Service and Panel Upgrade, Toronto

The electrical service and panels are responsible for ensuring enough electricity reaches all your devices. A panel upgrade will increase the safety of your home.
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Service and Panel Upgrade, Toronto

When was the last time your home has had a service and panel upgrade?

Many homeowners have had the experience at least once of having too many electronics plugged into a receptacle, resulting in a power outage. The first step that most homeowners would think to take would be to check their home’s electrical panel to inspect the situation. Upon inspection, they might find that a circuit breaker has trippedAfter unplugging their electronics, they may turn the breaker back on, hoping not to overload the circuit again.

However, finding yourself in the same situation three weeks later after members of your household have compounded heavy electrical usage is a sure sign that it’s time for a professional to take a look at the situation. In most situations, a licensed electrician will suggest that you upgrade to a 200-amp electrical panel to increase the holding capacity for your electronics.

In modern homes, a minimum of 200 amps is the recommended service panel size. However, larger homes with more demand from appliances may need up to 400 amps. When called, a licensed electrician will be able to complete a load calculation according to the standards of the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), which will detail the safest possible minimum electrical service size needed for your home.

Electrical service upgrades in Canada (including panel upgrades) often require coordination between the licensed electrical contractor hired by you and the local hydro provider in your area. In Toronto, it is likely that your provider is either Toronto Hydro or Hydro One — however, regardless of your local hydro company, the preparation procedure is fairly similar and the process of communicating with your provider has been conveniently detailed here.

If your home has not had a service and panel upgrade in the past 25-40 years, it’s worth looking into, as an outdated electrical panel is a dangerous one, putting your home at risk for electrical fires. The modern demand of electronic devices has created the need for a much higher capacity more than ever before. Don’t take the risk — upgrade your electrical service and panel today!

Contact MADE ELECTRIC for more information, to learn more about service and panel upgrades, and to inquire about having a service and panel upgrade installed in your home! We operate within the GTA to ensure that your home and your electronics are safe.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does it mean to overload the panel’s main breaker?

An overload happens when a circuit experiences a greater demand for electricity than what it can handle, leading to overheating, which causes the circuit breaker to trip.

In the City of Toronto, for example, older homes are much more susceptible to these types of issues due to the lower amount of maximum amperage draw that these electric panels can handle (which is typically around 60 amps or more). These older homes are not equipped to handle the high electrical demand that newer electronic appliances have created, leading to very real and serious hazards. This can also happen in newer homes with 100-amp electrical panels. The main issue in both situations is the high demand being placed on the circuit, which, once saturated, can cause overheating. In cases where the electrical panel then malfunctions, this could very well lead to house fires.

This explains why upgrading to a 200-amp electrical panel would allow you to have more than enough room to plug in all of the electronics you desire, resting assured that you will have overload protection.

Why else would I need more power or amperage for my house panel?

The average homeowner in Toronto has a home with a 100-amp electrical panel.

In cases where home upgrades are desired, such as adding in a nice hot tub, or installing new electrical heating or central air conditioning, most of the time this means that the home will need more power to sustain the new electrical appliances.

If the new electrical additions run your total home power consumption up to 100 amps, there is a high risk of a circuit overload. A general rule of thumb to allow safe parameters in case of an overload is that panels should never exceed 80% of its maximum electrical capacity.

Therefore, upgrading to 200-amp electrical panel would allow you to obtain more electrical current, which would equal to more electrical power available for those new higher consumption appliances.

How should I start with a service and panel upgrade?

Once you are ready to upgrade your electrical panel, the first step would be to call MADE ELECTRIC and book an appointment with one of our licensed electricians. Booking times can range from 1 to 4 weeks depending on the availability of your hydro provider.

On the day of the service upgrade, a licensed electrician will come to your home and make the installation. The average time for completion from beginning to end is about one business day. Keep in mind that you will not have power in your home until the installation is completed and shortly after approved by the Electrical Safety Authority.

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