Electrical Meter Upgrade in Chicago

• Service upgrade from 100 or 150 to 200 amps — see [200-amp electrical service](/services/chicago/200-amp-electrical-service-chicago)
• Service upgrade to 400/320 amps for larger homes — see [400-amp electrical service](/services/chicago/400-amp-electrical-service-chicago)
• Damaged or obsolete meter socket — burn damage, corrosion, cracked cover, sun-degraded polycarbonate
• Vehicle impact — car hit the meter, wall damage
• Storm and weather damage — tree strike, ice damage, water intrusion
• Two-flat or three-flat metering reconfiguration — combining into single service, splitting into separately metered units
• Solar panel installation with net-metering meter requirements
• Meter socket flagged during inspection or ComEd service audit
• ADU or coach house requiring separate metering from the main home

If your service upgrade is on our books, meter socket upgrade is built into the scope. If it's a standalone socket replacement — often storm damage or ComEd compliance — we handle it directly.

Standard for most single-family homes. A 200-amp single-position meter socket mounted on the exterior wall, fed from the overhead or underground service drop, feeding the main panel inside.

For large homes, mansions, or properties with two 200-amp panels. A 400-amp continuous-rated socket that can feed two 200-amp mains.

Multi-meter socket configurations for separately metered units. Common in Chicago two-flats, three-flats, and six-flats. Each unit has its own meter and its own service to its own panel. See our [two-flat electrician page](/services/chicago/two-flat-electrician-chicago).

Chicago-area ComEd often requires ringless sockets (no meter ring, integrated cover). This differs from some suburban utilities. We install to current ComEd Book of Standards.

Homes with overhead service have a weatherhead and mast carrying the service drop. Homes with underground service have a buried lateral feeding the socket from a pad-mounted or vault-mounted transformer. Each has different installation requirements.

Key requirements we address on every meter upgrade:

• Meter socket on an approved manufacturer list per ComEd Book of Standards
• Proper continuous rating for the service size
• Mounted at code-compliant height — typically 4 to 6 feet above grade
• Proper working clearance around the meter
• Grounding electrode system sized for the service — ground rods, water pipe bond
• Bonding of neutral and ground at the main disconnect
• Conduit size and type per Chicago Electrical Code
• Sealed conduit penetrations where weather intrusion is a concern

For a deeper look at the full service upgrade scope, see our [electrical panel upgrade page](/services/chicago/electrical-panel-upgrade-chicago) and [panel upgrade cost guide](/services/chicago/cost-guides/cost-panel-upgrade-chicago).

• On-site assessment of existing meter socket, service entrance, and panel
• ComEd service application submitted with service size and scope
• Permit pulled through the Chicago Department of Buildings
• ComEd disconnect scheduled for the day of installation
• Work performed: old socket removed, new socket installed, service entrance re-pulled or reused, grounding upgraded
• Chicago electrical inspection by a City inspector
• ComEd energization once the City releases the permit
• Post-work clean-up and documentation

For a single-family home, the total project — application to energized — is typically two to four weeks, most of it waiting on ComEd scheduling. Actual on-site work is usually one to two days.

Chicago two-flats and three-flats often need metering reconfiguration during an upgrade. Common scenarios:

• Converting a shared common-area meter to separately metered units
• Adding a meter for a newly renovated coach house
• Combining stacked metering into a clean multi-meter bank
• Separating overlapping circuits between units

This work requires coordination between the electrician, ComEd engineering, and sometimes the tenants if work affects service continuity. We manage all three.