The ConnectDER EV Meter Collar
If you live in a Vermont house built before 1980 with a 100A or 125A service, this is probably the answer to your "can I install a Tesla Wall Connector?" question. Here's the honest read.
⚡ The 30-second pitch
The ConnectDER EV Meter Socket Adapter is a "meter collar" — a UL-listed device that installs between your existing electric meter and its socket. It taps power before your panel and adds a dedicated 32A continuous (40A breaker, 7.7 kW) circuit for a Level 2 EV charger. Built-in smart load management throttles the charger when the rest of your house is drawing a lot of power, so you never trip the main.
For Vermont homes with 100A or 125A service: this is the only credible alternative to a $3,000–$6,000 service upgrade. Approved with Green Mountain Power (~75% of Vermont customers).
✓ Update — May 2026: Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC) has confirmed they allow ConnectDER MSA installations subject to four conditions (see the VEC section below for the requirements straight from their Billing & Member Technology team). If you're with Burlington Electric (BED) or one of Vermont's 14 municipal utilities, this product is still not yet approved in your territory.
Who this is for
• House built before ~1980
• Already-full breaker panel
• Panel located deep inside the basement / finished area
• You're a GMP customer
• You'd rather not pay an electrician to rework your service entrance
• You want two simultaneous EVs at 48A each
• Your meter is > 30 feet from where the EVSE needs to mount
• You're not in an approved utility territory yet
• You want anything other than a hardwired EVSE (no plug-in mobile connectors)
How the math actually works
A typical "before" scenario in a 1960s Vermont colonial: 100A service feeding a panel with no open double slots. Your electrician quotes you somewhere between $3,000 and $6,500 to upgrade to 200A service. That includes a new meter base, heavier service entrance conductors, the utility scheduling a disconnect, a new main panel, relocating existing branch circuits, permits, and inspection. In rural Vermont with one electrician who can fit you in next month, you're closer to the high end.
The ConnectDER alternative:
(panel, breakers, meter base)
(MSA + Siemens EVSE bundle)
(8–14 hours, two electricians)
(15–45 minutes, one electrician)
Numbers reflect Vermont labor rates (roughly $90–$120/hr for a licensed electrician in 2026) and recent ConnectDER pricing from regional distributors like Greentech Renewables. Your actual quotes will vary, sometimes a lot — call two electricians before committing either way.
What it actually does (the load-management part)
The clever bit is the part that's not "free amps." The MSA can't conjure extra capacity out of thin air — your 100A service is still 100A. What it does is watch the total current flowing through the meter in real time, and when your house is pulling close to the service limit (because the dryer and electric range and water heater all happened to fire at once), the collar temporarily sheds the EV charging load until things settle down. Then it resumes charging automatically.
In practice this means the EV gets full 32A (7.7 kW) charging during normal conditions — overnight, when little else is running — and gracefully steps down during the rare moments your house is at peak. Tesla's overnight scheduled charging is a perfect match for this behavior; you set the car to start at 11 PM and finish before morning, and the collar manages itself.
The honest catches
- Hardwired EVSE only. No plug-in mobile connectors, no NEMA 14-50 receptacle. The EVSE has to be wired directly into the collar's load terminals. This is a code requirement for supply-side taps, not a ConnectDER limitation.
- 32A continuous, not 48A. If you were dreaming of a 48A circuit and a Tesla Wall Connector at full speed (~44 mi/hr added), this isn't it. You get 32A continuous, roughly 30 mi/hr added to a Model Y. For 99% of overnight charging, that's plenty.
- Approved by GMP and VEC. Burlington Electric and the municipals are not yet on board. Green Mountain Power has approved the device since 2024. Vermont Electric Cooperative confirmed approval in May 2026, with four specific conditions (see VEC section). If you're with Burlington Electric or one of Vermont's 14 municipal utilities (Hardwick Electric, Morrisville Water & Light, Stowe Electric, Swanton, Barton, Lyndonville, etc.), you can't legally install this yet — installing without approval is a tariff violation. The approval list updates every few months; the ConnectDER approved-utilities page is the canonical source.
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Most easily bought as the Siemens-branded version. ConnectDER manufactures the
device, but the consumer-facing product is co-branded with Siemens and sold through their dealer
network, plus EV-specialist distributors like Greentech Renewables. Part numbers to look for:
E-B-4-22-40-100(40A / 100A service) andE-B-4-22-40-125(40A / 125A service). - Your installer needs to be utility-credentialed. Working at the meter is not a job for any electrician — they need to be approved by GMP for at-the-meter work. ConnectDER maintains a list of preferred installers; ask them directly.
- Older meter sockets sometimes need to be replaced first. If your meter socket is rusted, not in good condition, or pre-1980s ringless, the installer will need to address that first. This is usually a small extra cost (~$200) and the utility will allow it as part of the install.
Why this matters in Vermont specifically
Vermont has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country — the average home was built in 1968, and a good chunk of homes in the Northeast Kingdom and along the Connecticut River valley date to well before 1950. When most of these houses were wired, the standard residential service was 60A knob-and-tube. Many got upgraded to 100A in the 60s and 70s. Almost none have 200A unless someone did a kitchen remodel or built an addition in the last 20 years.
Combine that with these realities:
- GMP gives you a free Level 2 charger when you enroll in their EV rate program. That's a $500+ value sitting on the table — but only if you can install it. ConnectDER bridges that gap for houses that can't take a panel upgrade.
- Heat pump conversions are surging in Vermont (incentivized hard by Efficiency Vermont). A typical cold-climate heat pump pulls 15–25A at peak. If you've already added one of those to a 100A panel and now you want EV charging too, you're past the comfortable load on a service upgrade without ConnectDER.
- Vermont electricians are scarce and booked out. A service upgrade requires scheduling the utility, an electrician, and an inspector across multiple visits — often 6 weeks start-to-finish. ConnectDER is a single 45-minute visit (once your utility approves the product).
- Cameron Maurer at Green Mountain Solar (the largest residential solar installer in Vermont) is quoted on ConnectDER's own website endorsing the product. Local credentialed installers exist.
What to do next
🇻🇲 If you're a Vermont resident with GMP
- Check your panel — is it 100A or 125A and full or nearly full? If yes, keep going.
- Visit greenmountainpower.com/rebates-programs/electric-vehicles and enroll in the EV rate program. You'll get a free Level 2 charger shipped to you.
- Contact ConnectDER directly at connectder.com and request a preferred installer in Vermont.
- Get an installation quote in writing before purchasing the collar. Some installers bundle the part + labor; others want you to source the MSA separately.
✓ VEC members — what you need to know (confirmed May 2026)
Vermont Electric Cooperative confirmed in writing that they allow ConnectDER MSA installations, subject to four conditions:
- Member-owned and member-maintained equipment — VEC doesn't own or service the collar, you do. That means warranty registration and any future service goes through ConnectDER / Siemens, not the co-op.
- Properly sized for the load — your electrician / EC must verify the collar and EVSE are appropriately sized for your service and meet all applicable codes. A licensed electrician's quote should make this part trivial.
- Unencumbered access to the meter socket — VEC has to be able to reach the meter for reads and any future work, with the collar in place. Don't install in a way that buries the meter behind cabinetry or shrubs.
- Tool-free connection module removal — your unit must incorporate ConnectDER's latest design where the module pops off the collar without tools, so VEC can pull it for inspection or meter access. The 2024+ Siemens-branded units (the ones currently shipping from Greentech Renewables and other authorized distributors) meet this requirement. If you're sourcing a used unit, verify the part is the current-generation design.
Source: Vermont Electric Cooperative Billing and Member Technology, in direct correspondence May 2026. Member questions: 1-800-832-2667 or [email protected].
What to do next as a VEC member:
- Confirm your service entrance and meter socket meet condition #3 (unencumbered access). If your meter is behind a deck, plantings, or finished interior space, that has to be cleared before any install.
- Get a quote from a licensed electrician. ConnectDER maintains a list of credentialed installers — ask them for a Vermont referral. Local solar / EV installers like Green Mountain Solar already work with the product through GMP territory and will travel into VEC areas.
- Order the current-generation Siemens-branded MSA (part numbers
E-B-4-22-40-100orE-B-4-22-40-125) so condition #4 (tool-free removal) is satisfied out of the box. - Pull a permit through your town's electrical inspector before install. VEC doesn't run the inspection, but the work is still permitted electrical work.
⚠ If you're with BED or a Vermont municipal utility
Burlington Electric Department (Burlington only) and Vermont's 14 municipal utilities (Hardwick Electric, Morrisville Water & Light, Stowe Electric, Swanton, Barton, Lyndonville, and others) have not approved ConnectDER yet. You can't legally install — installing without approval is a tariff violation that can result in service disconnection.
Three productive moves:
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Call your utility's engineering or metering department. Reference the
UL 414 listing, the existing GMP approval, and the May 2026 VEC approval as precedent.
Customer demand is the single biggest driver of approval timing.
- BED: (802) 865-7300 — ask for Customer Care or the EV program lead. Serves the City of Burlington only.
- Your municipal utility: Look up your local utility's main line and ask for Engineering. Most municipals are members of VPPSA and approval may flow through there once a member town pushes for it.
- Sign up for ConnectDER's notification list at connectder.com to hear the day your utility gets added.
- Consider lower-amp options in the meantime. If your 100A panel has any headroom, a 24A or 32A circuit might fit within your existing service. See our load calculator before assuming a panel upgrade is your only option.
Specs at a glance
Sources
- ConnectDER EV Meter Socket Adapter — official product page
- ConnectDER homeowner FAQ — approved utilities, spec FAQ
- Greentech Renewables — distributor part numbers and pricing
- Green Mountain Power — Electric Vehicles program
- Green Car Congress — Siemens / ConnectDER partnership announcement
- State of Charge — Vermont first install, December 2024
FindMyTesla has no affiliation with ConnectDER, Siemens, Green Mountain Power, or any installer mentioned here. We do not earn commission on referrals. We just think it's a damn good product for a real Vermont problem.