What is an electrical panel upgrade?
An electrical panel upgrade replaces the breaker panel and, where required, the service feeding it, so your home can carry loads it was never wired for. Most GTA houses built before the EV era run 100A service with a panel that is already full. Adding a Level 2 charger means adding a 48A continuous load, and that is exactly the point where a 100A service starts to run out of room.
Our crew upgrades your service from 100A to 200A, replaces the breaker panel, and runs a full load calculation to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC Section 8). We file the ESA permit, coordinate the Toronto Hydro service upgrade where the service itself is changing, and hand over the Certificate of Acceptance so your install is fully compliant and ready for the charger.
The upgrade is not only about the car. A 200A service with spare breaker spaces also covers a heat pump, a hot tub, a basement suite, or an induction range later. Doing it once, properly documented, is cheaper than doing it twice.
Do you need a panel upgrade, or something cheaper?
This is the question that decides your budget, so we settle it before quoting. There are three genuinely different situations, and they cost very different amounts.
If your service capacity is fine but the breaker spaces are gone, you do not need an upgrade. A dedicated subpanel gives the EV circuit a home for $1,500 to $2,800 CAD. If your capacity is genuinely tight, a smart EVEMS load management device such as a DCC-9 or DCC-12 sheds the charger load when the household peaks, satisfying OESC Rule 8-106 for $500 to $1,200 CAD. If your service is undersized for the way you actually live, with electric heat, a pool, or a second EV coming, the full 200A service upgrade is the honest answer.
The OESC Section 8 load calculation is what separates those three. We total your connected load, apply the code demand factors, and compare the result against your existing service. That number goes on your quote so you can see the reasoning rather than take our word for it.
Common problems we solve
- Full panel, no spare double pole space. Every breaker slot is used and there is nowhere to land a 60A EV circuit.
- Legacy fuse or split-bus panels. Common in The Annex, Riverdale, Leaside, and older Etobicoke homes. These cannot take an EV circuit and must be replaced.
- Undersized 60A or 100A service. Fine for a 1960s house, tight once you add a Level 2 charger and modern appliances.
- Aluminum branch wiring and aging bus bars. Found during inspection and dealt with properly rather than worked around.
- Failed or missing documentation. No ESA Certificate on record from previous work, which insurers and buyers will notice.
What happens on upgrade day?
We arrive with the new panel, breakers, and the permit already filed. The service is de-energized, the old panel comes out, and the new 200A panel goes in with fresh breakers and dressed wiring. Each circuit is traced, landed, and labelled on a printed directory taped inside the door.
Where the service itself changes, the work extends to the service mast, the meter base, the point of attachment, and a copper ground plate. That part is scheduled around the Toronto Hydro (or Alectra, or Elexicon) disconnect and reconnect, which is why those jobs run 1 to 2 weeks rather than a single day.
Power is back on the same day for a standard panel swap. The ESA inspection follows, and once it passes we hand you the Certificate of Acceptance. That document is what proves the work was done to code, and it is the first thing a home insurer or a buyer’s lawyer will ask about.
What does it cost in Toronto and the GTA?
A 100A to 200A panel upgrade runs $2,500 to $4,500 CAD. A full service upgrade including a new mast and meter base runs $3,500 to $5,500 CAD. Bundled with the Level 2 charger install itself, most GTA homes land between $4,000 and $7,300 CAD all in.
What moves you inside that range is the condition of what we find: the length and route of the service run, whether the meter base and mast need replacing, whether the grounding needs to be brought up to current code, and how much remedial work the existing circuits need. All of it is priced in writing before we start, with the ESA permit fee shown as its own line.
The 2026 Home Renovation Savings program pays up to $5,000 CAD toward an eligible EV charger installation with an ENERGY STAR certified charger and an ESA permit. We handle the Ontario EV rebate filing on your behalf, which for a lot of homeowners takes a meaningful bite out of the combined upgrade and install cost.
