Fuddyduddy1952
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2022
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- Tractor
- john deere
I have 200A service but lots of family members do not.You know all the answers, so "How many millions of homes have service of 100A or less?"
Who here has 100A or less service?
NEC for many decades has specified 100A as the minimum.
All reasonable guides specify 200A service if one has an electric range, hot water heater, electric heat, or HVAC. Costs little to nothing extra at time of new install.
Building my new home I asked the utility engineer, "How much extra for 400A service vs 200A?" Nothing. Same price. Said they wire everything the same. No extra monthly charge either.
Only cost to me is the distribution panel(s) inside the house. Said he recommended breaking it into two 200A zones with 200A disconnects either side of the 400A meter they would install.
Another utility engineer (manager) I often eat lunch with told me the only 125A service he has seen the past few decades have been in apartments.
Here's your answer per Rewiring America:
"Today, approximately 50-60 million single-family homes (or approximately 60-70 percent) have electrical panels with ratings less than 200 amps".
CleanTechnica:
"Roughly 40 million homes in America have 100 amp electrical service."
So 40M homes have 100 amp service or less.
The cost to go from 100A or less to 200A would be tremendous overall. At my homeplace (Mother's home) MAY require 1/4 mile line to pole near home, most likely a larger transformer, underground line at least 2-2-2-4 there to 200A panel, then 500ft underground to garage (garage built 1942 only has 120v 20A service now). I'd hate to guess total cost...many $thousands.