Amperage is the amount of electrical current flowing through a wire or device

When you adjust amperage, you are changing how much electrical current your home or a specific circuit can handle at once. Think of it like water pressure in a pipe — amperage is how much water (electricity) can flow through at the same time. Your home has a main electrical panel with a breaker or fuse that sets a limit for the whole house, and individual circuits have their own limits too.

Most homes in the United States have a main service of either 100 amps, 150 amps, or 200 amps. Older homes often have 60 or 100 amps. If you want to run more devices at once without tripping breakers, or if you are adding major appliances like an electric water heater or air conditioning unit, you may need to increase your amperage. Decreasing amperage is much rarer and usually only happens if you are removing a large appliance permanently.

Key Takeaways

  • Amperage is measured in amps and represents how much electrical current can flow through a circuit or your whole home at one time.
  • Increasing your home's main amperage requires a licensed electrician, a permit from your local building department, and an inspection — it is not a DIY job.
  • Individual circuit breakers can sometimes be replaced with higher-amp breakers, but only if the wiring itself can safely handle the increase.
  • The cost to upgrade your main service from 100 to 200 amps typically ranges from $1,500 to $3,000, depending on your location and how far the utility company's line is from your panel.

When you might need to increase amperage

You hit the limits of your current amperage when breakers trip repeatedly, even when you are not running unusually many devices. If your kitchen outlets shut off when you use the microwave and toaster together, or your air conditioner causes the whole house to dim, those are signs that a single circuit or your main service is overloaded.

Adding a major appliance — a new electric range, heat pump, electric vehicle charger, or central air conditioning — almost always requires more amperage than older homes were built to handle. A 100-amp service that worked fine for a 1970s house with gas heat and no AC cannot safely power a modern all-electric kitchen plus a car charger. Your electrician will calculate the load (the total amps all your devices need at once) and tell you whether your current service is enough.

How to increase your main service amperage

Upgrading your main electrical service is a three-step process that involves your electrician, your utility company, and your local building department. You cannot do this yourself — it requires a licensed electrician and a permit.

First, call a licensed electrician and describe what you want to add or why you are tripping breakers. They will visit your home, look at your current panel, and calculate whether you need 150 amps, 200 amps, or more. They will also check whether your home's wiring and the utility company's line can handle the upgrade. Second, your electrician will pull a permit from your city or county building department and order the work. The utility company will need to upgrade or replace the line running to your house, which can take a few weeks. Third, once the work is done, a building inspector will visit to make sure everything meets code, and the utility company will turn on the new service.

The whole process usually takes four to eight weeks. You will be without power for a few hours while the utility company makes the switch, so plan accordingly.

Replacing individual circuit breakers

If only one circuit is overloaded — say, your bedroom outlets keep shutting off when you plug in a space heater and a fan — you might be able to replace just that breaker with a higher-amp one. A 15-amp breaker can sometimes be swapped for a 20-amp breaker on the same circuit, but only if the wiring behind the walls is thick enough to handle it safely.

This is still a job for a licensed electrician, not something to attempt yourself. The electrician will check the wire gauge (the thickness of the copper wire) running to that circuit. If it is 14-gauge wire, it cannot safely handle more than 15 amps. If it is 12-gauge, it can handle 20 amps. If the wire is too thin, you cannot just swap the breaker — you would need to run new, thicker wire, which is expensive and invasive.

What happens if you do not upgrade when you need to

Repeatedly tripping breakers is your home's way of protecting itself from fire. When a circuit is overloaded, the wiring heats up. The breaker trips to cut power before the wire gets hot enough to ignite the insulation around it. If you keep resetting the breaker without fixing the underlying problem, you are ignoring a genuine fire hazard.

Some people install a larger breaker without upgrading the wiring, hoping the problem will go away. This is dangerous. The wire will overheat, the insulation will degrade, and a fire can start inside your walls where you cannot see it. Insurance may not cover a fire caused by known electrical problems, and you could face liability if someone is hurt.

The cost and timeline for upgrading

Upgrading from 100 amps to 200 amps typically costs between $1,500 and $3,000 for the electrician's work alone. The utility company's work — upgrading the line and meter — is usually free or included in a small fee, but this varies by region and utility. Some utilities charge $500 to $1,500 for their part. If your home's wiring or panel needs replacement in addition to the service upgrade, costs can climb to $4,000 or more.

Get quotes from at least two licensed electricians before committing. They will tell you what the utility company charges in your area and whether any additional work is needed. The permit fee from your building department is usually $50 to $200, depending on your city.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upgrade my amperage myself?

No. Work on your main electrical service requires a licensed electrician, a building permit, and an inspection. Touching the main panel yourself is dangerous and illegal in most places. Even if you are handy, the utility company will not turn on a new service unless a licensed electrician and building inspector sign off on it.

What is the difference between amps and watts?

Amps measure how much current flows through a wire. Watts measure the power a device uses. A device's watts divided by your home's voltage (usually 120 or 240 volts) tells you how many amps it draws. A 1,200-watt microwave on a 120-volt circuit draws 10 amps. Understanding both helps you figure out whether your circuits can handle what you want to plug in.

Will upgrading my amperage lower my electric bill?

No. Amperage is the capacity of your service, not how much electricity you use. Upgrading your main service does not change your usage or your bill. You only pay for the electricity you actually consume. However, upgrading may let you run devices more efficiently — for example, an electric heat pump might use less total energy than an old gas furnace plus AC.

How do I know if my home needs 150 or 200 amps?

An electrician will calculate this based on your home's size, what appliances you have, and what you plan to add. A rough rule: homes under 2,000 square feet with gas heat and no AC might be fine with 100 or 150 amps. Larger homes, all-electric homes, or homes with electric heat pumps and car chargers usually need 200 amps. Your electrician will do the math for your specific situation.

Can I add a second electrical panel instead of upgrading my main service?

Yes, but it is usually more expensive than upgrading the main service. A second panel still needs to be fed from your main panel, so you are not actually increasing your home's total capacity — you are just redistributing the load. This works if one area of your home (like a garage or addition) needs more circuits, but it does not solve the problem if your main service is already maxed out.