Enough capacity for electrification, with failing equipment caught early.

NLS provided electrical engineering for a Lowell Housing Authority kitchen and bath modernization project involving new electric stoves, bathroom heat/fan units, and heat pumps across 16 residential units.

The project required NLS to determine whether the existing electrical infrastructure could support the planned electrification without expanding the overall service.

Confirming Capacity and Finding the Real Risk

NLS performed load calculations for the proposed electrification scenarios.

The calculations showed that:

• The existing 600-amp service had sufficient capacity for the proposed loads.

• The existing unit panelboards had sufficient capacity for the planned equipment.

• The existing 150-amp feeders serving the unit panelboards did not have sufficient capacity and required replacement with 200-amp feeders.

The investigation then identified a separate issue at the service entrance. The existing service equipment was severely corroded, physically damaged, and affected by water intrusion. The condition had degraded internal connections and breakers, creating a reliability and safety concern even though the service had adequate electrical capacity.

NLS recommended replacing the service entrance equipment and incorporated the replacement into the project design.

What this protected: The project avoided treating adequate electrical capacity as proof that the existing equipment was safe to keep. NLS supported the planned electrification while addressing the deteriorated service equipment before it became a failure, safety, or construction problem.