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	Subject - 200 Amp service Delmer I need some advice. I am planning to remodel my kitchen in the near future. My main electrical panel is labeled with a 200 Amp rating but currently has a 100 Amp main breaker installed. My question is this, Can I simply install a 200 Amp main breaker and have a 200Amp service or is there likely to be a difference in the service cabling from the local utility that limits my service to 100Amp? I have been getting conflicting information on this issue. I have been told that the service provided by the utility company is the same for all residential installations. Is this true? I realize that I need to get a licensed electrician to do this work but I would like to know what I am up against. I do not want to be charged for installing an entirely new service if all I need is to install a new breaker. Any advice in this area would be appreciated. JimmyDee The 100 amp breaker is there to protect the wires from the weather head down into the panel. No you can't replace the breaker even if it would fit without up grading the service wires. What the power company does is on the outside of the house and if their wires burn up, they usually will not cause a house to burn down. In other words, what they do is no concern to the home owner and they have a good track record for safety. Jim David Hyatt Service instalations from the power company varies. You may only have a 100amp service entering the house. By installing a 200amp breaker if the srvice wires are only rated at 100amp you risk a fire hazard. Have an electrician check the wiring coming in and see his suggestions. Chances are you will have to upgrade the service to accomodate a 200amp main. cal_sparky Delmer, As much as I like to see electricians busy, I suggest you talk to your serving utility FIRST. They will be able to tell you if the service drop wires (if overhead) or service lateral (if underground) are adequate for a 200 amp service. And the utility won't charge you for a service call. Keep in mind that the utility is not bound by the NEC as far as the size of wire required for a given service ampacity. Residential electricians often don't know what size drop wire the utility would use, so start with by talking to the utility. FYI, utilities usually use a lot smaller drop wire than you'd have to use on your side of the meter, because it's rare that the whole house actually pulls the maximum number of amps as reflected by the service rating. That's called "load diversity" and it means that not everything is "on" at once! The utility company engineer may ask for info from you to estimate the demand, and determine the service conductor size from that. Sometimes, the utility will not upgrade the service drop when a service is upgraded from 100 to 200 amps. It depends on what the existing drop is, and how much actual increase in electricity use (specifically, maximum instantaneous demand) is expected. Utilities are now purely profit-driven in much of the country (ain't de-regulation great?), and won't spend a nickel more than necessary, even if it'd be a good idea from a safety standpoint. They'd rather come out and replace a drop that's burned open because of overload, than replace one to prevent a problem. Because, of course, just because you replace a 100 amp main breaker with a 200 amp one, your max demand is not going to magically double, and the drop wires will probably handle any slight increase just fine. Cliff Delmer Thank you for the information. You’ve been a great help. I have a better idea where to go now.