Building a home, need some help

My fiancee and I are getting ready to build a new home. The standard electrical service that the builders provide is 150 AMP electrical service. We have the option of upgrading to 200 AMP for the price of $240. Is it worth it? Appliance wise, we will have an electric range, microwave, dishwasher, fridge, washer and dryer, tv, stereos, computers (2), what I think are the basics. We will also have central air. Our furnace and water heater will be gas. Is the upgrade worth it?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Nicole

 

I am not an electrician but if I were in your place I would most likely do it unless the house were so small I was sure it would never be needed. $240 has to be minimal compared to the cost of the house.

Note that some of the things on your appliance list matter a lot more than others. The range, A/C, and dryer will draw quite a bit. The frig not as much but it's a more continuous load, it's on a lot. A microwave, even a big one, draws no more than a toaster. A dishwasher is similar -- I think it is a toaster-sized (1500W) load if you use heated drying or the internal water heater -- otherwise smaller. Things like computers and stereo are negligible unless you have a huge setup.

 

Thanks for the reply Tom! The house will be a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage. We are talking about 1300 square feet.

Thanks!

 

That's a modest house size. You may never need 200 amps unless you take up some power-hungry hobbies like welding or pottery. Nevertheless, I think I'd do it anyway. It's a lot cheaper now than later and the price you've been quoted is a lot more fair than I've heard from other builders.

 

Thank you for the advice!

 

My advice is to go for it now.