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Load management in Sacramento

Keep a large new load on a service that is close — the charger or the heat pump backs off when the house is busy.

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Licensed C-10 · CSLB #1115460

Emergency electrical
On this page 6 sections
  1. What this is
  2. Dryer sharing
  3. Whole-panel monitor
  4. When it does not work
  5. When it is a different job
  6. Utility and permits

Load management: keep the charger on a service that is close — not a 200-amp upgrade

Load management is how a charger, a heat pump, or another large load shares a service that cannot take every load at once. The charger backs off when the house is busy. It is not a 200-amp upgrade. It is the control that makes the existing service carry the new equipment without tripping.

  • When it fits

    A Level 2 charger on a 100-amp or 125-amp service, or a charger and a heat pump planned together, when the load calculation is close but not over.

  • When it does not

    If the house genuinely needs more capacity, that increase is a 200-amp service upgrade after the need is established. Still deciding whether you need more capacity at all is the panel upgrade page — the answer can be no.

  • The charger circuit itself

    Load management is the sharing. Hanging the unit and running the circuit is EV charger installation.

Load management: can the dryer and the charger share one circuit?

Often, yes. A circuit-sharing device sits between an existing 240-volt circuit, usually the dryer’s, and two loads. When the dryer runs, the charger pauses. When the dryer stops, the charger picks back up. The two never draw from that circuit at the same time, so the panel sees no new load.

When it fits

It works because most dryers run for an hour or two in the evening, and the car has all night. It fits best when the dryer outlet is close to where the car parks, or can be reached from there, and the panel has no room or capacity for a new circuit.

It has to be a listed device

A plug splitter from a hardware store is a different thing and is not safe for a charger. SMUD keeps a list of qualifying circuit-sharing and energy-management devices and names both as alternatives to a panel upgrade. We check the current list before we name a device, because it changes.

Load management: what is a whole-panel energy monitor, and how is it different?

An energy-management device watches the whole house instead of one circuit. It measures how much power is coming in at the panel. When the total gets close to what the service can carry, it turns the charger down or pauses it, and lets it back up when the house quiets down.

The charger keeps its own circuit

That lets the charger have its own circuit and still stay under the service rating, even when the range, the dryer and the air conditioning run at once. Because the device limits the charger, the load calculation can count the charger at its managed setting instead of its full rating. A schedule set in a phone app does not do that; it has to be a listed control the inspector can see.

Which one fits

A circuit-sharing device is simpler and fits one pair of loads. A whole-panel monitor handles the house as it changes, like a heat pump or a second car later on. We pick the one that fits the house and the loads you have planned.

When does load management not work?

When the loads really do run at the same time. If the dryer runs in the evening and the car has to charge in the evening too, a circuit-sharing device will keep pausing the car. If the house is already near its limit most of the evening, a whole-panel monitor can hold the charger down so long that the car does not fill up by morning.

Then the upgrade is the honest answer

In those cases we tell you, and the answer is a panel upgrade or a 200-amp service upgrade. Load management also adds a device that has to keep working. If you are already planning a heat pump, an induction range and a second car, a service upgrade can be the simpler path.

When load management isn’t the right job

Sharing a close service is this job. If the charger is not bought and the path is not built, start at EV-ready, not here.

You still need the whether-decision

Panel upgrade — does the home need more capacity? The answer can be no, and load management is one way that answer stays no.

The calculation already said the service is short

That is a 200-amp service upgrade. Load management will not invent headroom the service does not have.

The house is not ready and the unit is not chosen

That is EV-ready electrical — capacity, route, and the listed finish — not a control on a circuit that is not there yet.

Load management: utility, permits, and this job

This work often involves the utility or a permit. The address decides which office and which provider — not a generic Sacramento paragraph copied onto every service.

  • SMUD, PG&E, or Roseville Electric may need a disconnect or a meter appointment if the service equipment is involved.

  • We pull the permit for the city or county that actually covers the address.

  • A dimmer, a switch, or a lighting control does not get this chapter — the utility is not in that job.

Load management questions

Is this cheaper than a 200-amp upgrade?

It is usually the smaller job, because the service stays as it is. A 200-amp service upgrade raises the amperage after the need is established. This job is the control that keeps a charger on a service that is close.

Will the car still charge overnight?

Usually yes — overnight is when the house is quiet. The charger backs off when the range, the dryer, and the HVAC stack, then comes back.

Do I still get a dedicated charger circuit?

With a whole-panel energy monitor, yes. Load management is how that circuit shares the service. With a circuit-sharing device, the charger shares the dryer’s circuit instead. The circuit and the mount are EV charger installation.

How do I know I need this instead of 200 amps?

That is the panel upgrade measurement. We do not sell load management on a service that is already short, and we do not sell 200 amps on a service that only needed sharing.

What is the purpose of load management?

On a house, load management keeps the whole-home power draw under the service rating when you add a large new load. The panel does not overload, and you do not have to upsize the service.

Do I need load balancing on my EV charger?

You need it when the main panel is already close to its limit and you still want the charger.

Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.Want the detail? Level 2 EV charger

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  1. 01

    You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.

  2. 02

    We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.

  3. 03

    Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.

License
CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical