Electrical Guides From the Field
Last fall, I got a call from a homeowner in Ohio named Greg. He’d just found out his utility was killing net metering in his county — and he wanted to know if his planned solar installation was still worth it. Honestly? That question is one I’m hearing more and more in 2025 heading into … Read more
Last year, a homeowner called me out to troubleshoot a tripped breaker in her newly renovated bathroom. When I opened the panel, I immediately saw the problem — her contractor had installed a standard AFCI breaker where a GFCI outlet was required. It’s one of the most common mix-ups I see on the job. If … Read more
A few months back, a homeowner called me in a panic. She’d touched her kitchen outlet and it felt like a mug of warm coffee. Her husband told her it was fine — “outlets just do that.” I’ll be direct: that husband was wrong. A warm outlet dangerous enough to cause a house fire is … Read more
Last fall, I got called out to a home in the suburbs where the homeowner kept tripping a breaker in her living room. She figured it was the circuit, maybe an overloaded panel. When I pulled the first outlet off the wall, I knew exactly what I was looking at. The backstab vs side wire … Read more
When I bought my first EV three years ago, I did what most people do — I plugged it into the 120V outlet in my garage and called it a night. For two weeks, that was fine. Then I got my electric bill. The Level 1 vs Level 2 EV charging cost question stopped being … Read more
Last fall, a homeowner called me in a panic. His electrician had just quoted him $4,200 for a full panel upgrade before installing a Level 2 EV charger. He wanted a second opinion. After running a proper panel upgrade for EV charger load calculation, I told him the honest truth: he didn’t need a new … Read more
Last January, my electricity bill jumped $47 in a single month. Nothing changed in my house — no new appliances, no extra guests, same weather. That mystery sent me down a rabbit hole that turned into a 30-day obsession with phantom load electricity waste. Phantom loads are the watts your devices draw even when you … Read more
I’ve been installing water heaters for twelve years, and the number one question I get after quoting a heat pump water heater is always the same: “Marc, will I actually save that much money?” The manufacturer brochures throw around numbers like $550 per year in savings. Homeowners read those figures and get excited. Then reality … Read more
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