About PanelNerd

Electrical panel upgrades are expensive, permit-heavy, and easy to get wrong — not because the work is mysterious, but because most homeowners go into the contractor conversation without enough context to evaluate what they're being told.

The clearest example: 70–80% of EV charger installs don't require a panel upgrade at all. A dedicated circuit on the existing panel is sufficient. But most homeowners don't know that before an electrician shows up with a quote — and some contractors don't volunteer it.

PanelNerd exists to close that gap. Every article is built from the homeowner's side of the conversation: what triggers an upgrade, what the work actually involves, what it should cost, and what questions to ask before signing anything. We are not electricians. We are researchers who believe an informed homeowner gets a better outcome than one who isn't.

The research draws from publicly available data — BLS labor indices, permit cost records, utility program documentation, and NEC code references — and is presented as accurately as that data allows. When something changes, the articles get updated.

The site earns referral fees when readers connect with contractors through links on the site. That's the revenue model, and it's disclosed wherever it applies. It doesn't change what the research shows.