Is A 200 Amp Service From Pg&e Actually 400 Amps?

Building a new accessory dwelling or detached function? Adding safe electrical service can get expensive. Here'south the almost toll-effective style to brand sure your electrical is up to code.

Nosotros recently clarified one pesky nuance most the edifice code in California as it relates to what size electrical console and service y'all need for an accessory dwelling. You can build an accessory dwelling with a 100-amp panel but run 60 amps of service inside that panel. Doing this tin save thousands.

This is a brief summary of the options for ane accompaniment-domicile project. Bodily electrical needs vary based on home pattern, need for electricity, and the always-irresolute discretion of the local inspector.

At that place are iii common ways we've seen electrical service play out:

one) Brand no major change to the main firm and add together a well -designed smaller panel in the part or accessory structure. This can run $2,000 or less.

If your main dwelling house'south panel looks like this, then you may be able to keep information technology and simply add a wire from this box to your accessory structure. In the moving picture below, each white sticker marks ane breaker. You tin can count the infinite for 14 breakers or xiv circuits, and that is typically acceptable for a main dwelling house and second home.

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The new interior console in your office or accessory structure will probably look like one of these smaller "4- amp" or "60-amp" panels. You can see there are viii breakers or circuits for the electric in the new accessory construction or dwelling.

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This is a great solution if yous know that your new accessory construction won't have a high demand. However, this does not encounter code for a "Domicile". And so even if you have a small dwelling house with niggling electrical demand, these smaller panels are not allowed. There's a trivial savings to these smaller interior panels though so we ever recommend that you get a bigger ane so there is room to grow.

2) A major overhaul to your main home'due south electric console.If yous're placing a new 100-amp panel in the accessory dwelling, you will most likely need to increment your main home'south panel to 200 amps so that there is plenty power. You may also need to install a new electric wire from the street to the main house. This can easily cost $3,000 or more for the new panel on the main home, $2,000 for a wire from the street, and $2,000 for the accompaniment dwelling's electrical subpanel.

If your main home panel looks something like this, and then you are in for a lot of new work no affair what. You'll take to supersede the principal dwelling house panel, and you may demand to replace the wire from the street. Y'all'll likewise need to add the wire to the accessory dwelling and the new panel for that home.

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Your electrician will demand to purchase a new console like this. The electrician will also need effectually $iii,000 for additional materials and the labor to replace the existing panel.

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3) No major alter may be needed for the main business firm if information technology already has 100-amp service or more than. This tin spare you the cost of $3,000–$5,000 in work to get your main abode up to current standards. You lot'll take to pay $two,000 or more for the electricity panel in the accompaniment domicile.

In this scenario, yous are lucky to have a large enough panel on your main home to pull a 60-amp service off of information technology. Y'all're typically allowed to have lx amps for the main home and another 60 amps for the accompaniment domicile. 60+threescore=120, which is over 100, merely that's OK because the two homes aren't expected to max out their full threescore-amp demand at the same time.

But, and this is a big only, don't add together a 40- or 60-amp panel (the actual size of the grayness box) to your accessory dwelling. Code requires that y'all have a 100-amp console in your accessory dwelling. The key insight we've found is that y'all don't demand a 100-amp wire or "100-amp service" equally an electrician or contractor would say. You simply demand a box that is big plenty to agree 100-amp service. Those smaller boxes in option 1 above can't fit that size service, so they are ruled out.

The lx-amp service inside a 100-amp box in your accessory dwelling is a great solution because information technology doesn't force you to upgrade your principal home to a 200-amp service. That's a big savings.

Planning an accessory domicile? New Avenue provides example floor plans and budgets, useful tools, and access to highly qualified designers. To see our resources or admission the free New Artery project management organization, you tin sign up for free here: Go Started