Panel replacement cost in Orlando, FL starts with a question our electricians ask on every call: what brand is on the door? Altamonte Springs subdivisions from the seventies still carry Federal Pacific panels, Longwood’s older streets have their share of Zinsco gear, and both are replaced rather than repaired. Everything else about the price follows from the house around that panel.
Central Florida is hard on panels in a particular way. Orlando averages more lightning strikes per square mile than almost anywhere in the country, and a panel that is not properly rated, bonded and protected lets surge damage cascade through every circuit. Sustained heat and humidity age the insulation inside the enclosure, and after a hurricane or a severe thunderstorm breaker wear accelerates.
The other driver is load. EV chargers, added air conditioning for Florida additions, whole-home generators and pool equipment are being connected to panels built for the lifestyles of earlier decades, and a load calculation is how we find out whether the service can carry them.
Read this guide together with our electrical panel replacement service page for Central Florida, and see what Central Florida homeowners say about working with us before you decide.
On this page
- What changes the price
- What the job includes
- When homeowners book this
- How we price it
- Frequently asked questions
What changes the price
The service size and whether the main breaker rating changes is the first fork. The condition of the existing enclosure, bus bars and breakers decides how much of the job is replacement versus correction, and the grounding electrode system usually needs to be brought current at the same time. Utility coordination differs across the metro: Duke Energy Florida covers most of Seminole and west Orange County, OUC serves inside the city limits, and a few cities such as Winter Park run their own utility, each with its own disconnect scheduling. The permit runs through Orange County, Seminole County or the city building department.
Two Central Florida houses can carry the same job on the invoice and end at different totals. On projects like this one the price is driven by:
- Service size and whether the main breaker rating changes
- Condition of the existing enclosure, bus bars and breakers
- Grounding and bonding that must be brought up to current code at the same time
- Service entrance conductors and the meter can, when they are part of the scope
- Utility coordination and permit requirements in the jurisdiction
- Surge, AFCI and GFCI protection added during the changeout
- Panel brand and breaker selection
- Accessibility of the panel location and any drywall or masonry work around it
- Code corrections found once the deadfront is off
What the job includes
A panel replacement from our Orlando team is a service changeout done to the current code, not a breaker swap. The scope typically includes:
- A full load calculation before any work begins, so you know where the panel stands and what it can carry
- Removal of the old panel and installation of a properly rated new enclosure and main breaker, with every circuit labeled
- A new meter base and an updated grounding electrode system where the existing ones do not meet the current adoption of the code
- AFCI and GFCI breaker placement as required, and surge protection at the panel when the service is replaced
- The utility disconnect and reconnect scheduled with Duke, OUC or the municipal utility, and the county or city permit and inspection
When homeowners book this
The panel calls that come in across Orange, Seminole and Osceola County follow a few patterns:
- A Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel discovered during a home inspection or an insurance review
- A corroded outdoor panel, common on homes near the coast or on lakefront lots with year-round humidity
- Breakers tripping under summer air-conditioning load, or a panel with no room for a new EV or pool circuit
- Surge damage after a nearby strike, which often exposes an aging panel that was already marginal
To see how this plays out on a real job in Central Florida, read Corroded Outdoor Panel Replaced in Orlando, FL.
How we price it
Every panel replacement is quoted in writing after we have opened the panel, run the load calculation and looked at the meter base and grounding. The estimate lists the panel, the meter base, the grounding work and the permit as separate lines, and the price you sign is the price you pay unless you change the scope. Financing through our lending partners is available on qualifying projects, and panel replacements are among the projects most often financed in the Orlando area.
A licensed electrician writes the estimate before any work starts, and the invoice carries nothing that was not agreed on that estimate. Financing is available for qualifying projects through our lending partners; see financing options. Ready to schedule? Contact our Orlando team.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to replace a panel in Orange or Seminole County?
Yes. A service changeout is permitted and inspected work in both counties and in the cities that run their own building departments. Our office pulls the permit and meets the inspector.
Why do Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels get replaced rather than repaired?
Both have documented breaker failure patterns, and insurers and inspectors treat them as a replace item. There is no repair that changes the brand on the door.
Who schedules the power disconnect?
We do, with whichever utility serves the address: Duke Energy Florida, OUC or a municipal utility such as Winter Park. The outage is kept as short as the work allows.
Does the price include surge protection?
When the service is replaced, the code now expects a surge protective device at the panel, so it is on the estimate rather than a later add-on. In Lightning Alley it earns its place.
Can I finance a panel replacement?
Yes. Qualifying projects in Orlando and the surrounding counties can go through our lending partners.