians will evaluate your current service and recommend the right size upgrade for your Winston-Salem area home.