GridReadyWestern New York
Tool

Panel upgrade checker

Your panel and service capacity are often the real bottleneck, not brand of panels.

  • Differentiate service size, panel rating, and breaker-space limits.
  • Use this before finalizing solar, EV, or battery scope.

For local examples of panel constraints, review the Cheektowaga guide, Buffalo guide, and Williamsville guide.

Your home electrical snapshot
Rule-of-thumb screening, not a replacement for a load calculation.

Look at your main breaker handle, it’s often labeled 100, 150, or 200. If you’re unsure, pick your best guess; an electrician verifies with a load calc.

Rough decade the home was built, older service equipment often has less headroom.

Level 2 chargers add sustained load; this tool only flags stacking risk, not wire sizing.

Heat pumps, tankless water heaters, and similar loads compete for the same service capacity.

PV backfeed rules can interact with your main breaker size, another reason to involve an electrician early.

Your panel is often the bottleneck, not your roof pitch.

Get a load reality check