A 200 amp panel was generous when it was installed. Then the project list grows: two or three EV chargers, heat pump heating and cooling, induction cooking, a heated pool and spa, a home theater, a golf simulator room, landscape lighting, and an equipment room full of automation, network, and security hardware. Each addition is reasonable on its own. Together they exceed what a 200 amp service can carry, and the load calculation proves it long before the main breaker starts tripping. Regent5 engineers the load calculation first, then specifies the service the home actually needs: 320 amp, 400 amp, or 600 amp, and in some cases a three phase service. Because we hold both the C10 electrical and C7 low voltage licenses, the same engineering pass accounts for the lighting control panels, shading, and equipment room loads that other electricians discover after the panel schedule is supposedly final.
A service upgrade is a project with PG&E, not just an electrical job at the house, and managing that process is a core part of what we do. The application goes in through PG&E's online Your Projects Portal, submitted by the owner or, in our projects, by us as your contractor. PG&E asks for a load evaluation request with the project details, a site plan, and photos of the existing and proposed service, and the design phase carries an upfront deposit before PG&E's work begins. The installation itself must meet PG&E's Greenbook, the utility's published electric and gas service requirements manual, which governs everything from conduit sizing to meter placement. On load increases, PG&E covers defined portions of the utility side, including replacement of distribution transformers, metering equipment, and underground service conductors, while the customer side of the service is our scope. Once the city or county inspects and signs off on the new panel, PG&E is contacted to schedule the meter connection. Regent5 manages every step of that sequence, and because timelines depend on PG&E's engineering queue and whether transformer work is involved, we set schedule expectations at the load evaluation stage rather than promising dates we do not control.
Nearly every home in PG&E territory runs on single phase power, and for most projects a larger single phase service is the right answer. Three phase service enters the conversation when the loads themselves demand it: commercial grade HVAC equipment, elevators, large pool and well pumps, machine shops, and light commercial buildings where three phase distribution is standard. Whether three phase is available at a given property depends on what PG&E has in the street, which is exactly the kind of question the load evaluation resolves. Regent5 engineers both cases. We run the load calculations, specify the service and switchgear, design the panel schedule, and put the request in front of PG&E with the documentation that lets their engineering team say yes. If a client asks for three phase and the honest answer is that a 600 amp single phase service serves the project better, we say so and show the numbers.
Regent5 wires large custom homes end to end: service entrance, main switchgear, distribution panels and subpanels, branch circuits, lighting circuits designed around the control system, EV charging, pool and landscape power, and the dedicated circuits an equipment room requires. The engineering is done in house, drawing on over 15 years of company knowledge building and servicing technology heavy homes, so the panel schedule, the lighting loads, and the low voltage infrastructure are designed together rather than reconciled on site. That is the practical benefit of one contractor holding both the C10 and C7 licenses: the electrician roughing in the circuits and the team pulling the lighting control, network, and security wiring answer to the same engineering documents and the same project manager. On a large home, that eliminates the most expensive category of construction problem, which is two trades each assuming the other one handled it.
A service upgrade is also the right moment to design the home's energy system, because the panel, the solar, and the batteries all interact. Regent5 designs and installs energy management systems that pair solar generation with Tesla Powerwall and FranklinWH backup batteries, engineered around which loads the home actually needs carried through an outage: refrigeration, network and security, lighting, gates, well pumps, and medical equipment take priority, while large discretionary loads can shed. Designing the backup scheme and the service upgrade together means the critical loads panel, the battery capacity, and the main service are sized as one system instead of three separate purchases. It also means the PG&E interconnection paperwork for solar and storage rides along with a service application we are already managing.
The same engineering and PG&E process discipline applies to light commercial work: offices, showrooms, design studios, wineries, and tenant improvements where three phase services, commercial panel schedules, and coordinated low voltage systems are the baseline rather than the exception. Regent5 handles the electrical scope and the technology scope on these projects under one contract, which matters in commercial spaces where the conference rooms, network, access control, and cameras are as central to the build as the receptacle layout. For businesses, that means one contractor accountable for the service upgrade, the distribution, and the systems the space was actually built to run.
Regent5 performs service upgrades, whole home wiring, and energy management projects across San Francisco, the Peninsula, the North Bay, South Bay, and East Bay, Wine Country, and the Carmel and Monterey area. Recent work concentrates where large homes and large loads meet: Atherton, Woodside, Hillsborough, Portola Valley, Los Altos Hills, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Saratoga, and San Jose, and in San Francisco's Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff, Presidio Heights, Noe Valley, and Russian Hill. Every one of these jurisdictions has its own permit office and inspection practices layered on top of the PG&E process, and part of what clients hire us for is knowing how that sequence runs in their city before the trench is open.
How do I know if my home needs more than 200 amp service?
The load calculation answers it. Add up what the home will actually run: EV chargers, heat pumps, induction cooking, pool equipment, a theater or golf simulator room, and the equipment room. When the calculated load approaches the service rating, the home needs a larger service, and the calculation is also what the city and PG&E will want to see. Regent5 runs this as the first step of every upgrade project.
Who deals with PG&E during a service upgrade?
We do. Regent5 submits the application through PG&E's Your Projects Portal as your contractor, prepares the load evaluation request with the site plan and service photos PG&E requires, and manages the process through the final meter connection. You are kept informed at each milestone without having to work the utility process yourself.
How long does a PG&E service upgrade take?
It depends on PG&E's engineering queue and the scope of utility work involved. A straightforward panel upgrade on an adequate service moves faster than an upgrade that requires transformer or underground work on PG&E's side. Rather than quote a generic timeline, we set schedule expectations at the load evaluation stage, when PG&E's response tells us what the utility side actually involves.
Can I get three phase power at my house?
Sometimes. It depends on the loads that justify it and on what PG&E has available at the property, which the load evaluation resolves. Most large homes are best served by a 400 or 600 amp single phase service, and when that is the honest answer we will show you the numbers. Where three phase is warranted, typically for commercial grade HVAC, elevators, or large pumps, we engineer and manage the request.
Should the panel upgrade and the solar and battery system be designed together?
Yes. The main service, the critical loads panel, and the battery capacity are one system. Designing them together means the Tesla Powerwall or FranklinWH installation, the solar interconnection, and the service upgrade are engineered and submitted as a coordinated project instead of three separate ones.
Do you publish pricing for service upgrades?
No, because honest numbers require the load calculation and PG&E's response first. Two identical panels can carry very different project costs depending on trenching, conduit, and what PG&E requires on the utility side. We provide detailed written proposals once the engineering is done, and PG&E covers defined portions of the utility side on load increases.
Do you handle light commercial electrical projects?
Yes. Offices, showrooms, design studios, wineries, and tenant improvements, including three phase services and the low voltage systems those spaces run. One contract covers the electrical and technology scopes under our C10 and C7 licenses.
Every service upgrade touches the systems these pages cover.
Regent5 provides personalized consultations for service upgrades, whole home electrical, and energy management projects. Tell us what you are building and what keeps tripping the breaker, and we will pair you with the right specialist, starting with the load calculation that answers the sizing question properly.
1300 Industrial Rd, Ste #12
San Carlos, CA 94070
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