Panel Upgrades
Old, full, or unsafe panel? We replace it to code — including dangerous FPE, Zinsco, and Stab-Lok panels insurers flag — and coordinate the swap with CenterPoint. Permitted and inspected.
$1,183–$1,972 typical cost Panel upgrades
Now booking new projects
Locally owned
Licensed electricians for the Galveston Bay & South Houston corridor
Panel upgrades, EV chargers, and whole-home generators — permitted, inspected, and done right the first time.
TDLR EC #EECELE00037785
Licensed master electrician
27+ years
Permits and inspection handled, every job
We're the local, licensed team for homeowners and businesses across the Galveston Bay and South Houston corridor — League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Webster/Clear Lake, Texas City, Dickinson, La Marque, and Galveston Island. No box-store shortcuts. No here-today franchise crew. Just a master electrician who pulls the permits, schedules the inspection, and stands behind the work.
TDLR LicensedEC #EECELE00037785
Master Electrician27+ years experience
Permits handledCity permits & inspection
Placeholder — needs real data:
Real hero job photo(s) — ideally a finished panel, an EV charger install, and a whole-home generator on a local home — to replace this illustration.
Permits handledInspection included
Same-day callbacksNo trip-fee surprises
TDLR EC #EECELE00037785
Licensed Master Electrician
27+ Years Experience
Permits & Inspection Handled
NEC 2023 Code-Compliant
Workmanship Warranty
We're not always the cheapest quote — but we're always permitted, inspected, and warrantied.
That's the trade: we pull the permits, do the work to NEC-2023 code, schedule the inspection, and back it with a workmanship warranty. And we don't sell you work you don't need — no trip-fee games, no pressure, no "three ridiculous options." If a smaller fix is the right call, that's what we'll tell you.
What we do
Panel upgrades, EV chargers & whole-home generators.
Three jobs make up most of what Bay-corridor homeowners call us for. Each one is permitted, inspected, and quoted with an honest range — no surprises.
EV Charger Installation
A properly permitted Level-2 install that passes inspection. In Houston, that permit can only be pulled by a registered master electrician — we are one. We start with a load calculation to confirm whether your panel can handle it before we ever quote an upgrade.
$552–$1,379 typical cost EV charger installationWhole-Home Generators
A standby generator with an automatic transfer switch — so the power comes back on its own, with no fiddling with switches in the middle of a storm. Sized, installed, permitted, and serviced.
Whole-home generators
Why people choose TriCoast
Why a licensed local pro, not a franchise or a handyman.
The work is the same price to do right whoever you hire — but hiring the wrong way costs you later. Here's the trust stack behind every TriCoast job:
TDLR EC #EECELE00037785
A real, verifiable Texas electrical contractor license — look it up on the TDLR registry anytime.
Master electrician, 27+ years
A licensed master electrician on staff with 27+ years of experience — not a rotating franchise crew.
Permits pulled, inspection scheduled
On every job — we handle the paperwork and the inspector, so the work on your house is on the record.
NEC-2023 code, warrantied
Code-compliant work backed by a workmanship warranty — and no upsell: we lead with a load calc, not a quote.
What you lose by hiring the wrong way
A box-store or unpermitted install can fail inspection, give your insurer grounds to deny a claim, and stall a home sale when the buyer's inspector finds work with no permit on file. Fixing unpermitted work after the fact routinely runs into the thousands. A permitted, inspected job is the cheaper path — it just doesn't feel that way until the inspector shows up.
No-upsell promise
We lead with a load calculation, not a quote.
If you're adding an EV charger, you've probably already read that most homes don't actually need a panel upgrade to charge — and you're right to be skeptical of anyone who quotes one sight-unseen.
So we don't. We run a load calculation and verify whether you actually need an upgrade before we ever quote you one. If your panel can handle the charger, that's what we'll tell you — and you'll have it in writing. If it genuinely can't, you'll see exactly why.
That's the whole point: you get the real answer first, not a sales pitch.
Storm & generator readiness
After Beryl, "without power for days" isn't a plan.
In July 2024, Hurricane Beryl knocked out power for roughly 2.2 million CenterPoint customers across the Houston and Galveston Bay region — many of them for days.
~2.2M
CenterPoint customers lost power in Beryl, July 2024
Automatic
transfer switch — the power comes back on its own
A whole-home standby generator with an automatic transfer switch means you're not out in the weather flipping switches when the grid goes down — the generator starts on its own and your home keeps running. It's peace of mind that works a lot like homeowners insurance: you hope you never need it, and you're very glad it's there when you do.
- We size it to your home
- We install it and permit it
- We service it after the install
What our customers say
Don't take our word for it — 4.99★ from 82 reviews.
Real, named, dated reviews from homeowners and businesses across the Bay corridor — verified on Housecall Pro.
Excellent communication in setting up the appointment! Donald is awesome. He explained the work, started immediately and ensured that the work was done correctly. The job site was spotless after the work was completed, and I was impressed that he has a checklist that will ensure a thorough job from start to finish. Outstanding company. Highly recommend.
Paul Belobrajdic
Verified Housecall Pro review · January 2026
I had a generator inlet and sub panel installed by Jason at TriCoast. The work was great, cleaned up their mess and tested everything before they left. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for a professional electrical project. Pricing was extremely fair for the work that was done. Give them a call, you will not regret it.
Keith Kelley
Verified Housecall Pro review · August 2025
Both techs were very knowledgeable and professional from start to finish. They left the job site clean and all work was tested and reviewed with us before they left. My wife and I were extremely impressed. I would recommend TriCoast to all my friends and family.
Steve Fraley
Verified Housecall Pro review · April 2025
Where we work
Areas we serve.
We're a service-area business covering the Galveston Bay / South Houston corridor — weighted to the mainland Bay Area cluster, with Galveston Island in scope too.
- League City
- Friendswood
- Pearland
- Webster / Clear Lake
- Texas City
- Dickinson
- La Marque
- Galveston Island
On Galveston Island jobs that require it, we handle the WPI-8 windstorm certification paperwork your insurer needs.
We also serve Santa Fe, Hitchcock, Kemah, Seabrook, Nassau Bay, El Lago, Taylor Lake Village, Bacliff, San Leon, Bayou Vista, Tiki Island, Clear Lake Shores, Jamaica Beach, Alvin, Manvel, and south Pasadena. Don't see your town? We likely cover it — just ask. See all service areas.
Serving the Galveston Bay / South Houston corridor
Residential
Panels, EV chargers, generators, surge and GFCI protection, lighting, inspections, and remodel or new-construction wiring — for homes across the Bay corridor.
Residential servicesCommercial
Tenant build-outs and finish-outs, service and panel upgrades, LED retrofits, and EV charging for business — one licensed team that handles permits and inspection so your project stays on schedule.
Commercial services
Local & owner-led
Your neighbor's electrician in the Bay corridor.
TriCoast is a local, owner-led shop, not a call center. With a licensed master electrician on staff and 27+ years in the trade, we treat your home the way we'd want ours treated — explain the work, leave the site clean, and stand behind it.
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Owner / master-electrician name + headshot + short bio.
Questions, answered
Homeowner questions we hear every week.
Do I need a permit for electrical work — and should I worry if an electrician asks me to pull it?
In Houston, electrical permits are only issued to registered master electricians — as a homeowner, you legally can't pull one yourself. If an electrician asks you to apply for the permit, that's a red flag. We're the registered master electrician, and we pull it. The permit (and the passed inspection) stays with your house, which matters at resale and with your insurer.
Will you try to upsell me a panel upgrade I don't actually need?
No. We lead with a load calculation and verify whether your panel can handle the new load before we ever quote an upgrade. If you don't need one, we'll tell you — in writing.
How much does a panel upgrade or EV charger cost?
Honest typical ranges: a panel upgrade runs $1,183–$1,972, and an EV charger install runs $552–$1,379. What moves the number is panel size and condition, run length, the breaker and equipment, and whether any code corrections are needed. We put it all in the written quote — no trip-fee surprises. See our panel-upgrade cost guide for the full breakdown.
My panel is full or old (FPE, Zinsco, Stab-Lok) — is it safe, and can it take more load?
Federal Pacific (FPE), Zinsco, and Stab-Lok panels are known fire-risk panels — breakers that don't always trip — and insurers increasingly flag them. If yours is full, outdated, or insurer-flagged, we'll assess it and, if needed, replace it to code (often a 200-amp service) and coordinate with CenterPoint. See panel upgrades.
After Beryl, I can't be without power for days again — what backup do I need?
For whole-home backup, a standby generator with an automatic transfer switch keeps your home running without you touching a thing during the storm. We size it to your home, install it, permit it, and service it. See whole-home generators.
Are you licensed, and do you stand behind the work?
Yes — TDLR EC #EECELE00037785, a licensed master electrician with 27+ years of experience. Permits and inspection are handled on every job, the work is NEC-2023 code-compliant, and it's backed by a workmanship warranty.
Get a quote — no obligation, no pressure.
Tell us about the job in a few fields and we'll get back to you, usually with a same-day callback. Every quote comes with a workmanship warranty and our permits-and-inspection-included promise — so there's nothing to lose by getting the real number before you decide.
No obligation, no pressure
Permits & inspection handled
Workmanship warranty