Rewiring an older Long Island house runs from about $3,800 for clearing out the knob and tube you can reach to $28,000 for a full rewire with a new panel and the PSEG work that comes with it. Those are Long Island Electric Co.’s 2026 ranges. Square footage, plaster walls and whether the panel goes too decide where a house lands.
Rewiring prices in Nassau and Suffolk
| Scope | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Partial rewire, accessible knob and tube in the attic and basement, walls left closed | $3,800 to $6,500 | Long Island Electric Co., Jun 2026 |
| Full rewire, 1,000 to 1,500 sq ft, panel stays | $8,000 to $13,000 | Long Island Electric Co., Jun 2026 |
| Full rewire, 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft, panel stays | $12,000 to $18,000 | Long Island Electric Co., Jun 2026 |
| Full rewire plus a 200 amp panel, 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft | $16,000 to $24,000 | Long Island Electric Co., Jun 2026 |
| Full rewire, panel and PSEG coordination | $18,000 to $28,000 | Long Island Electric Co., Jun 2026 |
| Drywall patch | $180 to $650 per opening | Long Island Electric Co., 2026 price page |
| Permit, full rewire or addition | $300 and up | Haines Electric, Lido Beach, Aug 2025 |
Long Island Electric Co. also lists asbestos abatement as a cost that varies from job to job.
The kinds of old wiring in Long Island houses
Knob and tube. Single wires run on ceramic knobs and through ceramic tubes, with air around them and no ground wire. Long Island Electric Co. dates it to roughly 1880 to 1945 and says the most is left in pre-war Nassau, in Hempstead, Garden City, Mineola and the Five Towns, and in the older parts of Huntington, Amityville and Patchogue. It depends on air to shed heat, so insulation blown in over it is a problem.
Cloth covered cable. Long Island Electric Co. says Capes, Colonials and Tudors built on the Island before 1960 often still have cloth insulated wiring or knob and tube.
Aluminum branch wiring. CPSC says aluminum was used in new houses, additions and rewired circuits from about 1965 to the mid 1970s, and that a house built before 1965 is unlikely to have it. Its national survey found pre-1972 aluminum wired homes were 55 times more likely than copper wired homes to have at least one outlet connection reach fire hazard conditions. Warning signs are warm switch plates or outlet covers, flickering lights, circuits that stop working and a smell of burning plastic.
Two prong outlets. These have no ground. Long Island Electric Co. points out that anything with a three prong plug counts on a ground path that those outlets do not have. Ohmega Electric in Shirley adds that houses more than a couple of decades old may not have GFCI protection everywhere current code expects it.
Partial or full rewire
A partial rewire takes out the knob and tube an electrician can reach from the attic and basement without opening finished walls. Long Island Electric Co. says that is sometimes accepted by insurers and will satisfy a lender in a pinch, but it recommends a full rewire for long term insurance coverage and safety.
For aluminum, CPSC ranks complete replacement with copper first. It also accepts pigtailing short copper leads onto the aluminum with COPALUM crimp connectors, installed only by electricians trained by the manufacturer, or with AlumiConn connectors as an alternative, which CPSC notes have less long term history.
Your insurance company may decide the timing
Long Island Electric Co. says some New York carriers have stopped writing or renewing policies on homes with active knob and tube, and that policies they do write often exclude electrical fires caused by it. It says that in 2024 and 2025 carriers asked owners for an electrician’s certification and gave 30 to 60 days to take active circuits out. Call your own carrier and ask what paperwork it wants at the end, so the electrician can give you that document.
How a rewire happens with people living there
Long Island Electric Co. says the new cable is fished through the existing wall cavities with flexible drill bits and fish tape, so most walls get small openings, not demolition. The attic and basement are done in the open. It quotes 5 to 10 working days for the wiring in a whole house, plus patching and the inspection, and 2 to 3 weeks for larger homes. Partial rewires do not mean moving out, and on whole house jobs one zone can often stay live at a time. Plan on your own painter after the drywall patching.
The permit is part of the job
Haines Electric says Nassau towns and incorporated villages require permits for this kind of work, filed by a licensed master electrician registered with that town or village, and lists permit fees of $300 and up for full rewires. Long Island Electric Co. advises never accepting a rewire quote that does not show the permit as a line item, since unpermitted work leaves no inspection record and can cause trouble when the house is sold.
Warning signs ESFI lists for older wiring
The Electrical Safety Foundation (ESFI) recommends a full electrical inspection for any house 40 or more years old, for houses 10 or more years old that have had major renovations or new major appliances, and for every newly bought house. Its list of warning signs includes cut or cracked wire insulation, frequent tripping, buzzing or sizzling, and any shock or tingle from a switch or appliance.
Questions that sort out rewire quotes
- Is this a partial or full rewire, and which rooms and circuits are included?
- How many wall and ceiling openings do you expect, and who patches them?
- Is the permit a line item, and will I get the inspection certificate for my insurer?
- Will the panel stay, and if so, is it big enough for the new circuits?
- If there is aluminum wiring, which repair method are you using?
- How long will each part of the house be without power?
Rewire red flags
A quote with no permit on it. A plan to cover aluminum connections with twist-on connectors or CO/ALR outlets and call it done; CPSC treats those as temporary at best. A promise to clear up an insurance problem with a partial rewire before you have asked the insurer what it accepts.