If your an electrician told you that you need a panel upgrade, or if your adding an EV charger or other big electrical load, you might be wondering what size panel you actually need. Heres the simple breakdown for homeowners in Saco, Biddeford, and Southern Maine.
100 Amp vs 200 Amp Panels
Most older homes in the Saco and Biddeford area have 100-amp panels. These were standard for decades and they work fine if your not running alot of heavy electrical loads. But if you have central air, an electric dryer, an electric stove, a hot tub, an EV charger, or a home workshop — 100 amps probly isnt enough anymore.
A 200-amp panel gives you roughly double the capacity. Thats enough for most modern homes, even with all those big loads running at the same time. For almost every residential panel upgrade we do in Southern Maine, 200 amps is the right answer.
Do I Need 400 Amps?
Probly not. 400-amp service is really only needed for very large homes or homes with multiple heavy loads like two EV chargers, a pool heater, and a workshop. For 95% of homes in Saco and Biddeford, 200 amps is plenty.
How to Know If Your Panel is Too Small
Open your panel door and look at the main breaker at the top. It should say 100, 150, or 200 on it. Thats your panel size. If it says 100 and you want to add an EV charger or other big load, give us a call and we'll tell you if an upgrade is needed.
Free Panel Assessment
Bouchard's Electric does free panel assessments for homeowners in Saco, Biddeford, and Southern Maine. Call (207) 590-3528 and we'll come look at your panel and tell you exactly what you need.