Case Studies: Costs for Decarbonizing Existing Single-family Homes

Most homes do not use the majority of their panel capacity, leaving significant room for homes to upgrade to all electric appliances without upsizing their panel. If a home is under 2,000 square feet a 100 amp electrical panel should suffice and it is unlikely that an electrical panel needs an upgrade. Understanding what appliances work best for your panel size is essential in avoiding up to $5k in unnecessary electrical panel upgrades. Panel optimization favors power-efficient devices with low rated amps. Panel optimization also provides a roadmap for building owners and helps guide tradespeople.

Considerations

1. Have your electrification plan ready so you know how much panel amperage you are saving for each future need (heating, water heating, 240 V charging, cooking, drying).
2. Actively participate in device and appliance selection with the contractors.
3. Contractors will need to know the maximum nameplate amps or watts you are allocating for the device, and if the circuit is installed.
4. Install circuits and space for controls if needed.
5. Think of the EV as the “shock absorber” in the plan.
6. 120V charging is common.
7. Don’t put yourself into an expensive corner by picking incorrect equipment and not planning your electrification. You could end up upsizing your electrical panel when you do not need to.
8. Don’t wait until your water heater, furnace, dryer or cooktop fails to install circuits. Be proactive, pre-wire for electrification.
9. Don’t install power hogs, like 50-amp EV chargers.
10. Don’t oversize your HVAC equipment “just to be safe.”
11. Don’t undersize your heat pump water heater.

It is a good idea to get three quotes from different contractors. Here is what you can expect from them:

Example Written Estimate

Example Estimate Drawings

Example Electrical Panel Information