Menlo Park Electrical Company handles the full range of electrical work for homes and commercial properties across Menlo Park and San Mateo County. Whether you need a tripped breaker diagnosed, an aging panel replaced, or a new EV charger circuit run to your garage, the work gets scoped on the call and scheduled when it suits you. Simple booking. Clear pricing. Safe, solid wiring. We cover repairs, installations, upgrades, and inspections, and the scope of the electrical work is priced before it starts so you know what you are agreeing to. Call and we'll handle the lights, outlets, and panel.
Electrical work like this comes up more than people expect, and the calls tend to follow a familiar pattern: a light that flickers without explanation, an outlet that stopped working, a breaker that trips every time a particular appliance runs, or a section of the house that has simply lost power. These are the jobs that need a real diagnosis, not a guess.
We work through the circuit from the panel outward, looking at the load, the connections, and the protection devices. GFCI outlets protect against shock in wet areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and garages. AFCI breakers detect the arc-fault conditions that cause electrical fires inside walls. When either type is failing or was never installed where it should be, we identify it and explain what correcting it involves before any work is scheduled.
Outlet and switch work falls in the same category. Replacing a standard outlet with a GFCI outlet, installing a dimmer switch, adding a USB outlet to a kitchen or home office, these are quick jobs on their own but they matter when they are done correctly and wired to code. Residential homeowners and commercial tenants call for the same repairs, and we handle both. You get a straight answer about the work before it is scheduled. Reach out and we'll get it diagnosed.
An older panel that cannot handle the electrical load in a modern home is one of the most common reasons people call. A 100-amp service that made sense decades ago does not accommodate EV chargers, high-draw appliances, and the general increase in electrical demand that comes with a renovated home. We handle panel replacement, 100-amp to 200-amp upgrades, and service-entrance and meter upgrades where the utility connection itself needs to be brought up to current capacity.
Load calculations matter here. Sizing a new panel correctly means accounting for what is already running and what will be added, not just swapping one box for another. Subpanel installation is part of this work too, whether the need is a detached garage, a workshop, a home addition, or a large commercial space that requires a separate distribution point. Commercial panel upgrades follow the same process: scope the load, confirm the upgrade path, price it on the call before anything is scheduled. One call is enough to get the visit booked.
Good electrical work is not complicated, it is just done right, and that holds especially true for wiring work in older homes. A significant portion of the housing stock in Menlo Park and the surrounding communities was built when knob-and-tube wiring was standard. That wiring was not designed for the electrical loads a modern home places on it, and it is not compatible with the insulation methods used in current renovations. We handle full knob-and-tube replacement, aluminum wiring remediation, and whole-home rewiring where the existing wiring needs to come out entirely.
Dedicated circuits are a separate but related category. A dryer, a range, a dishwasher, and a refrigerator each need their own circuit to run safely. A 240-volt circuit for a large appliance, a 20-amp circuit for a home office, a dedicated line for a garage freezer, these are jobs we handle as standalone calls or as part of a larger wiring project. Grounding and bonding are part of bringing older wiring up to current standards, and we address both as part of any rewiring scope. Wiring for home additions, converted garages, workshops, and sheds all follows the same process: the scope is explained before work begins, and honest recommendations on repairs, never an upsell, is how we approach every call. Leave the breakers to us.
Not every electrician works the same way, and lighting installation is a good example of where the details matter. Recessed lighting requires careful placement, proper housing for the insulation contact rating of the ceiling, and clean wiring back to a switch or dimmer. Retrofit recessed lights in an existing ceiling involve working around what is already there. Under-cabinet lighting in a kitchen needs to be wired to a switched circuit rather than run off an outlet that something else is already using. We handle all of it, from a single fixture replacement to a full room lighting plan.
Outdoor lighting covers a different set of requirements. Landscape lighting, security lighting, and weatherproof outdoor outlets all need to be wired with the right materials for exposure to the elements. We install outdoor fixtures, run conduit where the installation requires it, and make sure outdoor outlets are GFCI-protected as code requires.
Ceiling fan installation and replacement are among the more common calls we take. A fan that is going in where there was no fan before needs a rated ceiling box and a switched circuit, and sometimes a new wire run if the existing switch loop was not wired for a separate fan and light control. Smoke detector wiring, hardwired carbon monoxide detectors, and bathroom exhaust fan wiring round out this category. For commercial clients, we handle office and retail lighting installation as part of tenant improvement work or standalone upgrades.
Scheduling a service call is simple, and for EV charger installation it starts with a conversation about what the panel can support. A Level 2 home EV charger runs on a 240-volt dedicated circuit, typically 40 to 50 amps. If the panel has capacity, the circuit goes in cleanly. If the panel is already loaded, the charger installation and a panel upgrade get scoped together so everything is sized correctly from the start.
Whole-home surge protection works at the panel level, catching voltage spikes before they reach the outlets and the equipment plugged into them. Electronics, appliances, and HVAC equipment are all vulnerable to surges from the utility or from a nearby lightning strike, and a panel-mounted surge protector covers the whole house rather than relying on individual power strips.
Backup generator hookups and transfer switch installation let a standby generator connect to the home's electrical system safely, without back-feeding the utility lines. We wire the transfer switch, connect the generator circuit, and confirm the critical loads are covered. Hot tub wiring and spa electrical hookups follow a similar process: a dedicated 240-volt circuit, a disconnect within sight of the unit, and GFCI protection at the breaker. We test every circuit. We label every breaker. We leave it safe. The work area is left as it was found, and the job is done when the circuit is confirmed working. One call is enough to get the visit booked.
Property managers, office tenants, retail operators, and building owners in Menlo Park call for the same core electrical work that homeowners need, just on a different scale. Commercial electrical repair covers the same fault conditions: dead circuits, failing outlets, lighting that is not performing, panels that are at capacity. Tenant improvement electrical work adds a layer of coordination, because the scope often has to fit inside a build-out schedule.
We handle commercial wiring, commercial outlet installation, commercial panel upgrades, and commercial lighting installation. Electrical safety inspections for commercial properties, including pre-purchase inspections for buyers evaluating a building, are part of what we cover. Pricing and scope are explained before any work is scheduled, so there are no open questions about what the visit covers when we arrive.
An electrical safety inspection covers the panel, the wiring, the outlets, the grounding, and the protection devices throughout the home. Arc-fault and ground-fault breakers are evaluated as part of the inspection findings, and any conditions that do not meet current code are documented and explained. A pre-purchase inspection follows the same process and gives a buyer a clear picture of what the electrical system looks like before the sale closes.
What a caller can expect from the visit: a methodical walk through the system, a written account of what was found, and a plain explanation of what each finding means in practical terms. Inspection cost is discussed on the call before anything is booked.
Menlo Park is the center of our service area, and we cover the surrounding communities throughout San Mateo County and into the adjacent areas. Palo Alto, Atherton, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, Portola Valley, and Woodside are all within the area we regularly serve. If you are not sure whether your address falls within our range, a quick call will confirm it.
We are available at any hour, any day, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Electrical faults do not wait for business hours, and neither do we. Emergency calls for no power, sparking outlets, a panel that has stopped responding, or any condition that needs immediate attention are taken around the clock. When you call, the job gets scoped on the phone so you know what to expect before anyone arrives.
Common questions about cost come up on nearly every call: what does a panel upgrade run, how is rewiring priced, what does EV charger installation cost, what is the going rate for outlet installation. The honest answer is that the price depends on the scope, and the scope gets worked out on the call before anything is scheduled.
We do not quote blind. The conversation covers what the job involves, what access is needed, and what the work will address. That is when the price is set. Local coverage. Safe wiring. Costs explained before we start. If you want to know how a particular job is priced, call and ask. The answer comes from someone who knows the trade and can scope the work, not from a form.
Once the job is scoped and priced on the call, we confirm the visit details before ending the conversation. You will know what the work involves, what it costs, and what time to expect us.
If anything needs to change before the visit, a call to (650) 614-5391 is all it takes.
Write down which circuit or area is affected, what the symptom looks like, and whether anything changed recently, such as a new appliance, a renovation, or a storm. That context helps us scope the job accurately on the call and give you a rate without needing a separate site visit just to assess the situation.
The call is answered by someone who knows the trade and can scope the job on the phone. They will ask the right questions to understand what is happening and get the visit arranged. Emergency calls are answered around the clock, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
When you book, the scope, the price, and the visit details are all confirmed on the call. You know what the job involves and what to expect before anyone shows up. If there are any updates before the visit, we reach out before arriving.
We start with what you called about and work from there. If we find something else in the course of the work, we explain it separately and let you decide whether to address it. Honest recommendations on repairs, never an upsell, is how we approach every call.
Calls are answered around the clock, any day of the week. For urgent situations, we take short-notice work and will check the schedule for the earliest opening. Ask what the schedule allows when you call and we will give you a straight answer about availability.
Menlo Park Electrical Company covers repairs, panel upgrades, rewiring, lighting, EV chargers, generator hookups, and electrical inspections across Menlo Park and San Mateo County. We are available around the clock, every day of the week, for both scheduled work and urgent electrical calls.
Call (650) 614-5391 to get a quote or book a service call.
Whether it is a tripped breaker tonight or a panel upgrade next week, the scope and the price are settled on the call. Reach out and we'll get it diagnosed.
(650) 614-5391