What we do
A dedicated car charger at the garage — neat, labeled, and ready for daily use. We do this in Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, and the rest of the North Shore. Same crew that does the kitchen lighting and the generator.
- Look at the panel and the run to the garage before anyone opens a wall
- Install listed charger equipment on a dedicated circuit when the service can take it
- Label the breaker so the next person in the house knows what it is
- Pull the permit and call for inspection when an upgrade is the right work
The panel comes first
If there is room for a dedicated circuit, we install the charger. If the service is still 60- or 100-amp, we say so before anyone opens a wall. When an upgrade is the right work, we pull the permit so it can be inspected.
We do not guess. We look at the service in person, then give you a clear number for the charger, the upgrade, or both.
How a visit goes
Call or request a visit. We come look at the garage, the panel, and the path between them. If we can finish the charger on that visit, we do. If the panel has to come first, we schedule the upgrade and come back for the charger.
- Tell us the car and where you park. A photo of the panel helps.
- We look at the service in person and say whether it can take a dedicated circuit.
- If it can, we install listed equipment, label the breaker, and leave it ready for daily use.
- If it cannot, we price the panel work separately and pull the permit when an upgrade is needed.
Older North Shore houses
Plenty of Northbrook, Glencoe, and Winnetka houses still have a service that was sized for a different life. An EV charger, a range, a dryer, and air conditioning all at once is more than a 1960s panel was asked to do. We tell you that up front.
Level 2, hardwired, and the panel
Most houses here want a Level 2 charger on a dedicated circuit. Hardwired is cleaner in a finished garage. A plug-in unit is fine when the receptacle is the right rating and location. Tesla/NACS, ChargePoint, and other listed equipment are all in play — we install listed gear the panel can actually support.
Distance from the panel, a detached garage, and wall access all change the run. If the service cannot take the load, the charger waits on a panel upgrade. We price those separately.
Permits, inspection, and incentives
Northbrook and the neighboring villages want charger circuits inspected. We pull the permit when the work needs one. We do not quote rebate amounts on this page — ComEd incentives change. Check ComEd’s current EV charger programs, then we will tell you whether the installation matches what they ask for.
What moves the number
The charger unit is usually the smaller line. The run from the panel, a detached garage, and a service that cannot take the load are what move the estimate. We do not publish a fake starting price that ignores your garage. You get a number after we look.
Timeline
If the panel can take a dedicated circuit and the path is open, a charger is often a scheduled visit — not a multi-week remodel. If the service has to be upgraded first, that is a permitted job with an inspection date. We tell you which calendar you are on before we start.