Still on a 60- or 100-amp service? You’re not alone in St. Pete. We upgrade services to 200 amps (or more for large homes) with the City of St. Petersburg or Pinellas County permit, Duke Energy coordination and a load calculation first, so you get the capacity you need without paying for more than you use. Licensed (EC#13014717), local since 2010.
Call (727) 476-7079 or request a service upgrade assessment. Office 7 AM–5 PM, weekend service, 24/7 emergency calls.
St. Pete has the smallest services in Pinellas
St. Petersburg is Pinellas County’s largest city, with about 262,700 residents, and it has the oldest housing. The median home was built in 1969 (Census ACS 2020–2024), and in Historic Kenwood, Old Northeast, Crescent Lake, Old Southeast and Roser Park, many homes date to the 1920s. Those homes were wired for lights, a radio and maybe a refrigerator. Mid-century ranches in Disston Heights, Jungle Terrace, Euclid–St. Paul, Tyrone and Lakewood Estates typically got 60 to 100 amps.
Today the same houses run central AC, electric water heaters, dryers, ranges, pool equipment, home offices and EV chargers. Signs your service can’t keep up:
- The main breaker or main fuses trip or blow
- Lights dim hard when the AC or dryer starts
- The panel is full, or it’s still a fuse box
- You’re adding central AC, an EV charger, a pool, an addition or a big kitchen
- An insurer, 4-point inspection or home sale flags the service as undersized or outdated
Service upgrade, panel upgrade or rewiring?
In older St. Pete homes, these often go together, and we’ll be straight about which you need:
- A panel upgrade replaces the breaker panel or fuse box. The incoming power stays the same.
- A service upgrade increases the incoming power, typically to 200 amps. That usually includes a new meter can, service entrance conductors, mast and weatherhead for overhead services, main disconnect, grounding and bonding, and a new panel, with Duke Energy disconnecting and reconnecting.
- Rewiring replaces old branch wiring (knob-and-tube, cloth-insulated or ungrounded circuits) behind the walls. A bigger service doesn’t fix old wiring. If both are needed, we’ll give you a phased plan.
Load calculation first
We add up your existing and planned loads using the National Electrical Code method and show you the result. Sometimes a new panel on the existing service is enough. Sometimes load management avoids an upgrade: a load-managed EV charger, or a SPAN smart panel with SPAN PowerUp™, can pause or slow big loads to keep the home within its service rating, which can sometimes avoid a utility service upgrade.^ See SPAN in Snell Isle & Old Northeast. We’re a SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs.
When the numbers say you need more capacity, we size the new service for what you have and what you’re planning, including an EV charger.
What’s different about St. Pete service upgrades
- Alley services. Many older neighborhoods are fed from poles in the rear alley, with the service drop coming to the back of the house or a detached garage. That affects where the new mast and meter can go and how Duke Energy reconnects.
- Historic districts. Inside a local historic district, a meter can or mast on a street-facing wall may need additional review. We plan the equipment location with that in mind, and rear-alley services often make it simpler.
- Flood zones. Hurricane Helene’s surge in September 2024 flooded homes in Shore Acres, Snell Isle, Venetian Isles, Riviera Bay and other low areas along Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay. If your service equipment was under water, it usually has to be replaced. If the home is being substantially improved or rebuilt after storm damage, flood rules may require the meter and panel above a set elevation. We check this before we quote.
- Storm-damaged masts. Wind and falling limbs can rip a service mast off the house. Duke Energy is generally responsible for the service drop and meter; the homeowner is responsible for the mast, weatherhead, meter can and everything inside. If yours is damaged, call our 24/7 emergency line for St. Pete.
A recent St. Pete job
On one St. Petersburg home, the exterior panel had breakers labeled by hand in marker, a faded label and loose wiring on the wall. We installed a new panel beside the meter, ran the wiring in conduit, labeled every circuit, and left a clearly marked service disconnect. See the before and after →
What’s included
- New meter can and service equipment as required
- New mast and weatherhead for overhead services
- New panel, with every circuit tested and labeled
- Whole-house surge protection, required by the electrical code adopted in Florida when a home’s service equipment is replaced. See whole-house surge protection.
- Grounding and bonding brought up to current code
- Permit, inspection and Duke Energy coordination
Permits in St. Petersburg
- Inside city limits: City of St. Petersburg Building & Permitting, Municipal Services Center, One 4th Street N.
- Unincorporated addresses with a St. Petersburg mailing address, including parts of Lealman and Tierra Verde: Pinellas County.
- Utility: Duke Energy Florida.
A service upgrade always needs a permit. Unpermitted service work can cause trouble with insurance claims and when you sell.
How it works with us
- Site visit and load calculation: meter, panel, service drop, grounding and what you plan to add.
- Itemized quote after the site visit. Every part of the job on its own line. No prices over the phone.
- Permit, plus any historic-district review if needed.
- Duke Energy coordination for the disconnect and reconnect.
- Installation. Power is typically off for part of the day; relocations can take longer.
- Inspection and reconnect. We meet the inspector, Duke restores power, and you get a labeled circuit directory.
Hurricane season notes for this area
October is still hurricane season on the Gulf coast. For planned electrical work we keep the advice practical:
- Standby generators need a listed transfer switch ahead of the panel. Portable-generator interlocks are a different product and are not installed in a SPAN Panel. See generator installation and hookups.
- Whole-house surge protection is required by Florida’s adopted electrical code whenever a home’s service equipment is replaced, and it’s a smart add-on before storm season even when you’re not upgrading. See whole-house surge protection.
- After a storm: do a visual check before restoring power if the house took on water, if you smell burning, or if the meter can or panel was submerged or damaged. Call us for a post-storm inspection rather than flipping the main back on and hoping. Emergency calls are answered 24/7; we do not promise a response time.
- Permits: generator hookups, panel and service work still need the correct city or county permit. We pull those when we do the work.
Warranty, financing and scheduling
- 3-year workmanship warranty, extended to 5 years for Member Care Plan members.
- Financing available through Acorn Finance, subject to credit approval. Check your options without affecting your credit score. Ask us and we’ll include the financing link with your itemized quote.
- Hours: office 7 AM–5 PM, weekend service, and 24/7 emergency calls.
Why St. Pete homeowners call Keywest Lights & Electric
- Licensed electrical contractor, EC#13014717, in business since 2010
- Based at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772, about 11 miles from downtown St. Pete
- Old-house experience: fuse boxes, small services, alley drops, knob-and-tube and flood-damaged equipment
- Residential and commercial, bondable to $1M, with projects up to $2M
- Woman-owned, family-run business and Home Depot preferred contractor
- Solar and battery systems are installed by our licensed partner installers; we handle the electrical work and manage the project
St. Petersburg service upgrade FAQ
How much does a service upgrade cost in St. Pete? It depends on your current service, whether it’s an overhead or alley service, the meter location, any historic-district or flood requirements, and the panel. We give you an itemized quote after a site visit.
My house has a 60-amp fuse box. Do I need a service upgrade or just a new panel? Usually both. A 60-amp service rarely carries central AC and modern appliances. We’ll run a load calculation and show you the numbers.
Can I keep my meter where it is in a historic district? Often, yes. If the equipment has to move or change on a street-facing wall, it may need additional review, and we’ll plan for that.
My meter and panel were in the storm surge. What now? Leave the power off. Saltwater-exposed service equipment usually has to be replaced, and Duke Energy may require repairs and an inspection before reconnecting. Call us to assess it.
How long will my power be off? Typically part of one day for a straightforward upgrade. Relocations and alley services can take longer, and we’ll tell you the plan ahead of time.
Who issues the permit in St. Pete? The City of St. Petersburg inside city limits, and Pinellas County for unincorporated addresses. We pull it either way.
St. Pete homeowners: call (727) 476-7079 or request an assessment.
^ Requires qualification and enrollment in SPAN PowerUp to avoid a utility service upgrade. Results are site-specific. SPAN® and SPAN PowerUp™ are trademarks of Span.IO, Inc. Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent SPAN Authorized Installer.
Related: Electrical Service Upgrades · Electrician in St. Petersburg, FL · Panel upgrades in St. Petersburg · EV chargers in St. Pete · Service upgrades in Seminole · Service upgrades in Largo · Service upgrades in Clearwater · Panel upgrades in Gulfport · Service upgrades in Gulfport · Service upgrades in Lealman · Service upgrades in Tampa · Service upgrades in Pinellas Park · Generator installation · Whole-house surge protection