If you have an older home and are planning on installing cleaner energy solutions including an air-source heat pump, solar panels, or a Level II electric vehicle charger, you may need to upgrade your electrical service. Older homes often have 100-amp service, while electric heating systems and other sustainable technologies will require 200-amp service. This is a project that will require a licensed electrician – but once it’s done, it opens up further options for electrified home technologies that utilize sustainable power sources.
For instructions on how to determine whether you need to upgrade your service, check out this article at The Spruce. You will need to inspect the electrical meter outside your house, and also the main service panel inside or outside your home (usually on the opposite side of the wall where the meter is located, often in your basement).
You will then need to hire a licensed electrician to do the work – they will perform the upgrade and work with your local permitting agency to ensure the job is building code compliant. You can see what the process looks like in this video from This Old House. This upgrade typically takes one day to complete, and usually costs $2,500 to $4,500, but can be more depending on your home.
