"millinghill" wrote
I've been just fine with 100AMP service. My house is 1500sqft. I ran
calcs (following guidelines in an electrical load design book) that
showed even if I "finished" my basement and had window air
conditioners in most rooms, and the electric stove blaring, I would
not exceed 100AMPS.
Question #2: If #1 is NOT true, should I upgrade to 200AMP service now
just because they're doing the work right there? Is there a realistic
benefit other than looking good on a real estate listing when I sell
in 20years?

What is the cost difference? If only a few bucks more, I'd go for 200. If
it was a bundle more, I'd stay with the 100. Some time pack in the 50's or
so, 100A service started to become the common service and is still adequate
for most of us. What will the future hold? Who knows, but if you can get
it for a reasonable price, do it and be ready.

On 9/14/2010 12:01 AM, wrote:
On Mon, 13 Sep 2010 22:34:10 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:


wrote
I've been just fine with 100AMP service. My house is 1500sqft. I ran
calcs (following guidelines in an electrical load design book) that
showed even if I "finished" my basement and had window air
conditioners in most rooms, and the electric stove blaring, I would
not exceed 100AMPS.
Question #2: If #1 is NOT true, should I upgrade to 200AMP service now
just because they're doing the work right there? Is there a realistic
benefit other than looking good on a real estate listing when I sell
in 20years?

What is the cost difference? If only a few bucks more, I'd go for 200. If
it was a bundle more, I'd stay with the 100. Some time pack in the 50's or
so, 100A service started to become the common service and is still adequate
for most of us. What will the future hold? Who knows, but if you can get
it for a reasonable price, do it and be ready.

I only have 60A to my house. I'm on a farm that has 200A service, but
the house only had a 60A fuse panel which I replaced with breakers. I
just put a 60A breaker outside in the Main Box (on the main pole).
Otherwise I would have had to spend a couple hundred more for new
wires. 60A is all I need to the house. Now I have 100A to the garage
and barn. I have a welder on that box which uses a 50A breaker. Yet
I have never blown the main.


a perfect example here folks. Listen to it. I have a rental that i
completely rewired and used the old "main/range plus 4" as a disconnect.
It has 60A fuses in it and it feeds a new 100a square-d panel. The
tenants have the usual array of modern appliances including central air,
electric stove, dryer, computers, big screen tv etc. Been three years
now, and haven't blown one of those 60 a fuses. Power requirements are
just NOT what people think they are.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

On 9/13/2010 9:34 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

What is the cost difference? If only a few bucks more, I'd go for 200.
If it was a bundle more, I'd stay with the 100. Some time pack in the
50's or so, 100A service started to become the common service and is
still adequate for most of us. What will the future hold? Who knows,
but if you can get it for a reasonable price, do it and be ready.

My house was built in the 50s and it had 60 amp service up until a few
years ago. I have central air and a well pump and never had any
issues. I finally got upgraded to 100 amp service after a lightning
strike, since current code required a minimum 100 amp service. I have
gas appliances, so I really don't have a current draw requiring a
higher service.

What with house prices trending downward for the foreseeable future, I
would only pay for a 200 amp upgrade if it cost just a little more
money, or if I thought I'd be using it myself. Expensive home
improvements generally don't pencil out in terms of resale value right
now, and upgraded electrical service is not a sexy selling point. A
lot of buyers will decide they can live without it, at least for the
time being.

In article ,
wrote:

With the cost of electricity, I sure as hell
hope that I never draw 100A at once. I'm not very good at math, but
using 100A for an hour would cost a fortune.

Yeah, $3 if a kWh is 25 cents. Almost enough for a designer cup of
coffee.

On Sep 15, 8:47*am, Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
wrote:

With the cost of electricity, I sure as hell
hope that I never draw 100A at once. *I'm not very good at math, but
using 100A for an hour would cost a fortune.

Yeah, $3 if a kWh is 25 cents. Almost enough for a designer cup of
coffee.

Twice that, actually (240V). $.25 is a real rip-off. We pay $.10/
kWh, which is on the low side.

"Mark Lloyd" wrote
It's about $.08 here, in one of the (few?) parts of Texas where you
aren't allowed to choose the company.

Keep it that way. I can shoose the company but my total for generation and
delivery is 18¢. Generation is .103

On Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:02:06 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

"Mark Lloyd" wrote
It's about $.08 here, in one of the (few?) parts of Texas where you
aren't allowed to choose the company.

Keep it that way. I can shoose the company but my total for generation
and delivery is 18¢. Generation is .103

BTW, the number I gave is the actual amount I pay (total amount of bill
divided by usage), which is about twice the amount the company says it
charges (plenty of added fees).

--
100 days until The winter celebration (Saturday December 25, 2010
12:00:00 AM).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

sign on a fence "Salespeople and burglars welcome. Dog food is
expensive.