Brentwood's panel-upgrade conversation is different from the rest of East Contra Costa. Most of the city's newer housing — Trilogy at the Vineyards, Brentwood Hills, Shadow Lakes, Apple Hill — was built with modern 200A panels that rarely need replacement. The panel upgrades happen in two specific places: the older downtown core (pre-1990 homes with original 100A service, occasional FPE and Zinsco panels), and the pre-generator "heavy-up" — a growing category as homeowners planning a whole-house Generac or Kohler standby discover their existing 100A service can't handle the transfer switch and generator load. Can Do It Electrical connects Brentwood homeowners with vetted licensed electricians who do this work every week. Work is performed by independent licensed contractors, permits pulled with Contra Costa County.
This is the category that's grown fastest in Brentwood over the last two PSPS cycles. Homeowner decides to install a whole-house generator. Sizing conversation lands on a 20-24 kW Generac or Kohler unit. Load calculation reveals the existing 100A service (common in original downtown Brentwood homes) can't safely handle both the generator's transfer switch and the whole-house load during a PSPS event.
The fix is a 100A → 200A service upgrade before or during the generator install. Doing them in the same project saves about $800-$1,500 versus two separate visits — same permit cycle, same PG&E coordination, same electrician on site. Most Brentwood homeowners running through this scope find the combined project makes the generator install possible in a single 3-4 week window instead of stretching across two.
See our 5-minute Federal Pacific identification check for the homeowner walkthrough. The pattern is the same in Brentwood.
Brentwood panel work permits through Contra Costa County Building Inspection (the City of Brentwood contracts building inspection to the County). Residential panel-upgrade permit turnaround is typically a few business days. PG&E handles the temporary service disconnect and reconnect for the panel swap — currently 1-2 weeks out for residential scheduling.
The licensed electrician coordinates all of this. The homeowner does not call PG&E or the County. If you're planning a generator install alongside the panel work, one permit application often covers both scopes.
Total power-off time on the work day is usually 4-8 hours. Permit and inspection cycle wraps a week or two later.
If you're pairing this with a whole-house generator install or an EV charger install, the combined project usually saves $800-$1,500 versus separate visits.
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