Plenty of homes across Santa Cruz County were built when 60 or 100 amps of electrical service was plenty. Add an EV charger, a heat pump, a modern kitchen, and a home office to that same service, and the limits show quickly. Lights dim when large appliances start, the main breaker trips under load, and there is simply no headroom left for the next addition. KM Electric provides electrical service upgrades throughout Scotts Valley and the wider Santa Cruz County area, increasing the power your home draws from the grid so it can keep up with how you live.
KM Electric is a licensed electrical company based in Scotts Valley, California, that serves homeowners across Santa Cruz County. Owned and operated by licensed journeyman electrician Keaton Mayers, the company specializes in electrical service upgrades, increasing a home's incoming capacity by replacing the service entrance, meter base, and main panel and coordinating the change with PG&E. The company serves Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Aptos, Soquel, Felton, and the surrounding communities, and backs every electrical service upgrade with a 20-year workmanship warranty.
A home's electrical service is the total amount of power it can pull from the utility at one time, and many older houses in this area were set up for far less than a modern household uses. The signs of an overtaxed service are familiar: a main breaker that trips when the dryer and the oven run together, lights that flicker as the air conditioner cycles, and the discovery, often during an EV charger or heat pump project, that the panel has no capacity left to give.
The constraint is set at the service entrance, where power enters the home through the meter, the main disconnect, and the service conductors. A 100-amp service cannot deliver more than 100 amps no matter how many circuits the panel holds. As households add high-draw equipment such as Level 2 EV chargers, induction ranges, and electric heat pumps, the combined demand can approach or exceed what the existing service was sized to carry. A proper load calculation under the National Electrical Code usually confirms what the homeowner already suspects: the service itself, not just the panel, needs to grow.
Every service upgrade begins with a load calculation to determine the right capacity, which for most homes means moving from 100 amps to 200 amps. Our electricians coordinate with PG&E for the disconnect and reconnect, then replace the service entrance conductors, the meter base, and the main panel, and upgrade the mast or weatherhead where the overhead service requires it. Grounding and bonding are brought up to current code, every connection is torqued to specification, and we pull the permit and schedule the utility and city inspections that the upgrade requires.
Once the new service is energized, your home has the capacity to run everything at once without straining, plus room for the projects on your list. Adding an EV charger or a heat pump becomes a simple circuit addition rather than a roadblock. The flickering and nuisance tripping stop, the service entrance meets current code, and the house is ready for the electrical demands of the years ahead.
A service upgrade does more than stop the breaker from tripping. It opens the door to projects an undersized service simply cannot support.
A 200-amp service comfortably supports a Level 2 EV charger, an electric heat pump, and the rest of the household at the same time. The capacity questions that stall those projects on an older service go away.
When the service can meet the home's actual demand, the main breaker stops cutting out under normal use. Running the oven, the dryer, and the air conditioner together becomes a non-event.
Upgrading the service brings the meter, conductors, and grounding up to current code. That matters for safety today and for documentation when you sell or insure the home.
Electrical demand in homes keeps climbing. A larger service leaves space for whatever comes next, whether that is a workshop, an ADU subpanel, or added kitchen circuits.
Every electrical service upgrade we complete carries a 20-year workmanship warranty, reflecting both the materials we choose and the care we put into the service entrance.
An electrical service upgrade is one way KM Electric expands and protects a home's power. If your needs point elsewhere, these related services may be the right fit.
When the amperage is fine and only the box itself is failing, electrical panel replacement swaps the load center while keeping the home's existing service size intact.
Older fuse-panel homes often need both more capacity and modern breakers at once. Fuse box replacement converts the fuse panel to a breaker load center, work that frequently pairs with a service upgrade.
Electrical panel upgrades pulls together the options for a home's electrical core, including capacity increases and complete panel replacements, with the route chosen around the household's goals.
A service upgrade ties together utility coordination, load math, and work at the service entrance, so the team handling it matters.
Keaton Mayers brings union-level training to every project, starting with a careful load calculation. Sizing the service correctly the first time means you pay for the capacity you need rather than guessing.
Service upgrades require working with the utility to disconnect and reconnect power. We handle that coordination and the permitting, so the project does not stall waiting on paperwork.
The meter, mast, and main panel are the most visible parts of a home's electrical system. We install them neatly and to code, and we protect your property while the work is underway.
From Watsonville to Felton, we regularly upgrade the older 100-amp services common to Santa Cruz County homes. That familiarity helps us anticipate utility requirements and plan a smooth project.
We recommend the service size your home genuinely needs rather than overselling capacity you will never use. Homeowners describe that approach in our Yelp and Google reviews.
If your main breaker trips under normal load or a project gets blocked for lack of capacity, you likely need more service, not just a new box. If the amperage is fine but the panel is old or failing, a replacement may be enough. We run a load calculation to tell you which one your home in Santa Cruz County actually needs.
Most homes move from 100 amps to 200 amps, which covers EV charging, heat pumps, and modern appliances with room to spare. The load calculation confirms the right size for your specific home.
Yes. A service upgrade requires PG&E to disconnect and reconnect power, and we manage that coordination along with the permitting and inspections. You do not have to navigate the utility process on your own.
Most upgrades are completed in one to two days, though the utility schedule can influence the timeline. We give you a realistic window once we have assessed the service entrance and submitted the paperwork.
Often, yes. Many homes in Aptos and Soquel lack the capacity to add a Level 2 charger on an older service, and upgrading to 200 amps makes that addition straightforward. We can plan the upgrade with your charger in mind.
If your home keeps running out of electrical headroom, a service upgrade is the lasting fix. KM Electric provides virtual estimates for electrical service upgrades across Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz County, with financing available. Call 831-566-2838 or schedule a consultation to find out what capacity your home needs.
Business Name: KM Electric
Address: 5042 Scotts Valley Unit F, Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Phone: 831-566-2838
Business Hours:
Mon - Fri: 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sat-Sun: Closed
Financing Available
20-year Workmanship Warranty