Cost to Run Electricity to a Detached Garage or Shed

Adding power to a detached garage or shed opens up a lot of possibilities: EV charging, a workshop, lighting, a freezer, or a home gym. But because a detached structure means running a new circuit across your yard and often installing a subpanel, the cost varies widely. This guide walks through what the job actually involves, what drives the price, and why a load calculation and a licensed electrician matter.

What It Takes to Power a Detached Structure

Getting electricity from your main panel to a separate building is more involved than adding an outlet inside your house. A typical project includes several parts.

• A new circuit or feeder from your main panel. Power starts at your home's electrical panel, where an electrician connects a new breaker sized for the load.
• A trench across the yard. The wire almost always runs underground between the two buildings.
• Conductors sized for the distance. The longer the run, the larger the wire needs to be to deliver power safely.
• A subpanel in the garage. For anything beyond a single circuit, a small panel in the detached structure lets you branch out to multiple outlets, lights, and equipment.
• Permits and an inspection. Running power to a separate building is permitted work that must be inspected for safety and code compliance.

Trenching and Burial Depth

Trenching is often the biggest variable in the whole project. The wire has to be buried deep enough to protect it, and local code sets minimum depths that depend on the wiring method and whether it's protected by conduit.

Wire Sizing and Voltage Drop

One of the most important, and most overlooked, parts of a long run is wire sizing. Electricity loses a little voltage over distance, and the farther the power has to travel, the more that "voltage drop" adds up. If the wire is too small for the distance, equipment can underperform and wiring can run hot.

To compensate, electricians increase the conductor size for longer runs. A short run to a nearby shed might use modest wire, while a long run to a garage across a big lot may need noticeably larger, more expensive conductors to keep voltage drop within safe limits. This is one reason two projects with the same amperage can cost very different amounts, and why guessing at wire size is risky. Proper sizing is a code and safety issue, not just a performance preference.

Adding a Subpanel in the Garage

For most detached-garage projects, a subpanel is the smart choice. Instead of running a single circuit, you run one appropriately sized feeder to a small panel in the garage, then branch out from there to lights, outlets, and equipment. A subpanel gives you room to grow, keeps circuits organized, and makes future additions easier.

How much amperage you feed the subpanel depends on what you'll run. Lighting and a few outlets need far less than a workshop with power tools, or a garage that will also host an EV charger. That's why the total capacity should be decided before the wire is sized, not after.

Great for EV Charging and Workshops

If the reason you're powering the garage is to charge an electric vehicle, plan for that load from the start. An EV charger installation commonly runs from about $400 to $1,800 on its own, and feeding it through a detached-garage subpanel means the feeder and the panel both need to account for the charger's draw alongside anything else you'll run out there. Building in that headroom now is far cheaper than upsizing the whole run later.

The same logic applies to a serious workshop. Table saws, compressors, welders, and dust collection can pull heavy loads, sometimes several at once, so the subpanel and feeder should be sized for realistic simultaneous use.

What Drives the Cost

Because so much depends on your specific property, project totals commonly range from a few hundred dollars for a short, simple run up to around $2,000 or more for longer or more complex jobs. Before your final quote, the biggest factors are:

• Distance. Longer runs mean more trenching, more wire, and often larger conductors.
• Trenching difficulty. Rock, roots, driveways, and hardscape all raise the cost of digging.
• Amperage. Higher-capacity feeders and subpanels use bigger, pricier wire and equipment.
• Wiring method. Direct-burial vs. conduit changes both materials and labor.
• Your main panel's capacity. If your existing panel is full or undersized, it may need an upgrade first. A 200-amp panel upgrade commonly runs about $1,800 to $4,500.
• Permits and inspection. Required for safe, legal work, and part of any legitimate quote.

Why a Load Calculation and a Licensed Electrician Matter

The single best way to avoid an undersized or oversized system is a proper load calculation. A licensed electrician adds up everything the garage will run, factors in the distance and voltage drop, and sizes the feeder, wire, and subpanel accordingly. Guesswork here leads either to wasted money on oversized parts or, worse, an unsafe, underpowered installation.

Because this work crosses property, goes underground, and ties into your main panel, it needs to be permitted, inspected, and done to code. Charge Home Solutions is a licensed and insured electrical company, and we handle the load calculation, permits, and inspections as part of the job. To talk through powering your detached garage or shed, call 888-995-6044.