The single most expensive decision on an electrified new-construction plan is the service size. A 320 A service adds $2,100–$3,400 to the base electrical package (meter socket, larger conductors, larger main, utility transformer share) and is almost always avoidable. Every fully-electrified 2,400 sq ft home in the 2026 reference set (Rocky Mountain Institute's 200-home Electrification Study, PGE new-construction data set, and BuildSMART Colorado deployments) fits comfortably on 200 A service when the load calc uses NEC 220.83 optional method — but not when the calc uses the standard 220.42 method.

This is not a code trick; both methods are equally NEC-compliant. The optional method (220.83 for existing dwellings, 220.87 for new dwellings with electric heat) captures diversity factors that the standard method deliberately excludes. On a home with heat pump HVAC + HPWH + induction range + heat-pump dryer + Level 2 EVSE, the standard method calculates 285 A and forces a 320 A service. The optional method on the same home calculates 168 A and fits on 200 A with 32 A of headroom. Same panel, same wires, same equipment — different math.

NEC 220.87 (the version that applies to new-construction dwellings with electric space heat) allows the calculated load to be the sum of: 100% of the first 8 kVA of general and applicance load + 40% of the remainder, plus 100% of the largest of the four "big loads" (heating, cooling, water heating, or largest single dryer/range appliance), plus 40% of the sum of the remaining big loads. This diversity captures the reality that a house does not simultaneously run the cooktop, dryer, water heater, HVAC, and EVSE at full nameplate.

Applied to a 2,400 sq ft 3 bed / 2.5 bath fully-electrified home:

The 168 A calculation fits on a 200 A service with 32 A (16%) of headroom — code-compliant and future-proof through the next NEC cycle. Notice the EVSE is the single largest contributor (28% of the total) because it is treated as a continuous load at 100% by NEC 625.42, with no diversity credit. If the buyer's EVSE spec drops from 48 A to 40 A hardwired, the calculation drops to 154 A.

Electrifying a plan is not a single decision — it is a sequenced set of eight decisions that need to land in the plan set at the right time or the trades will improvise. Four decisions land at plan release, three at rough-in, and one at trim.

The following is the complete branch-circuit BOM for the reference plan. Every SKU maps to the master BOM (Categories 1–9 in the Standardized Electrical BOM pillar). Total: 32 branch circuits + 1 service feeder.

Rolling the branch-circuit BOM, main panel, meter socket, service feeder, and grounding into a single line item gives you a defensible number for the electrification premium over a legacy gas-appliance plan.

Balance the premium against three offsets: (1) elimination of gas service ($1,800 avg saved on trunk gas piping + meter set); (2) elimination of two gas water-heater and gas-range appliance rough-ins ($240 saved); (3) IECC 2024 ERI-path credits worth 4–7 additional points that let you skip envelope upgrades worth $1,100–$2,400. Net electrification premium after offsets: -$488 to +$740 per home. For the 65% of production builders who use the ERI compliance path, the electrified plan is measurably cheaper than the gas-appliance plan.

The load calculation only takes you so far. The other side of the electrification package is the actual equipment stack — which heat pump, which HPWH, which induction range, which EVSE — and how they interact on the electrical service. Below are three field-verified packages we've spec'd for production builders in 2025-26, each targeting a different price point and climate zone. All three are calculated under NEC 220.87 with 200 A service.

Package A is the most common configuration for volume production builders — it hits the "all-electric ready" marketing angle with the smallest service upgrade (200 A is the default for most 2,000 sq ft plans anyway). Package B is the "electrified premium" tier and typically adds $1,850 to the electrical BOM over a standard 200 A code-minimum home. Package C is the cold-climate all-electric package; the 400 A service adds $2,600 to $3,400 over Package A but the marketing story ("Zero fossil fuels, ready for the future") sells at premium price points in Denver, Boulder, and Minneapolis markets.

All three packages are stocked as pre-configured kits on the PES Axis contractor portal. Registered builders get a single SKU per package that resolves to 47-63 line items on the pick list, with committed lead times and pallet-quantity freight consolidated for full-community deliveries.