I didn’t want to walk over Trapper’s thread about his electrical woes but it got me to thinking about a potential issue I have and what I have to do to rectify it.

We bought a home in the mountains of NC last fall that has 2 conventional heat pumps (both zoned) and a mini-split system, also zoned. Of course it has a bunch of circuits and the 200 amp panel is completely full. In the recent past the previous owner added about 720 square feet to the house and that added several circuits. We will be there full time this August with several family members and I’m sure the electrical system will be taxed.

Once we closed on the house I realized that things weren’t the best electrically and set about to convert as much of the lighting to led’s as possible to reduce the load. We are also in the process of replacing at least one of the hvac systems as the compressor crapped out and since it is original to the house and installed on 2006 it makes more sense to upgrade it.

I am seriously thinking of getting a EV for one of our vehicles and would need to install a 240V circuit to do that but I’m sure that the panel can’t handle it.

So my question to the SF hive is what should I expect to pay to increase the electrical service to 400 amps (2, 200 amp panels). Is upgrading the service line from the utility company usually required? When we were building homes of this size 400 amp service was standard.

Get estimates from at least three electrical contractors from the area. No way to guess from Colorado. It's not going to be an inexpensive proposition to do that for certain. No telling about whether the service drop from the utility would need to be upgraded until their engineering department evaluates that. Definitely changes if it's underground or overhead and where the meter is located.

quote:

Once we closed on the house I realized that things weren’t the best electrically

Was the house inspector worried about the panel?

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

Once we closed on the house I realized that things weren’t the best electrically

Was the house inspector worried about the panel?

It was not in his report but then again several things were missed…

If this is a guessing game, mine is $10k.
What is the prize for the wining guess?

A genuine 400 amp service is going to be expensive . The largest self contained single phase meter is going to be limited to 320 amps . To meter a 400 amp service will require current transformers in a separate cabinet and some other odds and ends .Talk to your power company and see what your options are .

Will need to upgrade feed from power co. They may have a charge.

Not knowing exactly what local codes are requiring, ORC's 10K may be a good SWAG (scientific wild ass guess).

Have you done a load calculation according to NEC Article 220? The number of circuits and the amount of panel fill has nothing to do with the sizing requirements of your service. Unless your house is all electric, has a pool and a hot tub, and you also want to charge a couple of cars, all at the same time, it is unlikely that you are taxing a 200a service.

I would suggest you have an electrician do an actual load calculation for your property. If you wish to get an idea for yourself, you can use this online calculator here.

I recently had to upgrade my meter main. Parts and labor came to 3k.