In most cases, with QuitCarbon's expert assistance, homes with 100-amp main service can still switch to all-electric appliances!
If your electrical panel is powered by at least 100 amps of service and your home is under 2,500 square feet, you can usually electrify your home without having to increase your service. All it takes is some upfront planning, and QuitCarbon can help.
Related: How to find your main electrical service
In addition to saving you money, making choices to electrify on your existing service is both grid-friendly and neighborhood-friendly. It allows more people to electrify their homes more quickly and affordably.
Here are some ways to cut down on your home’s power consumption and save you the cost of a service upgrade:
- Choose energy-efficient appliances and smart devices. We can help you choose them.
- Circuit-sharing smart splitters and smart panels can help you better manage the energy loads in your home.
- 15-amp, 240-volt or 120-volt heat pump water heaters require less power than their 30-amp counterparts.
- Likewise, some heat pump clothes dryers have lower power requirements. Washer/dryer combos are another great energy-saving option.
- For heating and cooling, variable speed heat pumps are not only less energy-hungry, they also do a better job of keeping indoor temperatures consistent.
- If you drive an EV, setting your charger to 16 amps still offers fast enough charging for most households, opt for a power-smart EV charger, or one that pauses its power consumption while other appliances are running.
But before you break out the bubbly, there are sometimes good reasons to upsize your electrical panel.
More amps means more juice to power all your appliances and devices. Homeowners love having the flexibility to choose their appliances—and when and how they’re used.
A panel upsize is also an insurance policy: it equips your home for unforeseen electrical demands or expansions and remodeling projects, for you or a future occupant.
In cases where the existing electrical equipment is damaged, unsafe, or just obsolete, upsizing may be unavoidable.
It's also possible that you can remain on 100 amps of service, but just upsize your main panel or install a new subpanel to accommodate new breakers and circuits for your new electric appliances.
The cost of upsizing an electrical panel averages $3,000 - $5,000, or sometimes more if the new panel requires other electrical upgrades.
QuitCarbon’s Upgrade Plan takes the guesswork out of home electrification. Ask us how.
Additional reading: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/yes-its-possible-to-electrify-a-home-on-just-100-amps