How the charger and the panels meet at the meter
Under DTE's Rider 18, power drawn from the grid is inflow, charged at the retail rate, and power sent out is outflow, credited at the power supply rate, which DTE says includes PSCR. That credit can offset every electric charge except securitization charges. Consumers Energy credits excess at the power supply rate, including transmission, against all electric charges. A charger doesn't change those rules, because it's a load that draws power like any other appliance in the house.
For scale, EIA put Michigan's average residential electricity price at 22.99 cents per kWh in August 2026, up from 20.73 in August 2025. August is a high-use month, so that's one month's figure and not a yearly price, and it's an average for power bought, not what the utility credits for power you send out.
What a Level 2 charger costs in Michigan
Our estimate is $1,125 to $2,850 per Level 2 charger installed. It's a model, not a quote, so a bid will differ. The model is built from two published national ranges, scaled by what Michigan electricians are paid against the US mean (ratio 1.03), since charger work is electrical work. The model adds no permit fee, and it doesn't cover a panel upgrade or any solar panels.
No federal credit applies to a solar system installed in 2026, and none is taken off this range. The table adds the electrician wage the model scales by and the state's own permit line for a charger.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $1,125 to $2,850 per Level 2 charger installed | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan electrician wage ratio (1.03). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. |
| Electrician wage, Michigan mean | $35.50 an hour | What electricians are paid (BLS OEWS May 2025), not what you are charged. The US mean is $34.37 an hour. |
| State electrical permit schedule, EV charging station | $5.00 | LARA's state schedule applies only where the state inspects, and its column layout is ambiguous. Cities charge their own; ask yours. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row comes out of a model, so treat it as a planning figure and never as a quote. It takes 2 published national ranges for this job (cost guides from third-party sites that we haven't verified and don't cite) and multiplies them by Michigan's electrician wage ratio to the US (1.03, BLS May 2025). The range is before any incentive: the federal residential clean energy credit does not apply to systems installed after December 31, 2025. The wage and permit rows are what installers are paid and what the city charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and too few Michigan installers publish prices to show a range. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
If you're sizing a system with a car in mind
Both utilities size distributed generation to your past use. DTE's Rider 18 procedures allow a system whose expected generation doesn't exceed 110 percent of annual consumption, and Consumers Energy says a generator may offset up to 110 percent of historical 12-month usage. The DTE and Consumers pages this site cites measure that use from past bills and don't mention a car you haven't bought yet, so ask your utility how it would count one before you size the system around it.
Size also sets the paperwork at Consumers. Its Level 1 covers systems up to 20 kW and Level 2 runs over 20 to 150 kW, with the same $50 application fee at each level; DTE charges $50 for a Level 1 or Level 2 Rider 18 application. Tell the installer about the charger before the quote, so the panel count and the electrical work are priced together. The quote guide lists what to ask for.
The electrical side of a charger
Electrical contracting in Michigan takes an electrical contractor license (MCL 339.5737(1)), and LARA's licensing page says that license needs a master electrician of record. Ask for the company's license number and look it up with LARA before work starts; Detroit issues its own licenses locally. LARA's code page names the 2023 National Electrical Code, in force since March 12, 2024, as Michigan's electrical code and points to the Michigan Residential Code for residential requirements.
If your electrical panel can't take a charger, a panel upgrade is a separate job and isn't in the estimate. Ask the electrician what the panel can carry before you sign for either job. On the state's own permit form, plans aren't required when the service is 400 A or less and the building is 3,500 square feet or less.
What the permit lines say about chargers
LARA's state electrical permit schedule lists an EV charging station as its own line at $5.00, separate from the solar rows, though the schedule applies only where the state inspects and its column layout is ambiguous. Cities print their own. Portage's construction permit fees, effective January 2026, group "Energy Components (generators, solar, wind, electrical vehicle)" in one row at $6.00 for up to 20 units, $10.00 for 21 to 50 and $12.00 over 50. The schedule doesn't say whether a unit is a panel or a kW; its base electrical fee is $50.00, including one inspection.
The same state form sets the order of work where LARA inspects. Work may not start before the permit is issued, and nothing may be concealed before inspection; a rough inspection and a final inspection are $75.00 each on its fee table. When the job is ready, the inspector typically responds within two business days to schedule and inspects within about five. A permit with no inspection in 180 days closes, and reopening it costs $75.
Ask your building department whether the charger goes on the same electrical permit as the panels or on its own, and what each costs, before you compare quotes.
When to call 911 and when it can wait
- Smoke, a burning smell or fire at the charger, the inverter, panels or wiring is a 911 call. Leave the equipment alone.
- A charger quote you're still comparing.
- A question about how the utility credits your panels.
What to settle before you hire
- Decide the charger's location and how far it is from your electrical panel.
- Ask whether your panel can carry the charger and what an upgrade would add.
- If you're adding panels, ask the installer to quote both jobs together.
- Ask for the electrical contractor license number and look it up with LARA.
- Ask your city what the charger permit costs.
License and permit for a charger
The state's electrical permit form lists an EV charging station as its own line, and the permit is pulled under the electrical contractor's state license number. Cities use their own forms and fees, and Detroit issues its own licenses locally.
A homeowner doing their own work in an owner-occupied single-family home is exempt from the license under MCL 339.5737(3)(g), but not from the permit.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
Does solar change how DTE bills my EV charging?
DTE charges power you draw at the retail rate and credits power you send out at the power supply rate. Consumers Energy credits excess at the power supply rate, including transmission.
Is there a federal credit for an EV charger with solar?
Not for a solar system installed in 2026. The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Does a home EV charger need a permit in Michigan?
The state's electrical permit schedule has a line for an EV charging station, and cities use their own forms. Ask your building department whether the charger shares the solar permit or gets its own.
Can I size my solar system for a car I haven't bought yet?
Ask your utility first, because both size a system to 110 percent of past use. DTE's and Consumers' sizing rules measure that use from your prior 12 months.
Who can install a Level 2 charger in Michigan?
A company holding a Michigan electrical contractor license, which LARA says needs a master electrician of record. Ask for the number and look it up with LARA.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: electricians (SOC 47-2111), Michigan statewide Read Oct 19, 2026.
- SolarPanelMatch: how we estimate costs, Michigan (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA BCC-339 Electrical Permit Application (10/16 version) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- DTE Electric: Rooftop Solar Distributed Generation Rider 18 letter Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Distributed Generation Read Oct 23, 2026.
- EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DTE Rider 18 and Rider 16 supplemental interconnection procedures (July 1, 2026) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DTE Electric Generator Interconnection Procedures, Levels 1 and 2 (July 1, 2026) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Generator Interconnection Information Read Oct 23, 2026.
- MCL 339.5737 (legislature.mi.gov) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- MCL 339.5701 definitions (legislature.mi.gov) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA: Electrical Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Mich. Admin. Code R. 408.30801 (Cornell LII) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA Bureau of Construction Codes: Code Books Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA BCC-339 Electrical Permit Application (Wayback copy 2025-11-06) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Portage Department of Community Development Construction Permit Fees (eff. January 2026) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- IRS FAQs on OBBB changes to 25C, 25D (FS-2025-05) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- IRS: Residential Clean Energy Credit Read Oct 23, 2026.