Full electrical service upgrades
Pure Home Electric offers full service upgrades - meter, mast & service cable - for homeowners throughout the St. Louis metro area. Licensed and insured.*24/7 emergency service available.
full electrical upgrades in st louis
Meter, Mast & Cable
Full Service Upgrades
Licensed, permitted, and done right the first time.
Your electrical service is everything between the utility’s power lines and your breaker panel. The meter base, the service mast, the weatherhead, the service entrance cables, and the grounding system all work together to deliver power from Ameren Missouri’s grid into your home. When any one of those components fails, wears out, or can’t handle the electrical load your household actually needs, the fix is a full service upgrade.
Pure Home Electric performs complete electrical service upgrades for homeowners throughout the St. Louis metro, including St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County. We replace meter bases, masts, weatherheads, and service entrance cables. We upgrade amperage from 100A to 200A. We coordinate directly with Ameren Missouri for meter disconnection and reconnection. And we handle every permit and inspection required by your local municipality.
24/7 emergency service is available for storm damage, failed service equipment, and other situations that can’t wait for a scheduled appointment. Call (314) 649-8687 any time.
St Louis Full Electrical Upgrade
What Is
Included
A service upgrade is not the same thing as a panel upgrade. A panel upgrade replaces only the breaker panel inside your home. A service upgrade replaces the equipment outside your home that connects your electrical system to the utility grid. Most full service upgrades include both, but not always.
A standard service upgrade from Pure Home Electric covers the following components:
Meter base. The meter base (also called the meter socket) is the enclosure mounted to the exterior of your home where Ameren installs the electric meter. Corrosion, water intrusion, cracked housings, and outdated jaw contacts are all common failure points. A new meter base must meet Ameren Missouri’s current approved metering equipment specifications.
Service mast and weatherhead. The mast is the vertical conduit that extends above your roofline to receive the service drop from the utility pole. The weatherhead sits on top of the mast and prevents rain from entering the conduit. Ice storms, high winds, and tree contact are the most common causes of mast damage in the St. Louis area. A damaged or leaning mast requires immediate attention because it can pull the service drop loose from the utility line attachment point.
Service entrance cables. These are the conductors that run from the weatherhead down through the mast, through the meter base, and into your breaker panel. On a 200A service, these are typically 2/0 or 4/0 aluminum conductors (the gauge depends on whether the installation is overhead or underground and on the conductor type). Old, undersized, or damaged service entrance cables are a fire hazard and a code violation.
Grounding system. Every service upgrade requires verification and often replacement of the grounding electrode system. This includes the ground rod (or rods), the grounding electrode conductor, and the bonding connection to the water main. Proper grounding is required under the National Electrical Code and is a non-negotiable part of every inspection.
Exterior emergency disconnect. Under the 2023 NEC (adopted by St. Louis City and St. Louis County in January 2025), service upgrades on one- and two-family dwellings now require an exterior emergency disconnecting means. This is a code change that affects every full service upgrade in the metro. Pure Home Electric installs these as part of the standard scope of work.
when is an upgrade needed
Signs You Need A
Full Service Upgrade
Some situations make the need obvious. A mast bent by a storm or a meter base with visible damage are emergencies. But many homes need a service upgrade for reasons that aren’t visible from the outside.
If your home still runs on a 100A service, you are operating on a system sized for a household that didn’t have central air conditioning, an electric dryer, a home office, an EV charger, or more than a handful of outlets per room. A 100A service was standard in homes built before the mid-1970s and was already marginal by the 1990s. Today, with heat pump systems, Level 2 EV chargers pulling 40A or more, and kitchens drawing heavy loads across multiple 20A circuits, 200A is the practical minimum for most St. Louis homes.
Other common triggers include insurance company requirements (some carriers flag homes with outdated service equipment), real estate transactions where the inspection reveals undersized or non-compliant service, and additions or remodels that push the home’s total electrical load beyond what the existing service can handle.
If you aren’t sure whether your home needs a service upgrade or just a panel replacement, we can assess that on a free estimate visit. The distinction matters because it affects scope, cost, and what Ameren needs to coordinate.
What’s Involved in a full service upgrade
Our Electrical Upgrade Service
Process
A service upgrade requires coordination between you, Pure Home Electric, your local building department, and Ameren Missouri. Here is the sequence from start to finish.
We start with an on-site assessment of your current service equipment. We check the existing amperage, the condition of the meter base and mast, the state of the service entrance cables and grounding system, and the panel. We also evaluate the total connected load and any planned additions (EV charger, generator, HVAC upgrade) that would affect sizing.
Once the scope is defined, we pull the required electrical permit from your municipality. Every jurisdiction in the St. Louis metro requires a permit for service upgrade work. St. Louis City, unincorporated St. Louis County, and individual municipalities within the county each have their own permitting process. We handle the application.
On installation day, we contact Ameren Missouri to schedule the meter pull. Ameren disconnects power, removes the meter, and our crew replaces the meter base, mast, weatherhead, service entrance cables, grounding system, and panel (if the scope includes panel replacement). We transfer all existing circuits to the new equipment and install the exterior emergency disconnect required under the 2023 NEC.
After installation, we schedule inspection with your local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). The inspector verifies that everything meets code: conductor sizing, grounding and bonding, clearances, weatherhead height, mast support, labeling, and the emergency disconnect installation. We stay on-site during inspection.
Once the job passes inspection, we contact Ameren to install the new meter and restore power. Ameren provides and installs the meter at no charge after our work passes inspection. Power is typically restored within one to two hours of the call.
Ameren Missouri Coordination
Every service upgrade in Ameren Missouri’s territory requires the utility to disconnect and reconnect the meter. This is not something a homeowner or electrician can do independently. Ameren owns the meter and the service drop from the pole to the weatherhead attachment point. Everything from the weatherhead down is the homeowner’s responsibility.
Pure Home Electric coordinates the entire Ameren process: scheduling the disconnect, ensuring the new meter base and service equipment meet Ameren’s current specifications, and calling for reconnection after inspection. We work with Ameren regularly and know their requirements, approved equipment lists, and scheduling timelines.
2023 NEC Code Changes That Affect Service Upgrades
St. Louis City and St. Louis County adopted the 2023 National Electrical Code in January 2025. Several changes in this edition directly affect service upgrade projects.
The most significant is the exterior emergency disconnect requirement (NEC 230.85). Any time service equipment is replaced on a one- or two-family dwelling, an emergency disconnecting means must be installed in a readily accessible outdoor location. There is an exception: if only the meter socket, service entrance conductors, or related raceways and fittings are replaced without changing the service equipment, the disconnect is not required. But on a full service upgrade where the panel is being replaced, the requirement applies.
Other 2023 NEC changes relevant to service work include mandatory surge protective devices (SPDs) on all new or replaced service panels, expanded GFCI protection for all kitchen receptacles, and broader AFCI requirements for living areas. Pure Home Electric includes code-compliant SPD installation as part of every service upgrade.
If your home is in Jefferson County or another jurisdiction that has not yet adopted the 2023 NEC, the applicable code edition may differ. We verify the current code requirements for your specific municipality before pulling the permit.
FAQs
Frequently Asked
Questions
What Does an Electrical Service Upgrade Cost?
Full service upgrades, which include the meter base, mast, weatherhead, service entrance cables, grounding, and a new 200A panel, typically cost between $2,500 and $5,000 for a standard residential installation in the St. Louis area. The range depends on several variables: overhead versus underground service, the condition of existing wiring, accessibility, whether the mast location needs to change, and the specific requirements of your municipality’s adopted NEC edition.
Homes with unusual conditions push costs higher. Knob-and-tube wiring that needs to be addressed before the panel can be energized, mast relocations that require new roof penetrations and flashing, or conversions from overhead to underground service all add to the scope. We provide a fixed price on every job before work begins. No hourly billing, no surprise charges after the meter is pulled.
If your service upgrade is part of a larger project (EV charger installation, generator hookup, whole-home rewire), bundling the work under a single permit and a single Ameren coordination cycle saves time and money versus doing it in stages.
Will Ameren charge me for the new meter?
No. Ameren Missouri provides and installs the electric meter at no charge after the service upgrade passes inspection. The homeowner is responsible for the meter base (the enclosure the meter plugs into), the mast, the weatherhead, the service entrance cables, and all other service equipment. Ameren owns and installs only the meter itself.
How long does an electrical service upgrade take?
Most standard service upgrades are completed in one day. Larger or more complex jobs (overhead-to-underground conversions, mast relocations, or homes that need significant rewiring before the new panel can be energized) may take two days. Your power will be off for part of the day while Ameren’s meter is out, but we schedule the work to minimize downtime.
Can I upgrade from 100 amps to 200 amps without replacing the meter and mast?
Not in most cases. A 100A meter base and 100A-rated service entrance cables cannot carry 200A loads. An amperage upgrade almost always requires a new meter base, new service entrance cables, and potentially a new mast if the existing one can’t support the larger conductors or doesn’t meet current code for height and attachment. The panel is also replaced as part of the upgrade.
What if my mast is damaged in a storm? Is that an emergency?
Yes. A damaged mast can pull the service drop loose, expose live conductors, or allow water into the service entrance. If your mast is visibly bent, leaning, or disconnected from the roofline, do not touch it. Call Ameren Missouri to report a downed or damaged service drop, and call Pure Home Electric at (314) 649-8687 for emergency mast and service equipment replacement. We offer 24/7 emergency service for exactly this situation.
