San Diego Electrician

[ramesses]

I need an electrician to install either a 1) NEMA outlet or 2) Tesla Wall Connector and upgrade our electrical panel from 100 amps to 200 amps. I've been in touch with Smith Electric (recommended by Tesla) and they're quoting me a price of $800 for the outlet, or $1000 for the wall connector and $1750 for the panel upgrade.

Questions:
1. Do these prices sound fair?
2. Can anyone recommend any other electricians in San Diego that I should contact?

 

[davewill]

It actually sounds pretty decent... But it's hard to judge without knowing how far they have to run wire, etc... Always a good idea to get multiple quotes.

 

[markb1]

For the outlet and wall connector, those might be fair, depending on how far they are from the panel and whether the permit fee is included. If it's right next to the panel, it's a rip off.

 

[ramesses]

But it's hard to judge without knowing how far they have to run wire, etc....

For the outlet and wall connector, those might be fair, depending on how far they are from the panel and whether the permit fee is included. If it's right next to the panel, it's a rip off.

The panel is on the outside side wall of my garage. The outlet or wall connector would be on the inside of the same wall about 6-8 feet away.

 

[davewill]

In that case, I think it should be cheaper, and I really don't see why the wall connector should cost so much more. Since they will be using so little wire, the bigger wire (I assume that's the difference) shouldn't be too much more.

 

[gaswalla]

From
An old post. My friend used this reference and was very happy with the outcome and the cost:
Several Tesla owners in San Diego have used "Ms. Sparky Electric" to install their charging circuits and had a good experience (and a reasonable price quote). Mary is the owner and can be reached at 760-942-7345.

 

[P85_DA]

Prices sound high ...also doing the panel upgrade do you have 200a service already from SDGE ?
My setup is same for HPWC less than 4foot run ...materials for 100a setup was less than $80 (breakers , wire, small conduit)

 

[ramesses]

do you have 200a service already from SDGE ?
My setup is same for HPWC less than 4foot run ...materials for 100a setup was less than $80 (breakers , wire, small conduit)

Not sure whether I have 200a service already from SDGE; how do I find this out?

The last electrician that came by to look at my panel said that the panel is a 100a panel. The next electrician I talked to (Smith Electric) said it's likely that they would need to upgrade the panel to 200a to accommodate the HPWC, but that they would need to do a load calculation first. The load calc requires that I give them a $100 deposit which would be used toward the price of whatever I decide to install.

 

[markb1]

The panel is on the outside side wall of my garage. The outlet or wall connector would be on the inside of the same wall about 6-8 feet away.

If it's going to be exposed conduit, that's an easy job (minus the panel upgrade, of course). Is the permit fee included? Of course, you're also presumably paying for someone to sit around and wait for the inspector to show up, but that cost should be divided between the new circuit and the panel upgrade.

 

[P85_DA]

Ask SDGE if you have 200a service to your house ..it seems odd that u only have 100a panel if you had 200a service ...that is major upgrade from SDGE

 

[ramesses]

Is the permit fee included? Of course, you're also presumably paying for someone to sit around and wait for the inspector to show up, but that cost should be divided between the new circuit and the panel upgrade.

Yes the price includes them applying for and obtaining the permit from the City.

 

[WARP 10]

My guy is pretty busy, one man shop, but very meticulous and he owns a model S. Main specialty it solar panel installation. When he was putting in some additional panels for us, he asked what the Tesla recommended electrician charged for my 14-50 outlet (right next to the panel). I was about $500 and he said he would have done it for $300. FYI, if you really don't have 200A service, SDGE will have to trench from the nearest box - big expense.

UC Photons
Garrett Lees

 

[markb1]

FYI, if you really don't have 200A service, SDGE will have to trench from the nearest box - big expense.

That’s not necessarily true. The house may be overhead power, which would be much easier. If it’s underground, they may just be able to pull larger conductors through the conduit. I’d bet that older neighborhoods that have been undergrounded have been been prepped for 200A service.

 

[WARP 10]

That’s not necessarily true. The house may be overhead power, which would be much easier. If it’s underground, they may just be able to pull larger conductors through the conduit. I’d bet that older neighborhoods that have been undergrounded have been been prepped for 200A service.

Just going by experiences in my neighborhood (east end of UC). Development was completed in the mid-80s, all underground. Some older parts (1980-1982) of the development have 100A panels, remainder are 200A. Owners who have upgraded from 100 to 200 all have had to have trenching done, except for the lucky ones who had a box on their property. Also, apparently the existing conduit was too small. These are not small houses, 2500-3000 sq/ft. Not sure why the developer though that size panel was a good idea.

 

[markb1]

Just going by experiences in my neighborhood (east end of UC). Development was completed in the mid-80s, all underground. Some older parts (1980-1982) of the development have 100A panels, remainder are 200A. Owners who have upgraded from 100 to 200 all have had to have trenching done, except for the lucky ones who had a box on their property. Also, apparently the existing conduit was too small. These are not small houses, 2500-3000 sq/ft. Not sure why the developer though that size panel was a good idea.

Yeah, there are certainly some houses in that situation!

 

[P85_DA]

Good chance OP needs service upgrade

 

[Mediocrates]

I need an electrician to install either a 1) NEMA outlet or 2) Tesla Wall Connector and upgrade our electrical panel from 100 amps to 200 amps. I've been in touch with Smith Electric (recommended by Tesla) and they're quoting me a price of $800 for the outlet, or $1000 for the wall connector and $1750 for the panel upgrade.

Questions:
1. Do these prices sound fair?
2. Can anyone recommend any other electricians in San Diego that I should contact?

Smith Electric did my installation of the Tesla Wall Connector. I would recommend against using them. They did not handle the permitting process properly, which delayed my installation (the load calculations they provided were rejected by the city). The electrician they sent was also not particularly professional, nor particularly good at his job. They also had to schedule three visits: one for the electrical work, one for the drywall repairs, and one to repaint.

 

[ramesses]

My guy is pretty busy, one man shop, but very meticulous and he owns a model S. Main specialty it solar panel installation. When he was putting in some additional panels for us, he asked what the Tesla recommended electrician charged for my 14-50 outlet (right next to the panel). I was about $500 and he said he would have done it for $300. FYI, if you really don't have 200A service, SDGE will have to trench from the nearest box - big expense.

UC Photons
Garrett Lees

Would you mind please sharing contact info for your guy?

As for upgrading to 200A service, my understanding is that I need to contact SDGE with a service request to have them come out and evaluate what needs to be done to upgrade. Luckily (?) I have the big green box on the front edge of my front lawn, albeit it is on the opposite side of my panel. My neighborhood has all underground service and my home was built around '88. I'll ask around with my neighbors to see what they've got.

Smith Electric did my installation of the Tesla Wall Connector. I would recommend against using them. They did not handle the permitting process properly, which delayed my installation (the load calculations they provided were rejected by the city). The electrician they sent was also not particularly professional, nor particularly good at his job. They also had to schedule three visits: one for the electrical work, one for the drywall repairs, and one to repaint.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

From
An old post. My friend used this reference and was very happy with the outcome and the cost:
Several Tesla owners in San Diego have used "Ms. Sparky Electric" to install their charging circuits and had a good experience (and a reasonable price quote). Mary is the owner and can be reached at 760-942-7345.

I spoke with her over the phone yesterday. She sounded a little frazzled but was fairly helpful and quoted me $450 for the 14-50 outlet or $550 for the HPWC, plus an extra $200 for the permitting too (which she implied was optional). Or $2500 for the 200A upgrade and HPWC install, including permits. Have you guys insisted on getting a permit for your work or have you opted out of it? I thought that doing so would play it safe with my homeowners insurance carrier so they won't be able to deny coverage based on unpermitted improvements.

At this point, I'm wondering whether the HPWC is worth spending the extra +$1k if it becomes necessary to upgrade to 200A. Not sure whether the 200A upgrade gets me any other benefits other than accommodating charging with the HPWC. I mean, it's kinda cool that I can make use of the dual charger upgrade, but realistically, I can't imagine a realistic scenario where I would need the car to go from ~0% to ~100% charge in 4-5 hours instead of 8-10. Luckily I live reasonably close to the Qualcomm supercharger and can make use of that until I figure out whether to go with the 14-50 or the HPWC.

tl;dr:

1. Does the 200A upgrade have any other benefit for me other than allowing me to charge with the HPWC?
2. Put another way, if the HPWC install winds up costing an extra +$1k over installing the 14-50 outlet, is it worth it?
3. If I plan to add a second Tesla to my home in the future, does this weigh toward installing the HPWC over the 14-50 outlet?
   
4. Did you get a permit to install your outlet/HPWC? What did you consider in deciding on whether or not to do so?

 

[P85_DA]

..... Luckily I live reasonably close to the Qualcomm supercharger and can make use of that until I figure out whether to go with the 14-50 or the HPWC.

tl;dr:

1. Does the 200A upgrade have any other benefit for me other than allowing me to charge with the HPWC?
2. Put another way, if the HPWC install winds up costing an extra +$1k over installing the 14-50 outlet, is it worth it?
3. If I plan to add a second Tesla to my home in the future, does this weigh toward installing the HPWC over the 14-50 outlet?
   
4. Did you get a permit to install your outlet/HPWC? What did you consider in deciding on whether or not to do so?

Lol good luck with using Qualcomm

1) hard to say as don’t know your house size or future plans for pool , AC etc

2) 14-50 you will be fine ...however you still need a 50a circuit which is half of what your panel is rated for ...ie what else do you have in panel (pic will help)

3) definitely HPWC if 2 electric cars unless you don’t mind switching plugs back and forth

4) I didn’t however my run is less than 3ft and I did to code ...ie correct conductor size ,load , conduit where needed ...height of HPWC from ground ...

 

[WARP 10]

Would you mind please sharing contact info for your guy?

As for upgrading to 200A service, my understanding is that I need to contact SDGE with a service request to have them come out and evaluate what needs to be done to upgrade. Luckily (?) I have the big green box on the front edge of my front lawn, albeit it is on the opposite side of my panel. My neighborhood has all underground service and my home was built around '88. I'll ask around with my neighbors to see what they've got.



Thank you for sharing your experience!



I spoke with her over the phone yesterday. She sounded a little frazzled but was fairly helpful and quoted me $450 for the 14-50 outlet or $550 for the HPWC, plus an extra $200 for the permitting too (which she implied was optional). Or $2500 for the 200A upgrade and HPWC install, including permits. Have you guys insisted on getting a permit for your work or have you opted out of it? I thought that doing so would play it safe with my homeowners insurance carrier so they won't be able to deny coverage based on unpermitted improvements.

At this point, I'm wondering whether the HPWC is worth spending the extra +$1k if it becomes necessary to upgrade to 200A. Not sure whether the 200A upgrade gets me any other benefits other than accommodating charging with the HPWC. I mean, it's kinda cool that I can make use of the dual charger upgrade, but realistically, I can't imagine a realistic scenario where I would need the car to go from ~0% to ~100% charge in 4-5 hours instead of 8-10. Luckily I live reasonably close to the Qualcomm supercharger and can make use of that until I figure out whether to go with the 14-50 or the HPWC.

tl;dr:

1. Does the 200A upgrade have any other benefit for me other than allowing me to charge with the HPWC?
2. Put another way, if the HPWC install winds up costing an extra +$1k over installing the 14-50 outlet, is it worth it?
3. If I plan to add a second Tesla to my home in the future, does this weigh toward installing the HPWC over the 14-50 outlet?
   
4. Did you get a permit to install your outlet/HPWC? What did you consider in deciding on whether or not to do so?

Garrett Lees
UC Photons
858-750-2300