ASL
When your main panel is out of breaker spaces, or the circuits you need are far from it, a subpanel is often the cleanest solution. ASL Electric installs subpanels in garages, workshops, additions, ADUs, detached buildings and businesses across Orange County, sized correctly, fed properly and inspected.
A subpanel adds spaces and puts circuits closer to where you use them. It does not add capacity to your home's electrical service. That is why every subpanel we install starts with a load calculation: we confirm your service can support what you plan to add, and if it cannot, we explain your options before you spend money on the wrong fix.
Subpanels we install
⚡Garage and workshop subpanels
Room for shop circuits, lighting, 240V tools and EV charging, right where you need them.
⚡ADU and addition subpanels
A subpanel to serve an accessory dwelling unit, garage conversion or room addition, sized to its loads.
⚡Detached buildings
Feeders and subpanels for detached garages, studios, workshops and pool houses, with the grounding a separate structure requires.
⚡Kitchen and remodel subpanels
When a remodel adds many new circuits, a nearby subpanel can simplify the wiring.
⚡Commercial subpanels
Distribution panels for tenant spaces, equipment areas and building expansions.
⚡Subpanel replacement
Replacement of old or problem subpanels, including Federal Pacific and Zinsco units.
Signs a subpanel may be the answer
A subpanel usually makes sense when:
- Your main panel has no open breaker spaces
- The new circuits are far from the main panel
- You are building an ADU, addition or detached garage
- Your garage or workshop needs several new circuits
- A remodel adds many circuits in one area
- Someone suggested tandem breakers to squeeze circuits in
- You want a shutoff close to the space it serves
- Your existing subpanel is old or a problem brand
Why it has to be done right
A subpanel needs a correctly sized feeder and breaker, and its neutral and ground must be kept separate, unlike the main panel. Detached buildings need their own grounding electrode. Mistakes here can leave metal parts energized during a fault or cause overheating. And because a subpanel does not add capacity, adding one to an already loaded service can lead to nuisance trips or an overloaded service. Doing the load calculation and the installation to code avoids both problems.
Recent work by our electricians
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Real ASL Electric jobs in Orange County homes and businesses.
How we install a subpanel
Load calculation
We confirm your service can support the new loads, and recommend a service upgrade or load management when it cannot.
Feeder and location
We size the feeder and breaker for the subpanel and plan the route and mounting location for clearance and access.
Neutral, ground and bonding
We separate neutral and ground at the subpanel, and add a grounding electrode for detached buildings as code requires.
Permit, label, inspect
We pull the permit, label every circuit and pass inspection.
Options when your panel is full
Subpanel
More spaces, closer to the loads, when the service has capacity.
Panel replacement
A larger panel with more spaces, same service size.
Service upgrade
More capacity for EV chargers, remodels and new appliances.
Load management
Smart devices that share capacity between large loads to avoid an upgrade.
Subpanel or panel upgrade?
A subpanel is the right answer when your service has capacity but your panel has run out of spaces, or when circuits are far from the main panel. A panel or service upgrade is the right answer when the service itself is too small for your loads.
The load calculation tells you which one you need. Sometimes the answer is both: a larger service plus a subpanel in the garage or ADU.
Subpanels for ADUs
Many ADUs are fed from a subpanel off the main house panel. Some need a separate meter instead, depending on the size of the ADU, the loads and the local rules. We help you decide early in the design process. See our ADU electrical page for more.
“Cory from ASL came to our house to provide a more precise estimate for our project. Unfortunately, we do not have enough room in the electric panel to add another 240v breaker. He told us the bad news even though that means no business for ASL. He also shared his honest opinions on what we could do and did not charge us the fee for his visit.”
What affects the cost of a subpanel
The main factors are the subpanel size, the distance from the main panel, the feeder size and route (attic, wall, trench or conduit), whether the building is detached, the number of new circuits, any main panel work needed, wall patching, and permit requirements. We give you a free, written estimate after checking the panel and the route.
How it works with ASL Electric
We run a load calculation and plan the subpanel location and feeder route.
You get a written price, including any main panel work needed.
We install the subpanel, label the circuits and pass inspection.
Subpanel Installation across Orange County
We install subpanels throughout Orange County, most often in garages and workshops in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Tustin and Huntington Beach, and for ADUs and garage conversions in Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin. Older homes in these cities often have smaller panels with few open spaces, while their owners are adding EV chargers, workshops and living space.
If your main panel is a Federal Pacific or Zinsco, we will tell you, since adding a subpanel to one of those is not a good long-term plan.