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Updated almost 7 years ago on . Most recent reply
Electric Upgrade vs going solar
I recently bought a two family home and the basement is fully finished without a kitchen but ample space and I have been recently toying with the idea of renting the basement atleast as a room sharing however being a older home it doesn't have the kind of electrical capacity to accomodate a decent electric stove which has very high amperage requirements (atleast 150 amps -200 amps) besides I am not considering gas stove as an option.As is I can envision fuse tripping beside I don't have any 220 line,also it gets very cold in winter in the basement so I will most likeli need a supplemental heater in the basement so elctric upgrade seems like a must if I decide to rent it out.However I was wondering would it be a better idea to have solar panels to supplement my additional electrical needs? also it would be great if someone can point me to other forums on how to convert a basement into an apartment with kitchen.I am also confused whether to go for vented vs ventless range hood or exhaust fan to deal with kitchen odors.appreciate the inputs from experienced forum members
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![James Bartley's profile image](https://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/no_overlay/uploads/social_user/user_avatar/982824/1621506794-avatar-jamesb526.jpg?twic=v1/output=image/crop=520x520@0x17/cover=128x128&v=2)
I own a solar company and hold a master electrical license, and the sky is the limit as they say, but for your situation solar makes ZERO sense. Hire a local electrician to do a service calc, and if need be, then upgrade your electrical service and while your at it setup a dual meter electrical service if your going through all the trouble of an upgrade anyways.