All Electric Homes Require Big Utility Service
Clients can be surprised at the size of electric service they need for their custom home build, particularly if they want, or have, to go all electric. Gone are the days when a 100amp or 200amp service would easily handle a clients electric loads. The cost to upgrade your utility service from 400 amps to 600 amps or more can be quite a shock, so it’s best to plan ahead and thoroughly think through your load calculations and load shedding strategy. This is something that need’s to be determined as early as possible, as lead times for the utility to actually upgrade the service can be 1-2 years.
So how much power do you actually need for your new custom home? Well, that depends on your load schedules and that starts with understanding what appliances are being installed. That gas stove and cooktop that’s now electric? Minimum 30 amps, 50 amps if a double oven. Want an induction cooktop? Add another 40 amps. EV Charger? If it’s a fast charger, that’s up to 80 amps. Electric water heater? 20 amps each and many custom homes have 2. Already we are at 180 amps without including lighting, outlets and other critical items. Electric radiant floor heating? Replacing HVAC with Heat Pumps? Pool pumps and heaters? Refrigerators and freezers? Building an ADU as part of the build? Lot’s to think about.
This is what we do. We help you and your clients plan and think ahead, quite far ahead. On the bubble between a 600amp and 800 amp service? We can help you determine the best ways to keep the service under 600 amps, as 800 amp service requires 3 phase service and opens a whole new can of worms.
We came across this short 8 minute video which shows and talks about a 600 amp service and what goes into it. Hope you enjoy it.