Hard-nosed Vivian from Edison was out to spot my electrical meter and she warmed up immediately when we got to talking about my vegetable garden, which is featuring plenty of winter crops at the moment. We talked for quite a while, and I managed to convince her that Edison should upgrade the cables from the power line to my house to 2 AWG wires from the current 4 AWG (based upon my stated need for several 20A circuits in my garage workshop and plans for a kitchen update). Larger cables have a lower resistance which gives me a harder supply - the practical implications are faster motor start up, less voltage sag when running near peak loads, and less transient voltage drop when switching in a large appliance. Vivan left me with two meter location options, plenty of good advice about remaining compliant with Edison requirements, and a smile.
In true cascading home repair / bonus chore fashion, the bad part is that both meter locations will require moving the existing meter (one slightly and one dramatically). They also require cognizance of certain access and clearance issues when I'm installing a trellis cover over my patio, a task I've had on my mental list for a long time, but which I now have to think about with much more exactitude.
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