What size electrical service for a 3200 sq ft house with gas range and dryer?

3,200 ft², gas range, gas dryer, gas water heater

100 A minimum

calculated load 82 A · NEC minimum 100 A · 125 A is what usually gets installed

Calculated load19,760 VA ÷ 240 V	82A
NEC minimum servicethe next standard size at or above the calculated load	100A
Commonly installedone size up — leaves 34% headroom for an EV charger or a heat pump later	125A
General lighting3,200 ft² × 3 VA	9,600VA
Small appliance + laundrytwo kitchen circuits and one laundry, 1,500 VA each	4,500VA
Fixed appliancesthe lightest common configuration	2,300VA
Before demand factor	16,400VA
After demand factor100% of the first 10 kVA, 40% of the rest	12,560VA
Heating or coolingthe larger of the two, not both — they do not run together	7,200VA

Notes

**Do not add up the nameplates.** Every appliance in this house adds to 16,400 VA, but NEC 220.82 counts **100% of the first 10 kVA and 40% of everything above it** — because a house never runs the oven, the dryer, the dishwasher and the disposal at the same second. That single step is why the honest answer is 82 A and the forum answer is usually double.
**100 A is the code minimum; 125 A is what gets installed.** Services come in fixed sizes, so "you need 82 amps" is never an answer on its own. 100 A satisfies NEC for this load today. Most electricians fit 125 A anyway, because the marginal cost at install time is small and the cost of upgrading later — new meter base, new mast, utility coordination — is not.
**Heating and cooling count once, whichever is larger.** Adding both is the second most common error and it pushes plenty of ordinary houses onto a 400 A recommendation they will never need.
**Adding an EV charger later is the change most likely to break this.** A 48 A charger adds 11,520 VA before demand factors and is the single most common reason a service that was fine for thirty years suddenly is not.
Panel space is a separate constraint from service size. A 200 A panel with every slot full needs a subpanel or a tandem-breaker plan, and that has nothing to do with the calculation above. And a licensed electrician's stamped load calculation is what an inspector accepts — this page is for knowing where you stand before you call one.

3200 sq ft with gas range and dryer

Calculated load 82 A. NEC minimum service 100 A. Commonly installed: 125 A.

Do not add up the nameplates

Everything in this house totals 16,400 VA. NEC 220.82 counts 100% of the first 10 kVA and 40% of the rest, because a house never runs the oven, the dryer, the dishwasher and the disposal in the same second.

That single step is why the honest answer is 82 A and the forum answer is usually double it.

Heating and cooling count once

Whichever is larger, not both. They do not run together.

Adding both is the second most common error, and it is what pushes ordinary houses onto a 400 A recommendation they will never need.

Minimum versus what gets installed

100 A satisfies code for this load today. Most electricians fit 125 A anyway.

The marginal cost at install time is small. The cost of upgrading later — new meter base, new mast, utility coordination, a day without power — is not.

Panel space is a separate problem

A 200 A panel with every slot full needs a subpanel, and that has nothing to do with the service size. Two different constraints, often confused, and the one that actually blocks the next project is usually slots rather than amps.

A licensed electrician's stamped calculation is what an inspector accepts. This page is for knowing where you stand before you call one.