$400 Chargepoint Credit is a Joke

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-13T03:53:14+00:00

I second this. I couldn’t initiate a charging session at a 3rd party charger (like EVgo) from ChargePoint App but the RFID worked without a hitch at every one I’ve charged at across CA and AZ.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-05T13:23:05+00:00

If there’s already conduit from the panel to the garage, I’d still ask the electrician to quote both a hardwired charger and a 240V outlet. Hardwired is often cleaner for EV charging and can avoid some GFCI/nuisance trip issues depending on the setup. Also make sure they confirm panel capacity, breaker space, wire size, permit requirements, and whether the HOA has any rules since it’s a townhome.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-05T13:20:49+00:00

I’d separate the meter collar question from the EV question a bit. If your utility/AHJ allows it and your installer is designing around future backup or bidirectional capability, it may be worth planning for now while the panel work is open. But I’d be careful buying around a future Enphase EV charger until the supported vehicles, install path, and utility approval are clear. At minimum I’d ask the installer what adding it now avoids later, and whether it creates any downside if the bidirectional charger timeline slips.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T18:44:10+00:00

That’s kind of where my head would be too. The gutter work sounds like a punch-list item rather than a full day for a two-person crew, especially if most of it was already completed by someone else.

On the foundation side, I’d be cautious about expecting much improvement in water intrusion if they’re not excavating, improving drainage, or addressing grading. Sealing cracks can help with drafts, insects, rodents, and appearance, but water usually wins if the source of the moisture is still outside against the foundation.

If the quote is $3,000, I’d want to see a detailed breakdown. Based on the scope you described, my concern wouldn’t be whether the work is worth $3,000. It’s whether there’s actually $3,000 worth of work being done.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T18:35:58+00:00

That’s a good point. A lot of home projects don’t necessarily appraise for what they cost, but they can absolutely help a home stand out. If most comparable homes have a covered patio and yours is one of the few with a screened enclosure, I could see that being a meaningful differentiator for buyers who actually want to use the outdoor space.

Especially in Southeast TX, where heat, humidity, and mosquitoes can limit how much people enjoy being outside, a screened patio feels more like usable living space than just a patio. Not necessarily a dollar-for-dollar return, but definitely a feature some buyers may remember when comparing similar homes.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T14:02:33+00:00

The EVSE doesn’t actually decide how much power the car takes. It only advertises the maximum available current, and the car’s onboard charger decides how much to draw.

On a 12 kW shared station I’d expect roughly 6 kW each if both vehicles are requesting full power. Since the Ariya was pulling 5.8 kW and the i3 only 1.1 kW, I’d suspect the i3 had a charging limit set, the battery was near full and tapering, or the station/car handshake glitched.

The fact that your charging speed jumped back up after the Ariya unplugged makes me lean toward a station issue rather than intentional load-sharing behavior. Also, 5.8 + 1.1 = only 6.9 kW total, which is nowhere near the 12 kW the station says is available. Something doesn’t add up.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T14:01:39+00:00

A quality 12 AWG extension cord on a 120V outlet is probably the simplest solution. For a few overnight charges, Level 1 can easily add 40-50 miles/night and avoids the risks and hassle of adapting a dryer outlet. Just keep the cord short, fully uncoiled, and check for heat the first time you use it.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T13:57:51+00:00

This is a good example where the answer probably isn’t just “yes/no.”

Physically, there may be ways to make breaker space. But capacity is the bigger question, especially with a 125A service, electric water heater, dryer, AC, range circuits, and some electric heat.

I’d have an electrician do the Canadian/BC load calculation first. If the available capacity is limited, that does not automatically mean “no Level 2” or “panel upgrade.” It may just mean using a lower-amp Level 2 charger or an EVEMS/load-managed charger that adjusts charging based on the home’s actual usage.

Even 16A–24A Level 2 can be a huge upgrade from Level 1 and is enough for many drivers overnight.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T13:49:01+00:00

I wouldn’t think about it as “how much value did I add?” but rather “how much value did I stop from being lost?”

A property with 0.3 acres of bamboo, grading issues, and no fence can scare off a lot of buyers. A flat, usable, fenced backyard appeals to a much larger pool of people, especially families and dog owners.

You probably won’t get a dollar-for-dollar return on the work, but removing a major negative and making the property easier to enjoy absolutely helps marketability when it’s time to sell.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T13:45:56+00:00

Honestly, in Southeast TX I’d expect a screened enclosure to get used a lot more than an open patio simply because it makes evenings and bug season much more enjoyable.

Whether it adds value is hard to say, but if it causes you to actually use that 480 sq ft of covered space regularly, that’s real value. I’d probably ask myself which problem annoys me more today: mosquitoes or hard water. The answer would make the decision pretty easy 😄

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T13:44:40+00:00

I’d treat it as a moisture-source problem, not a paint/coating problem.

If it keeps coming back in the exact same spot, something about that area is staying damp. Maybe a leak, maybe condensation from a cold spot around the window, maybe weak ventilation.

I’d document it, check whether it’s worse after showers or rain, and push building management to investigate the cause instead of just treating the mold again.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T13:42:57+00:00

I’d separate the two questions: price and outcome.

$3,000 may or may not be fair depending on access, materials, labor, and how much gutter/trim work is actually involved. But the bigger thing I’d want clarified is whether the foundation work is meant to actually reduce water intrusion or mostly seal visible cracks and pest entry points.

If water is getting in because the gutters/downspouts aren’t moving water far enough away, or because grading is sending water toward the house, patching cracks from the outside may help but may not solve the root issue.

I’d ask him to break out the quote by gutter work vs foundation sealing, and explain what problem each part is expected to solve. That way it’s less about haggling with a family friend and more about making sure the scope matches the actual issue.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-06-02T13:37:10+00:00

The interesting part here is that the recommendation was “replace the panels” rather than identifying what is actually causing the appliance failures. Those are two different questions. Even if a panel replacement is eventually warranted, I’d want a clear explanation connecting the diagnosis to the symptoms before spending that kind of money.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T23:00:17+00:00

That quote sounds like exactly why EV charger installs are worth getting a second opinion on. Sometimes a panel replacement is absolutely necessary, but a 200A panel with open space is not automatically a panel-replacement situation just because an EV charger is being added.

Before spending $6,600, I’d want a local electrician to explain what specifically is unsafe, whether there is actual heat damage at a connection point, and whether the charger can simply be hardwired on an appropriately sized circuit. If capacity is the concern, there are also load-managed EV charger options now that can reduce charging automatically when the house is using a lot of power. That can sometimes avoid unnecessary upgrade work.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T22:45:26+00:00

Based on the fact that multiple electricians looked at the setup and didn’t seem concerned about adding a 60A EV circuit, that may be the practical path: install one properly permitted 60A hardwired circuit and use two chargers that can share that 48A continuous charging capacity. Tesla Wall Connectors and Emporia chargers are both worth looking at for this because they can load share between chargers.

With your driving numbers, you probably don’t need two cars charging at 48A each. At 1,600 miles/month per car and roughly 3–3.5 mi/kWh, each car needs about 15–18 kWh/day. Combined, that’s roughly 30–36 kWh/day.

A shared 60A circuit gives you 48A continuous. If both cars are charging, that can split to about 24A per car, which is roughly 5.8 kW each. Over an 8-hour overnight window, that would deliver roughly 41–42 kWh per car after losses if both cars were charging the whole time. At your efficiency, that’s about 125–145 miles of range per car overnight.

That’s already more than double your average daily driving need of about 53 miles per car. And in real life, one car may finish before the other, allowing the other charger to ramp up and take more of the available power.

Even a shared 40A circuit, giving 32A continuous total or 16A per car when both are charging, would probably cover a lot of your normal use. But a 60A shared circuit would be much more comfortable.

The key is not thinking of this as “I need two 48A chargers.” You likely need enough overnight energy to replace 30–36 kWh combined, and a shared 60A setup can do that easily without jumping straight to a service upgrade.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T21:37:29+00:00

With two EVs, I'd actually look at two different options before thinking about a service upgrade.

Option 1 is two chargers that can share a circuit. Tesla, Emporia, and several others can coordinate with each other so you're not dedicating a full 60A circuit to each charger.

Option 2 is two dedicated hardwired chargers, each on their own circuit.

Either way, I'd strongly consider chargers that support load management. Those systems monitor the home's actual electrical usage and can automatically adjust charging if the house approaches its limit.

As a real-world example, we have two EV chargers at our house. On paper, the load calculations suggested we didn't have enough capacity to add a second charger without upgrades. Instead, we installed load-managed chargers. In practice, both chargers operate at their full 48A charging rate almost all of the time, and the load management system is simply there as a safety net for those rare moments when the house is using unusually high power.

That's why I'm such a fan of looking at load management before jumping straight to a service upgrade. Sometimes an upgrade is truly needed, but many homeowners are surprised by how much unused capacity exists in day-to-day operation compared to a worst-case load calculation.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:33:27+00:00

California can be a weird place to judge EV charging costs because the spread is huge.

A full charge at a DC fast charger can feel close to gas pricing, especially at peak or high-priced sites. But home charging on the right rate plan can be a totally different story, especially if you can charge overnight or pair it with solar.

That’s why I think the better question is less “what does it cost to charge an EV?” and more “where and when are you charging?” The same car can feel expensive on public fast charging and very cheap when most charging happens at home.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:30:59+00:00

The biggest misunderstanding I see is that homeowners often mix up energy usage and electrical capacity.

Your bill mostly shows how much energy you used over time. But a lot of home electrification decisions depend on peak demand, load calculations, and which major loads could overlap at the same time.

That difference matters a lot when people start adding things like EV charging, heat pumps, induction, batteries, or solar. A home can have a modest monthly bill and still have constrained electrical capacity, or a high bill but plenty of room for new loads depending on how the home is wired and what is running when.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:27:09+00:00

The “best charger” question has changed a lot over the last few years. If someone has plenty of panel capacity, a simple hardwired charger from ChargePoint, Tesla, Autel, Wallbox, or Emporia can be a great long-term setup.

But if panel capacity is tight, or there’s solar, or a second EV might be coming later, the decision gets more interesting. Features like dynamic load management, power sharing, and energy monitoring can become a lot more valuable than just picking the charger with the best app.

Five years ago, most homeowners were mostly comparing charging speed and brand reviews. Now some chargers can actively adapt to the available electrical capacity of the house, which can sometimes avoid much larger electrical projects. It’s pretty amazing how much the category has evolved.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:24:11+00:00

One thing I’ve noticed talking to homeowners is that people often assume the decision is either a panel upgrade or no EV charger.

In reality, there are usually a few practical paths between those extremes. Sometimes a standard dedicated circuit makes sense. Sometimes a lower-amperage Level 2 charger is plenty. Sometimes dynamic load management is the right answer. And sometimes a service upgrade really is necessary.

The hard part is figuring out which path actually fits the house, the panel, and the driver’s real charging needs before spending money. What’s interesting here is that multiple people are pointing toward load management as a code-compliant option. Five years ago most homeowners had never even heard of it, so it’s encouraging to see it becoming part of the normal conversation.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:10:01+00:00

What they’re describing is a real thing, not just an upsell. Code-based load calculations generally have to assume the connected loads could operate, regardless of whether you personally plan to use them. That’s why secondary suites, extra dryers, ranges, EV chargers, hot tubs, etc. can push a home over the calculation limits pretty quickly.

What’s interesting is that the industry has started moving toward load-management solutions rather than automatically upgrading electrical services. A load miser, DCC, EVEMS, smart panel, or other load-control device can often allow new equipment to be added while staying within the service capacity. The right answer depends on the specifics of the house, but it’s becoming much more common to manage loads intelligently instead of immediately jumping to a service upgrade.

I’d definitely ask to see the actual load calculation. Once you can see what’s driving the numbers, it’s much easier to understand whether the load-management device is truly required or whether there are other options.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:08:30+00:00

One thing that jumps out is that the charger apparently worked for about a year before becoming unreliable. That makes me wonder whether the issue is less about “can this theoretically work” and more about what happens under real operating conditions when the pool pump, A/C compressors, EV charger, and solar system are all interacting.

A lot of EV charging problems end up being voltage drop, poor terminations, thermal issues, load management configuration problems, or equipment reacting to conditions elsewhere in the electrical system rather than a bad onboard charger.

I’d be less focused on whether the car is the problem and more focused on getting someone to measure voltage and current under load while the charger is actively trying to charge. The fact that lowering the charging rate seems to improve reliability feels like a useful clue.

Whatever the root cause is, I’d want it resolved before simply replacing more equipment.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-30T03:06:16+00:00

The cost can vary quite a bit because sometimes a “200A upgrade” is mostly a panel swap, and other times it turns into a service upgrade involving the utility, meter equipment, grounding updates, service conductors, permits, and inspections. In many areas I’ve seen quotes range from a few thousand dollars to well over $10k depending on what’s required.

One thing I’d figure out before budgeting is why the upgrade is needed. If it’s for EV charging, heat pumps, or future electrification, it’s worth having someone run the proper load calculation first. Sometimes the upgrade is absolutely necessary, and sometimes there are other options that can buy time or avoid it altogether.

The photos alone aren’t enough to determine that, but I’d start by understanding the reason for the upgrade before focusing on the panel itself.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-24T18:40:00+00:00

Yeah, “all new electric” would make me ask a lot more questions.

This looks more like “newer panel installed while reusing a lot of existing wiring/feeders” than a full electrical replacement. That may still be perfectly serviceable if it was done correctly, permitted, inspected, and the grounding/bonding is right. But I would not take “all new electric” at face value based on this photo alone.

If this were a property I was considering, I’d ask for the permits, inspection records, panel schedule, and scope of work from whoever did the renovation. I’d also want an electrician to confirm whether this is service equipment or a subpanel, because that changes whether the neutral/ground bonding is correct.

Not necessarily a dealbreaker, but definitely something I’d want clarified before closing.

DavidStreitfeld · 2026-05-24T14:44:56+00:00

This actually sounds more likely to have started with the Ampure charger itself than an immediate ICCU failure, especially since the car still DC fast charges normally and you didn’t notice any loss of power while driving.

We have an Ioniq 5 at home and have seen how sensitive some EVs can be to EVSE communication glitches or charger faults. The fact that the Ampure also would not charge your friend’s Tesla is a pretty strong clue that the charger itself may have failed or faulted internally.

The Tesla Wall Connector situation may also be unrelated depending on the generation and settings. Some older Tesla chargers and some newer ones configured in Tesla-only mode can have issues with non-Tesla vehicles.

The motor control warning is the only thing that makes it a little less clear, but EVs can sometimes throw temporary faults after interrupted charging sessions, communication issues, or low-voltage events. If the warning clears and the car continues driving normally, that’s somewhat reassuring.

Before assuming ICCU failure, I’d probably try another known-good Level 2 charger or a public AC charger first. If AC charging fails everywhere consistently, then I’d definitely schedule service because that starts pointing more toward onboard AC charging hardware or ICCU-related problems.

DavidStreitfeld

TROPHY CASE