Seattle, WA
EV CHARGER INSTALL ESTIMATING.

## EV Charger Estimating in Seattle Runs on Different Rules Seattle sits inside one of the highest EV adoption markets in the country. King County consistently ranks in the top five counties nationally for registered EVs per capita, which means residential and commercial charger installs are steady work — but also means you are bidding against a dense field of licensed electrical contractors who know the market. Winning work here comes down to speed and accuracy. A slow bid or a vague scope gets ignored. Estimate.Pro gets you from job walkthrough to a sendable bid in 8 minutes. --- ## What Makes EV Charger Bids Complicated in Seattle **Panel capacity is the first question every time.** Most older Seattle homes in neighborhoods like Ballard, Beacon Hill, and Columbia City were built with 100A panels. A Level 2 charger pulling 48A continuous on a 60A circuit can push that panel to its limit. Your scope has to include a load calculation before you commit to a price. Estimate.Pro surfaces this in the walkthrough — you answer the panel questions, and the scope flags a potential panel upgrade line item automatically. **Seattle City Light interconnection is not the same as a standard residential permit.** For commercial installs and multi-unit residential (MUR) buildings, Seattle City Light has its own service extension and metering requirements that add cost and lead time. That affects your materials budget and your project timeline. Build it into the bid or eat it later. **NEC 625 governs the install, and Washington adopts it.** Washington State has adopted the 2023 NEC, including Article 625 (Electric Vehicle Power Transfer Systems). Seattle's Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) enforces this locally. Your scope-of-work output from Estimate.Pro references Article 625 line items so your customer understands what they are paying for and why. **Permit fees in Seattle are not flat.** SDCI electrical permit fees are calculated on a valuation basis for larger jobs. A straightforward single-family Level 2 charger install typically runs $150–$220 in permit fees as of 2024, but a commercial multi-port install can reach $400–$700 depending on declared job value. Estimate.Pro lets you store your permit fee assumptions in your saved material cost workspace and update them as the fee schedule changes. --- ## The Estimate.Pro Workflow for EV Charger Installers **1. Walk the job and capture it.** Use the AR measurement tool on supported devices to capture panel location, conduit run distance, and charger mounting surface. On older homes where you are working from photos, measurements are marked as estimates so your bid reflects the right level of certainty. **2. Answer the scope questions.** The app walks you through panel amperage, existing wiring gauge, conduit type (EMT vs. PVC vs. surface raceway), GFCI requirements, and charger mount height. Takes under three minutes on a typical residential job. **3. Get a priced estimate.** Your material costs pull from your saved workspace — wire per foot, breaker cost, NEMA 14-50 receptacle or hardwired charger unit, weatherproof cover, conduit fittings. Labor rates are yours to set. The 8-minute median is real. **4. Send it.** PDF or digital link. Stripe Connect invoicing on Elite tier. No platform fee on Pro+. --- ## Pricing That Fits How You Work - **Free tier** — no credit card, no time limit. Good for learning the system. - **Pro at $39/seat/month** — full estimating, 0% Stripe platform fee. - **Elite at $79/seat/month** — adds invoice exports and Stripe Connect workflows. - **Crew at $399/month flat** — unlimited seats, right for a multi-truck electrical shop running charger installs alongside panel upgrades and service work. --- ## Seattle-Specific Details That Belong in Every Bid Seattle's 2030 Climate Action Plan targets a significant reduction in residential fossil fuel use, which has driven city-level incentives for EV infrastructure. Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light both run rebate programs that your residential customers may qualify for — mentioning this in your bid writeup costs you nothing and signals that you know the market. If you are working multi-family jobs, Seattle's MHA (Mandatory Housing Affordability) developments and newer DADU construction in the Accessory Dwelling Unit push have created consistent demand for pre-wired EV-ready circuits, even when the charger itself is owner-supplied. Pricing a rough-in-only scope is a separate line item template worth building in your workspace. Estimate.Pro supports 25 trades. If your crew also pulls permits for panel upgrades, lighting, or solar-adjacent work, the same account covers those scopes.