Colorado led the country in EV adoption growth for the third consecutive year, and Denver homeowners are increasingly putting chargers in the garage before they even buy the car. A Level 2 home charger — one that charges at 240 volts versus the 120V trickle of a standard outlet — can deliver 20–30 miles of range per hour of charging, fully recovering most daily commutes overnight.
What most new EV owners do not realize is that the charger itself is the simple part. The electrical work required to support it is where the variation comes in — and where the wrong shortcut creates a real hazard.
The load calculation question
Before any wire is pulled, a licensed electrician should perform a load calculation under NEC Article 220. This is an arithmetic assessment of the home's total electrical demand: HVAC, water heater, range, dryer, any other 240V loads, and the proposed EV circuit, all measured against the service size. In a 200-amp home, adding a 50-amp EV circuit is typically fine with capacity to spare. In a 100-amp home — common in older Denver neighborhoods — adding a 50-amp circuit may push the calculated demand close to or past what the service rating allows.
We see this situation regularly in Capitol Hill, Baker, and parts of the Highlands. The homeowner buys a Tesla, calls three electricians, and one of them offers to run the circuit without mentioning the panel. That circuit may work fine under normal conditions and create a hazardous overload situation the day the HVAC, dryer, and EV charger all run simultaneously. The right answer in a 100-amp home is a panel upgrade first — $1,800–$4,000 — or, alternatively, a load management device that limits EV charging current when other large loads are active, which runs $200–$400 and does not require a panel upgrade.
What the actual installation looks like
For a standard single-family home with an attached garage and an existing 200-amp panel: we run a 6-gauge copper circuit (for a 50-amp breaker) in conduit from the panel to the garage charging location, install a NEMA 14-50 outlet or hardwire the charger unit, add a 50-amp double-pole AFCI breaker in the panel, and permit and inspect. The whole job typically takes four to six hours. Cost is $1,000–$1,800 for a straightforward installation.
Detached garages, long runs, or homes with sub-panels add complexity and cost. So does mounting the charger on an exterior wall in Colorado's freeze-thaw climate, which requires specific enclosure ratings and weatherproof connectors. We carry NEMA 14-50 outlets and hardwired EVSE units for most major EV brands on the truck, but many homeowners prefer to supply their own charger — we install what you provide.