What a panel upgrade costs in Burke today
A code-compliant 200-amp panel upgrade in Burke typically runs $6,000 to $7,500 as of 2026. The price depends on whether your service is overhead or underground, whether the meter base needs replacement, and how the existing service entrance is run.
If you got a quote a few years ago in the $3,000 to $4,500 range, that wasn't wrong at the time. The 2020 National Electrical Code update — which Fairfax County has since adopted — added several requirements that didn't exist before:
- An outdoor fireman's disconnect at the meter, separate from the main panel inside the house
- Whole-home surge protection built into the new panel
- New service entrance conductors (SEC) running from the meter to the panel, not just reused from the old setup
- A new meter base in most overhead-service installations
These aren't optional add-ons. They're the law in 2026, and they materially change what a panel upgrade costs to do correctly. Any electrician quoting you well below this range in Burke today is either skipping permits, omitting the required code components, or planning to issue change orders mid-job once they've already opened up your wall.
We pull the permit. We coordinate with Dominion for the service interruption and meter swap when overhead service is involved. We install the disconnect, the surge protector, the new conductors, and the new meter base. The price covers all of it, including the inspection.
Why Burke homes are at the top of the list for upgrades
Most Burke neighborhoods were built between 1965 and 1985. That includes the planned communities of Burke Centre and Cardinal Forest, the older subdivisions around Burke Lake, the 1970s split-levels along Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill Road, and the townhome clusters scattered through Burke Station Square and Lakewood Hills.
Houses from that era were almost always built with 100-amp electrical service. That was plenty in 1975 — a household running an electric range, a clothes dryer, a window AC unit, and a couple of TVs.
In 2026, the same house probably has:
- •A heat pump or central AC drawing 30+ amps
- •An induction range or electric oven (40+ amps)
- •An electric clothes dryer (30 amps)
- •A microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, garbage disposal
- •Maybe a hot tub on the back deck (40-60 amps)
- •Maybe a finished basement with its own circuits
- •And — increasingly — an EV charger in the garage drawing 32-48 amps continuously while charging
A 100-amp panel can't safely deliver all of that. Even when it doesn't trip breakers, the service entrance is running closer to its limit than it should, and the panel itself is often the original 1970s installation with deteriorating bus bars, rusted neutral lugs, or breakers that have started to fail open.
The other thing about Burke specifically: a lot of the homes built between 1965 and 1973 were wired with aluminum branch circuits. That's a different problem from the panel itself, but it's relevant to a panel upgrade because the new panel's connections need to be made with aluminum-rated lugs and properly antioxidant-treated. We handle that as part of the upgrade — but it's something to be aware of if your home falls in that window.
What's actually in a Burke panel upgrade in 2026
Here's what we install on a standard 200-amp upgrade:
The panel itself. A new 200-amp main breaker panel — typically Square D QO, Eaton CH, or Siemens Q-line, depending on what's already there and what your preferences are. 40 to 60 circuit spaces, plenty of room for future additions.
The fireman's disconnect. A service-rated outdoor disconnect mounted next to or under the meter. This lets the fire department (or any first responder) cut all power to the home without entering the building. Required by code in Fairfax County since 2021.
Whole-home surge protection. A Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device integrated into the new panel. Protects everything in your home from voltage spikes coming in from the grid — increasingly important as more electronics run continuously.
New service entrance conductors. New cables from the meter to the panel, sized correctly for 200 amps. The old wires get retired, not reused.
A new meter base, in most cases. Especially on overhead service — the old meter base often isn't rated for the current code requirements and needs to be replaced when the disconnect is added.
Permit and inspection. Filed with Fairfax County DPWES. We schedule the inspection and meet the inspector. The job isn't done until the inspection passes and you have a green sticker on the panel.
The actual on-site work usually takes one full day for a straightforward upgrade. Power is off for somewhere between 4 and 8 hours, depending on the configuration. We coordinate the timing so it falls during the day, not overnight.
Common scenarios we see in Burke
The 1970s split-level with the original 100-amp panel. This is the most common job in Burke. The panel is in the laundry room or finished basement, probably a Federal Pacific or older Square D, originally rated for 100 amps with maybe 16 to 20 spaces. The homeowner is adding an EV charger or a hot tub or doing a kitchen renovation, and the existing panel can't accommodate the new load. Standard 200-amp upgrade, usually $6,500 to $7,500 depending on the meter situation.
The Burke Centre townhome adding an EV charger. Townhomes have less load capacity than detached homes because the original electrical service was sized smaller. A 200-amp upgrade plus the EV charger circuit usually runs $7,000 to $8,500 total. The townhome often has unique permitting requirements depending on which Burke Centre cluster you're in.
The home with a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel. These are panel brands from the 1970s and early 1980s that have known safety issues — breakers that don't always trip when they should, leading to overheating and fire risk. If your home has one of these, the panel upgrade is more urgent than a typical capacity upgrade. We see Federal Pacific panels in Burke fairly regularly.
The home inspection finding. This is its own category. Buyer or seller gets a home inspection, the report flags the panel — could be capacity, could be the panel brand, could be double-tapped breakers, could be a list of small items that adds up. The buyer is often under contract with a closing date approaching and needs the issues addressed quickly. We can usually turn around an inspection-driven panel upgrade within 5 to 7 business days, and we'll work directly from the inspection report to make sure every flagged item is addressed and re-inspectable.
The Fairfax County permit process
Every panel upgrade in Burke requires a Fairfax County electrical permit. We pull it under our master electrician license — you don't have to handle anything on the permitting side.
The permit covers:
- •The panel replacement itself
- •The service entrance modifications
- •The disconnect installation
- •The grounding electrode system update if needed
After the work is done, a Fairfax County DPWES inspector comes out to verify the installation. We schedule the inspection and meet the inspector at your home. Once it passes, the permit is closed and you have documentation that the work is code-compliant — which matters if you ever sell the home, refinance, or file an insurance claim involving electrical work.
For overhead service installations, we also coordinate with Dominion for the service drop disconnect and reconnection. That has to be scheduled in advance and adds about 1-2 days to the overall timeline depending on Dominion's availability.
Frequently asked questions
Will my power be off the whole day?
Usually 4 to 8 hours. We try to schedule the disconnect for late morning so we can finish and get power restored before evening. If you have medical equipment that needs continuous power, let us know in advance and we can work around it.
Do I need to be home?
Yes, at least for the start of the job and for the Dominion meter swap if you have overhead service. Beyond that, most homeowners go about their day. The inspection visit happens later — you don't need to be home for that as long as the panel is accessible.
Can you do the upgrade if I have aluminum branch wiring?
Yes. Aluminum wiring in branch circuits is a separate concern from the panel itself, and a properly-installed panel upgrade uses connections rated for aluminum where they're already in place. If you want the aluminum branch circuits replaced, that's a different scope of work — we can do that too, but it's a much bigger job and we'd quote it separately.
What if my panel is in a finished basement?
That's fine. We may need to access the wall behind the panel for the service entrance work, but most basement panel upgrades don't require any drywall damage. If access is unavoidable, we'll discuss it with you before we start.
How long is the whole process from quote to finished?
Usually 1 to 3 weeks. The variables are the permit (1-3 days), the Dominion coordination if needed (3-7 days), and our scheduling. Inspection-driven jobs with closing date pressure we can usually expedite to 5-7 business days.
Do you handle EV charger installation at the same time?
Yes, and it's usually the most cost-effective way to do both. The EV charger circuit gets installed during the panel work, and you only pay one permit and one trip fee. Adding an EV charger to an upgrade-in-progress is typically $1,800 to $2,800 depending on the run length and the charger you choose.
Why AJ Long Electric for Burke panel upgrades
We've been doing electrical work in Northern Virginia since 1996 — 30 years of family-owned operation, with three generations of electricians on the team and over 50 years of combined panel-upgrade experience. We're licensed master electricians in Virginia, and we pull every permit on every job. We don't subcontract panel upgrades to third parties — every Burke panel upgrade is done by our crew, with our equipment, under our license.
We carry full insurance and a 5-year warranty on all electrical installation work. We've completed over 1,200 panel upgrades in the Northern Virginia and DMV market, with 1,400+ five-star reviews across our four locations.
If you're in Burke and your panel is showing its age — or you're adding load that the existing panel can't handle — we'd rather have a real conversation about what you actually need than send you a stripped-down quote that turns into a change order later. Call us at (703) 997-0026, or schedule online and we'll come out for an in-person assessment.
Inspection-driven panel upgrade with closing date pressure?
Send the inspection report. We can usually turn around a panel upgrade within 5-7 business days for buyers under contract.