A Level 2 charger is one of the largest continuous loads a house will ever carry, and in a region with this much pre-1960 housing the honest answer to "can you fit one" is often "not until we look at the service". The Electric Guys install EV chargers across Pittsburgh and about thirty-three miles around, with the load calculation done before the quote rather than after the equipment arrives.
That sequence is the whole point. A 40- or 48-amp charger running for hours at a time is not a load you add optimistically. On a modern 200-amp service in a Cranberry or Robinson plan it is usually straightforward. On the 100-amp service still feeding a great deal of Pittsburgh, Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills and Bethel Park it frequently is not.
Why choose The Electric Guys
- Load calculation first, always. We work out what the house actually has spare before anybody talks about which charger to buy.
- We will tell you if you need a service upgrade. That is not the answer anyone wants, but it is considerably better than hearing it after a charger is mounted on the wall and the main breaker starts tripping.
- Hardwired or receptacle, explained. A 14-50 receptacle and a hardwired unit are not interchangeable, and the choice affects the breaker, the GFCI requirement and what you can do later.
- Placed where you will actually park. Cable length, garage layout and which side the car's port is on all matter, and they are easier to get right before the conduit goes in.
Our EV charger process
- Establish the car and the charger. Amperage, connector, and whether a second vehicle is likely.
- Run the load calculation. Existing service, existing loads, and the continuous draw of the charger at 125 per cent.
- Give you the real options. Install as-is, install at a reduced amperage the service can carry, or upgrade the service first — with prices for each.
- Plan the route. Panel to parking spot, through basement, garage or an exterior run, with the fewest surprises.
- Install, permit, inspect. Dedicated circuit, correct protection, permit and inspection as the municipality requires, and the charger tested with the car.
Why this is a service-size question in this region
Because of when the houses were built. Greater Pittsburgh has some of the oldest housing stock in the country, and service capacity tracks build year closely. A 1925 city foursquare, a 1951 Penn Hills brick ranch and a 1968 Monroeville split-level were all wired for households with a fraction of today's load, and many are still on their original 100-amp service or an early upgrade to it.
Then consider what has already been added since. Central air. A second fridge in the basement. An electric range replacing gas. A heat pump. A finished basement with its own circuits. Every one of those has already eaten headroom, and the charger is being asked to sit on top of all of it.
The geography adds its own wrinkle. Detached garages down a slope — extremely common on the hillside lots here — mean a longer run than a typical attached-garage install, and length affects conductor size and therefore cost. Street parking in the older city neighbourhoods, where a car may not be on the property at all, sometimes means the answer is a different one entirely.
The newer end of our radius is the easy end. Cranberry, much of Robinson, the newer Moon Township and McCandless developments and the post-1990 plans generally came with 200-amp services and attached garages, and a charger there is often a half-day job.
Serving Pittsburgh, PA and nearby
Across the city and out through Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Monroeville, Penn Hills, Murrysville, Robinson, Moon Township, McCandless and Cranberry.
Free estimates Monday through Saturday. Send a photo of the panel with the cover off to (412) 501-7391 and we can usually tell you the likely answer before we visit.