Do you really need a 200A panel for your EV?
Load calculations beat assumptions. A CEC Article 220 walkthrough that often saves homeowners a full service upgrade.
The assumption that costs people $8,000
Most homeowners are told they need a 200A service to add a Level 2 EV charger. Often that's wrong. CEC Article 220.83 lets us do an actual load calculation on the existing panel using measured demand or the standard method, and many 100A and 125A services have headroom for a 40A or 48A charger without any service change.
When an upgrade actually is required
If you're adding an EV charger plus a heat pump plus an induction range plus a heat pump water heater on a 100A service, the math usually does push you to 200A. Sequencing matters — we plan the full electrification roadmap up front so you don't pay for a panel upgrade twice.
Load management as an alternative
Smart load management devices like the DCC-12, SimpleSwitch, or NeoCharge let you add a charger without a service upgrade by dynamically reducing charge rate when other large loads are active. For some homeowners that's a $1,500 device instead of a $9,000 service change.
Planning a project like this?
We'll scope the work, model the rebates, and put a real number on it.