Service Area
Residential Electrician in San Luis Obispo Owner-operated by Adam Keif
I live and work in San Luis Obispo. Every job is done by me personally, no subcontractors, no handoffs. C-10 licensed, insured, free estimates.
California C-10 #1152084 · Insured · Based in SLO
Electrical work I handle in San Luis Obispo
I'm Adam Keif, a C-10 licensed residential electrician based in San Luis Obispo, and I run Keif Electric myself. The person who gives you the estimate is the same person who does the work. One estimate, one point of contact, from the first look to the final inspection.
When a panel runs out of room or starts tripping, I handle panel upgrades and service replacements. I install Level 2 EV chargers and confirm your panel can carry the load before I quote. I take care of recessed and custom lighting, troubleshooting and repair when something has quit or won't stay on, and full wiring for new construction and remodels. If it's in a home in San Luis Obispo, it's what I do.
Older homes, newer loads
San Luis Obispo has a wide spread of housing, and the wiring usually matches the neighborhood. The older homes downtown and up around Foothill were built for a fraction of today's electrical load, and a lot of them are rentals. Laguna Lake and the mid-century tracts sit in between. Head out toward Edna Valley and you get larger lots and rural properties with their own needs. Newer construction toward the edges of town starts with more capacity.
The electrical reality is that a lot of these homes were wired for a fraction of what a modern household draws. A 100-amp service was generous in its day. Add an EV charger, a heat pump, an induction range, and a home office, and it isn't. Some older panels are worth replacing on safety grounds alone, Federal Pacific and Zinsco in particular have known failure histories.
I check what's actually there before quoting, so you find out what the job costs before it starts, not after.
Common reasons homeowners call me
Most of my calls sound like one of these:
- The breakers keep tripping, or one won't reset.
- Lights flicker or dim when the AC or the microwave kicks on.
- The panel is full and there's no room to add a circuit.
- You need a dedicated circuit for a new appliance, a hot tub, or a workshop.
- You're putting in an EV charger and aren't sure the panel can handle it.
- You want outlets, a ceiling fan, or GFCI protection added in a kitchen, bath, or garage.
- You're remodeling and the wiring needs to come up to code.
None of these are unusual. If one of them sounds like your house, that's a normal reason to call.
How I work
I come look at the job before quoting anything more than a simple service call. You get a written price before work begins, and that price is the price.
Permits and inspections are part of the job, not an extra. Inside city limits that means the City of San Luis Obispo Building and Safety Division. I handle the filing and the scheduling.
Why San Luis Obispo homeowners hire Keif Electric
- I'm actually here. Not a crew dispatched from another town. I live in San Luis Obispo, and the person who quotes your job is the person who does it.
- Homes are my specialty. Residential wiring is what I do day in and day out, so your project gets my full attention.
- One person, start to finish. No subcontractors, no handoffs, no explaining what you already explained to somebody else.
Do I need a permit for electrical work in San Luis Obispo?
For panel upgrades, new circuits, EV charger installs, and ADU wiring, yes. Inside city limits that goes through the City of San Luis Obispo Building and Safety Division at 919 Palm Street. If your address is in an unincorporated part of the county, it goes through SLO County instead, at 1585 Kansas Avenue. I figure out which one applies to your address and handle the filing and inspection scheduling.
Are there rebates for EV charger installation in San Luis Obispo?
Usually, yes. Most of San Luis Obispo is in 3CE territory, and their Electrify Your Ride program covers Level 2 chargers, installation, and the electrical work needed to get ready for one. PG&E runs its own residential charging rebates on top of that. The federal tax credit for EV chargers ended on June 30, 2026, so that one is no longer available.
Amounts and eligibility windows change, sometimes more than once a year, so I'd rather tell you what's actually current when you call than post a number here that goes stale.
My house is older. Can the panel handle an EV charger?
Depends what's in there. Plenty of older San Luis Obispo homes are still on 100-amp service, which may or may not have room depending on what else it's feeding. Some panels need replacing before anything else happens, especially older Federal Pacific and Zinsco equipment. I check the panel and do the load calculation before quoting, so the number you get includes whatever the job actually needs.
Do you work on rental properties?
Yes. San Luis Obispo has a lot of rental housing and a lot of owners who don't live locally. I document the work so you have a record. Unpermitted electrical work is a real liability on a rental, so I permit what needs permitting.
Where are you based?
San Luis Obispo. That's my home and my service area, and I cover Paso Robles, Atascadero, Templeton, Santa Margarita, Morro Bay, Los Osos, and the surrounding county from here.
Free estimates
in San Luis Obispo.
Free estimates. California C-10 licensed and insured. Owner-operated by Adam.