Installing an EV charger at home: what to know before you buy

Start with your panel, not the charger

Most EV charger questions are really panel questions. A Level 2 charger wants a dedicated 240-volt circuit — usually 40 to 60 amps — and your panel either has that capacity to spare or it doesn’t. A five-minute look at your panel tells us more than an hour of charger shopping.

Level 1 vs. Level 2, in plain English

Level 1 is the cord that came with the car: plugs into a standard outlet, adds a few miles of range per hour, needs no electrician. Level 2 is the wall unit that charges an empty battery overnight — and it’s the one that needs a real circuit, real wire, and a real install.

Yes, it needs a permit

A hardwired 240-volt circuit is permitted and inspected work in El Paso County. That’s not red tape — it’s the difference between an install your insurance recognizes and one it doesn’t. It also matters for some manufacturer warranties and utility rebates.

What we check on a site visit

• Panel capacity and a load calculation — can your service carry the load?
• The run from panel to garage — distance and routing drive the wire cost.
• Charger location — where the cable actually reaches your parking spot.

If you’re thinking about an EV — or already have one charging slowly off a wall outlet — send us a photo of your panel through the request form. This gives us an idea of what your install might involve.