I am pretty sure I need to replace my electric service and panel. What I have is 200A and Siemens 40 space panel setup when this 1200sqft. house was built in early 60s northeast USA. The elbow where like meets house is sideways, the service cable coming into the house has a lot of alligatoring, and the meter box outside is so rusted that the utility co said they won't open as if they do it probably won't close. I've had 3 electricians look in the panel and all identified the same key issues.
corrosion on bus bars and behind breakers, as first noted in this question: Is this corrosion in my electrical panel, and is it a safety issue?
many alien breakers are on the panel
the panel has no open spaces
I have 4 new circuits to add, and within the next 5 years I anticipate needing another 2 spaces for an electric car charger, maybe 2 more for more mini-splits though that might replace existing circuits. The house was setup to be all electric in the 60s, so most of what you could imagine needing circuits for is already filling up these 40 slots (e.g. 4 old 240A baseboard circuits taking 8 spaces, a mini-split, well pump, dryer, range and kitchen appliances, chest freezer, subpanel in barn, etc.)
Faced with a need for 4 to 8 more spaces than I have, over the next 5 years, along with the panel itself expected to fail within 10 years if no action taken, it seems worth upgrading the panel. I got 3 proposals to do so and I think option A makes sense (also my preferred electrician), but before making this 50+yr decision I wanted to ask this broader community if this option makes sense.
A. Preferred electrician gave quote for subpanel to cover new needed circuits, and quote to just replace service and panel. Subpanel requires moving some existing circuits, and ultimately that was just a few hundred cheaper than replacing the whole service and panel. They insist on using SquareD Q0 200A 54 space panel, they say it's all they use because they never have problems with it. I persisted in asking for the Homeline 40/80 and they're very reluctant but seem willing if I insist. For the whole upgrade, using the SquareD Q0 54 space panel, they quoted apx. $3200, including replacing all those breakers, 2 new grounds, new meter box outside, new service line. Seems like a good deal, I think they value my returning business, but they do lots of commercial/industrial with residential as side team. I asked about permits, they said no need since it's a repair, suggested against it but would leave it to me if I want to go that route.
B. GC electrician who's done some handy quick fixes said they could do this job too. He insisted that tandem breakers are the way to go, and that I could just go that route and buy time on the main panel. He insisted on using Homeline 40/80, emphasized how 80 circuits is much more than 54. Said he'd do the job for same or cheaper than that other quote, even before I told him what it was, which did not give me confidence in him. I also asked this guy about permits, he said it's a bad idea to get township inspectors involved as they'll inspect the whole home, document everything, raise taxes and make future work require permits.
C. Third electrician, new to me but well rated and in business for decades. Very focused on code compliance, insisted they'd get a permit with their own 3rd party inspector. Said Homeline 40/80 makes the most sense, the Q0 panel is huge and no one has a 54 space panel. He asked about other quotes and said back of the envelope he'd need at least $5,000 to do it. When he heard the first quote, he said "do that, take the Q0 panel, before they change their mind!"
So, I think I'll go with the first option. Q0 being unusually large and having a unique connector system made me wary of it. But top notch electrical safety feels like a worthwhile investment. Even more so since the house was built DIY'd and I'd like to bolster safety as much as I can, e.g. getting all breakers compatible and high quality, putting a few wacky circuits on AFCI, etc.
Is option A (the Q0 54 space panel) reasonable for a residential, fully electric home, or is a 54 space Q0 panel excessive or otherwise problematic? On the other hand, is relying so heavily on tandem breakers reasonable with options B or C using a 40/80 space panel?
I understand pricing is out of bounds, it's more if option A is a sensible approach. In any case I will be replacing the panel. It comes down to Q0 54 space, or Homeline 40/80 relying heavily on tandem breakers.
