Residential breaker panel with its cover off

Authorized Savant dealer Service Upgrade Avoidance

Name: Boston Backup Power
Address: 83 Morse St, Unit 8H, Norwood, MA, 02062, US
Telephone: (781) 333-8003
Price range: $$$$

Savant Power Modules turn flexible loads off for a while so the house stays within its service size. Savant's service upgrade avoidance was approved in October 2026, so a home whose load calculation works can add an EV charger or heat pumps without a bigger service.

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Why do homes need bigger services?

Most homes in New England were wired for gas heat, gas cooking and no car in the garage. Then the heat pumps go in, an EV charger goes on the wall, and the addition gets a kitchen. On paper the house now needs more than its 200 A service can carry, and the usual answer is an upgrade to 400 A.

A service upgrade can mean a new meter and main panel, new wire from the street, permits and a wait for the utility. In a large house on 400 A, the next step is 600 A, which is a bigger job again.

Those loads almost never all run at once, so an upgrade pays for a moment that rarely comes. Load management covers that moment instead.

Try it

How does load shedding work?

Switch on the loads in this 200 A house. When the total would go past the service, Savant Power Modules pause the lowest-priority loads first and keep the rest running.

Switch loads on and off

A 200 A house that has added an EV charger, heat pumps and a spa.

The Savant Power Modules for these loads. Green is running, amber is paused by load management, and a dark light is switched off.

Without load management125 A

With Savant Power Modules125 A

The house is drawing 125 amps of its 200 amp service. Nothing needs to be paused.

A teaching example with rough figures. A real design starts with your electrician's load calculation, and the priorities are set with you when the system is commissioned.

What does Savant Power do differently?

A Savant Power Module sits beside each breaker you want to manage, and a Current Track Module on the main feed measures the whole house, so the system always knows how close it is to the limit. Each flexible load gets a priority. When the total gets near the limit, the lowest priority loads pause, and they come back on when there is room.

Savant describes it as software that regulates the power output of the electrical panel "so the demand never exceeds a home's capacity."

Essential circuits are never shed
You choose which loads can wait, and in what order
Works with an EV charger, heat pumps and spa heaters
The same modules run battery backup during an outage
The app shows each circuit's history
Works on 200 A, 400 A and larger services

EV charging

What about the EV charger?

An EV charger is usually the biggest new load in the house, and the easiest one to manage. The Savant Level 2 charger delivers up to 50 A, and on a 60 A Power Module it can be slowed or paused when the house needs the power.

You can also set a maximum charge rate or a charging schedule in the Savant app. Charge modes run from Max down to Min, which charges at 2.88 kW.

How do we decide if it works for your house?

01
Load calculation
Your electrician adds up what the house would draw with the new loads. If it is over the service size, that is where most projects start talking about an upgrade.
02
Pick the flexible loads
We go through the house with you and choose the loads that can wait a few minutes: the EV charger, a spa heater, the dryer, a second water heater.
03
Set the limit and the priorities
The system is set to keep the whole house under a limit below the service size, and each flexible load gets a priority.
04
Confirm with the electrician and inspector
The electrician decides whether the managed design meets the code your town uses, and files it with the permit.

We never promise that a home avoids an upgrade before the load calculation is done. When load management is not enough, we tell you, and the proposal shows both paths.

What does the electrical code say?

The 2023 National Electrical Code added section 220.70 for energy management systems. When a system limits the current on a service or feeder, the load calculation can use the system's maximum setpoint instead of the full connected load. Massachusetts adopted the 2023 code in 2023, with its own amendments.

Whether a particular load management design counts under that section is the electrician's and the inspector's call, and the utility has its own say on the service. We give them the design, the setpoints and Savant's product documentation.

Keep reading

Savant Power Modules

What the modules are, which panels they fit and what they measure.

Rough-in guide

How to leave room for modules in a new house or a renovation.

Savant Power Storage

Add a battery and the same modules decide what runs during an outage.

FAQ

Service Upgrade Questions

Can Savant Power keep me from upgrading from 200 A to 400 A?

Yes, when the house's load calculation works. Savant's service upgrade avoidance was approved in October 2026. Savant Power Modules turn flexible loads off for a while so the house stays within its service size, which can let the electrician size the service for the managed load instead of everything running at once. Each home still needs its own load calculation, and the electrician, the inspector and the utility sign off. We find out on the site visit.

Does the electrical code allow it?

The 2023 National Electrical Code, which Massachusetts adopted in 2023, added section 220.70 for energy management systems. When a system limits the current on a service or feeder, the load calculation can use the system's maximum setpoint instead of the full connected load. Whether a particular design counts under that section is up to your electrician and the inspector.

What gets turned off, and for how long?

Only the loads you agree can wait, in the order you choose. Typical choices are the EV charger, a spa or pool heater, a dryer or a second water heater. They come back on when the house has room again, usually within minutes. Lights, outlets, the refrigerator and the network are never shed.

Will I notice when it happens?

Rarely. It only acts when several large loads run at the same time, such as the oven, the dryer, the heat pumps and the EV charger on a cold evening. The Savant app shows each circuit's history and sends notifications, so you can see what the house was doing.

What does avoiding an upgrade save?

A service upgrade can involve a new meter, new service wire, a new main panel, utility scheduling and permits, so it is often a large cost and a long wait. Savings depend on the house and the utility, so we compare both paths in the written proposal.

Does it work with a 400 A or 600 A service?

Yes. The same approach applies at any size. A 400 A home adding a pool house and EV chargers can stay at 400 A instead of moving to 600 A when its load calculation works, with the electrician, the inspector and the utility signing off.

Stay on the Service You Have?

Tell us what you are adding to the house. We look at the load calculation and show you both paths.

Get a Savant Quote or call (781) 333-8003