Guides + blog
The math, in plain English
Guides and explainers from a Master Electrician. The library runs 90+ posts - car guides, state pages, and NEC explainers - and this is the short list worth reading first.
Most homes with 200-amp service have room to add a 40-amp EV charger without a panel upgrade. NEC 220.83 - the section written for an existing home adding a load - applies demand factors to your actual connected loads, and in most cases the resulting demand leaves capacity for the charger circuit. Whether your home is in that majority depends on what you already have running. That is what the NEC 220.83(A) load calculation tells you (with 220.82 and three more methods shown as cross-checks). I charge $12.99 to run it on your panel.
Why most EVs do not need a panel upgrade
The NEC optional methods - 220.83 for existing homes, 220.82 for new services - give credit for what your home actually uses, not the worst case.
Reading your panel like an electrician
Find the main breaker, count the slots, learn what brand and amperage actually mean.
The 80 percent rule, in plain English
Why a 50A circuit only carries 40A continuous, and why that matters for EV chargers.
Picking the right Level 2 charger for your panel
Why 40A is enough for most homes, and when 48A is worth reaching for.
Permits, timelines, and what installs really cost
The permit is not optional - what it costs, how long it takes, and why it protects you.
NEC 220.83, the method for most existing homes
A step-by-step walkthrough of 220.83(A) and (B) - the load calculation that applies when you already have a panel and are just adding a charger.
Can a 48-amp charger go on a 100-amp panel?
The breaker question (NEC 625.41) and the service question (NEC 220.83(A)) are separate - and only one of them has a fixed answer.
What it costs to find out if your panel is ready
A free rough self-check, a $12.99 ChargeRight assessment, or a $150-$300 electrician visit - what each one actually buys you.
Is ChargeRight legitimate?
What the report contains, who built it, what it is not, and the refund policy - with links back to every page it is copied from.
ChargeRight vs. hiring an electrician
What a $12.99 assessment covers vs. what a licensed electrician's on-site visit covers, and why report-first-then-electrician works.
What's actually in an EV load calculation report
A section-by-section walkthrough of every part of a ChargeRight report - the verdict, the NEC method breakdown, the panel photo, the hazard check, the electrician checklist - and what each part cannot tell you.
How ChargeRight calculates your NEC load
The public calculation spec: every method the engine runs, how the binding method is chosen, the inputs, the exclusions, the rounding rules, and worked vectors you can check by hand.
What size electrical service do you need for an EV charger?
100A vs 125A vs 150A vs 200A: what each size typically means, what actually decides it, and why the load calculation - not the panel label - is the real answer.
Looking for your car or your state? The full library is indexed under cars, locations, and videos.
The fastest way to learn is to run one
The assessment shows the math on your own panel in a few minutes.
Check my panel$12.99 - results in minutes