What's Actually in an EV Charger Load Calculation Report
It's reasonable to want to see what you're buying before you buy it. This is a plain walkthrough of every section in a ChargeRight report, in the order it actually renders, described from the code that generates it — not from marketing copy. Where a section has a real limit, that limit is stated here too, with a link to the full limitations page so nothing here is oversold.
I'm Jason Walls, Master Electrician, IBEW Local 369. I built the report to show the same NEC Article 220 load calculation a licensed electrician runs, laid out so you can read it before anyone shows up at your door.
What is in a ChargeRight EV load calculation report?
A ChargeRight report has six parts: the verdict, the full NEC method breakdown, your panel photo and breaker map, a hazard check, an electrician checklist and call script, and typical cost-range categories. Every part is generated from one underlying NEC load calculation, not written independently of it.
The report is not a single number. It is a verdict you can act on, the math behind that verdict shown in full, what a submitted panel photo could and could not confirm, and a script and checklist built to hand directly to a licensed electrician. Each section names its own confidence and its own limits rather than presenting one flat answer.
Last updated: August 2026
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1. The Verdict: A Plain Answer, Not a Black Box
The top of the report is a headline verdict, and it reads as one of three states, not a flat yes/no:
- Comfortable — your panel has real headroom for the charger you picked, with margin left over.
- Fits, but tight — your panel passes the service-rating check (NEC 230.79) and no upgrade is required, but the charger uses the last stretch of capacity electricians like to keep free for continuous loads. The report says this plainly rather than rounding it up to a clean "yes."
- Exceeds — the calculated load is over the panel or feeder's rating for that charger. The report leads with the cheaper option first (a load-management device that shares an existing 240V circuit) before naming a possible service upgrade size.
Underneath the headline is a visual bar showing where your home's calculated load actually lands against the rating, plus the exact method that bound the result — usually NEC 220.83(A) for an existing home simply adding a charger, 220.83(B) if you are adding new HVAC at the same time, or 220.82 only if you told it you're planning a full service change. If a subpanel feeder, not the main panel, is what actually limits the circuit, the verdict says so and calculates against that feeder instead of the panel's own nameplate rating.
What this section cannot tell you
It is a calculation from the entries and photos you gave it, not a site visit. It cannot see wiring condition, insulation, or anything not visible in a submitted photo. See what ChargeRight can and cannot tell you for the full scope.
2. The Full NEC Method Breakdown
Below the verdict, an expandable breakdown lists every load line item that went into the total — general lighting at 3 VA per square foot, small-appliance and laundry circuits, fixed appliances at nameplate, HVAC, and the charger itself — each shown in VA, next to the total calculated load in both VA and amps.
A second panel, "Compare NEC methods," shows all five methods the engine runs on your numbers side by side — 220.82, 220.83(A), 220.83(B), the Standard Method, and a 2026 NEC preview — each tagged fits, tight, or upgrade, with a one-line recommendation underneath. The report doesn't just print one number; it shows you the disagreement between methods when there is one, and names which method is the one that actually governs your situation.
What this section cannot tell you
If a strip-heat nameplate value wasn't entered, the report flags that the heating load was approximated rather than measured. The full method-by-method logic, including why 220.83(A) — not 220.82 — is the section that applies to most existing homes, is written out at /methodology.
3. Your Panel Photo and Breaker Map
If you submitted a panel photo, the report shows it back to you with boxes drawn around the breakers the AI vision pass could locate and read, plus a list of each breaker's amperage and what it was labeled as feeding. A separate panel-brand and amperage read shows field by field whether each value came from the photo or from your questionnaire entry, with its own confidence level — high, medium, or low. Low-confidence photo reads are never used as the number the calculation actually runs on; the questionnaire entry is used instead, and the report says so.
A "panel at a glance" tile shows total breaker slots, how many are occupied, and how many are open. In the live assessment, each load category (lighting, range, dryer, HVAC, the EV charger, and so on) has its own page showing the specific breaker(s) assigned to it and how that load rolled into the total.
What this section cannot tell you
A blurry or angled photo can leave breakers unread — the report counts those honestly instead of guessing, and says a licensed electrician confirms the final breaker placement and panel brand on site. If your home dates to before 1990, the report also adds a separate flag to have the panel's age and brand checked first, since certain brands from that era carry known issues independent of EV charging.
4. The Hazard Check
If a panel photo was submitted and analyzed, the report includes a dedicated hazard section. When nothing was flagged, it says exactly that — no visible hazards detected in the photos you submitted — and still recommends an on-site inspection. When something was flagged, it lists each item plainly.
What this section cannot tell you
These are AI observations from a photo, not a professional inspection. If no photo was submitted or the photo analysis didn't complete, the report says so directly instead of implying a scan happened when it didn't.
5. What to Tell Your Electrician
This section turns the calculation into instructions a licensed electrician can act on directly: a dedicated 240V circuit sized to the breaker rating the code requires for a continuous EV charging load — the overcurrent device at no less than 125% of the charger's continuous amperage, per NEC 625.41 and 210.20(A) — plus the open breaker slots available and the headroom left below the rating.
Below that is a ready-to-read call script, generated from your specific numbers, that states the method used, the utilization result, and (when your verdict is tight or exceeds the rating) invites the electrician to verify the calculation on site or quote a load-management device as an alternative to a full upgrade. The report also lists cost categories worth getting quotes on — the dedicated circuit, a panel upgrade only if one is actually needed, and the permit — as categories to compare, not a binding quote. See /pricing for what the report itself costs.
What this section cannot tell you
The script and checklist are a starting point for the call, not a substitute for it. The electrician still confirms the calculation, the panel condition, and local permit requirements before any work begins.
6. What Happens Next
The report closes with the actual install process, in order: share the report with your electrician when you call for a quote, the electrician verifies the panel observations on site before any work, they pull a permit with your local building department, a dedicated 240V circuit is installed with proper wire, conduit, and breaker, the charger is mounted and connected, and the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) inspects and signs off.
Every report ends with the same plain disclaimer printed on the page itself: it is a pre-assessment, not an official inspection, using the NEC method that was named at the top — the same load calculation a licensed electrician uses to size a panel — and it asks you to have a licensed electrician confirm it before any work is done. That line is not buried in fine print; it prints on every copy, including the PDF.
Read the Receipts
For the full scope of what a ChargeRight report is not, and exactly how AI photo analysis is used and where it stops, read what ChargeRight can and cannot tell you.
For the NEC method logic itself — why 220.83(A) is the section that binds for most existing homes, and when 220.82 or 220.83(B) apply instead — read NEC 220.82 and 220.83, in plain English.
For what the report costs and what it's compared against, see /pricing.
For a deeper look at 220.83 specifically, with a worked example, see NEC 220.83 explained.
Jason Walls
Master Electrician · EVITP Certified · KY Electrical License EE642643
NEC 220.82 Specialist · ChargeRight Founder
"I built ChargeRight because I was tired of seeing homeowners pay $2,000 to $4,500 for panel upgrades that a $12.99 load calculation would have shown they didn't need. The math doesn't lie. Every homeowner deserves to see it before they write a check."
Frequently Asked Questions
What sections does a ChargeRight report actually include?
A verdict section (whether your panel can support the charger you picked, and why), a full NEC method breakdown (every load line item in VA plus a side-by-side of all five methods the engine runs), your panel photo with the breakers it could read mapped onto it, a hazard check, an electrician script and checklist, and typical cost-range categories. Every section is generated from the same calculation, not written separately.
Is the verdict just a pass/fail based on panel amperage?
No. It is a three-state read: comfortable headroom, passes but tight (inside the margin electricians like to keep free for continuous loads), or exceeds the rating. A tight result still means no upgrade is required — it names the caveat instead of hiding it or rounding it to a flat pass/fail.
Can the AI photo analysis section replace an electrician looking at my panel?
No. The photo-read section shows exactly what was read from your photo and how confident that read was, field by field, and low-confidence reads are never used as the operative number behind your verdict. It's a preliminary read, not a certified inspection — a licensed electrician confirms breaker placement, wiring condition, and panel brand on site before any work.
What is the "compare NEC methods" section for?
ChargeRight's engine actually runs multiple NEC load calculation methods on your numbers, not just one, and the report shows all of them side by side with the one that legally applies to your situation named at the top. It exists so you can see the math disagreement (if there is one) instead of taking one number on faith.
Does the report tell me if I need a panel upgrade for certain?
It tells you what the NEC load calculation says about the panel or feeder rating you have today, with your entries and any photo reads as inputs. It is a pre-assessment, not a permit or a final engineering sign-off — the calculation is only as accurate as what it was given, and a licensed electrician verifies it on site before any work is scheduled.
About the Author
Jason Walls
Master Electrician, IBEW Local 369, EVITP Certified. Jason built ChargeRight to give homeowners the same NEC Article 220 load calculation that licensed electricians use, laid out so you can read every part of it before you buy.