A 100 amp service is still perfectly adequate for many GTA homes, and upgrading one that does not need it is wasted money. What decides the answer is a load calculation under the Ontario Electrical Code, not the age of the panel. We run that calculation first and tell you honestly which side of the line you fall on.
When you need 100 amp to 200 amp upgrade, you want a licensed pro who works to Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) standards. EZ Smart delivers exactly that across Toronto and the GTA.
Licensed & ESA-Registered Electricians
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Going from a 100-amp to a 200-amp service is the most common upgrade we do, and it is almost always triggered by a specific project rather than a vague sense that the panel is old. Here is how to tell whether you actually need it.
Plenty of GTA homes run fine on 100A. If you have gas heat, a gas range, a gas dryer, no EV, no hot tub, and no plan to add a suite, a healthy 100A panel with free breaker slots is not a problem waiting to happen. Upgrading it would be spending money for no gain.
Age alone is not a reason either. A 100A breaker panel from the 1990s in good condition is not dangerous simply because it is not 200A. What matters is condition, capacity, and whether there is room to add circuits.
Under the Ontario Electrical Code, the correct service size comes from a load calculation that accounts for floor area, heating and cooling, range, water heater, EV charger, and other permanent loads with the applicable demand factors.
This is why we will not quote a service size over the phone. Two homes on the same street with the same square footage can land on opposite sides of the 100A line depending on whether the heat is gas or electric.
There is also a middle path worth knowing about: in some cases an EV energy management system lets a Level 2 charger share an existing 100A service safely, avoiding an upgrade entirely. We will tell you when that is the better option, because it usually costs considerably less than new service conductors.
A 100A to 200A upgrade is not just a bigger box. It normally involves a new 200A panel and main breaker, a heavier service mast and meter base, new service entrance conductors, an updated grounding electrode and water-line bonding, and transferring every existing circuit onto the new panel.
Because the incoming service changes, the utility must disconnect and reconnect, and the work must be inspected. Scheduling the utility is usually the longest part of the process, not the electrical work itself.
A service upgrade is notifiable work. The notification is filed with the Electrical Safety Authority by the licensed contractor before the job starts, and an ESA inspector reviews the finished installation. The resulting Certificate of Inspection is what your insurer and any future buyer will ask to see, so it matters well beyond the day of the work.
Your utility has to be involved too, because the service conductors feeding the meter are theirs. In most of the city that means Toronto Hydro, which handles the disconnect and reconnect and has its own application and scheduling process. Homes in Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, and Thornhill fall under Alectra instead, and the timelines differ.
We file the ESA notification, submit the utility paperwork, and coordinate the disconnect date, so you are not the one chasing two organisations for appointments.
We are a fully licensed and insured electrical contractor with a Master Electrician on staff and ESA authorization on every job. We run the load calculation before quoting, which means the recommendation is based on your actual loads rather than a guess about what a house your size probably needs.
We label every circuit properly on the new panel before we leave, protect the work area, and see the ESA inspection through to the Certificate. If the calculation says your existing 100A service is fine, we will say so.
Pick a date and time that suits you. A licensed, ESA-authorized electrician will run the load calculation and tell you plainly whether your 100 amp service needs upgrading — including when the honest answer is that it does not.
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We recommend only what you need and explain your options clearly.
Often, but not always. A Level 2 charger draws 32 to 48 amps continuously. Whether a 100A service can carry it depends on your other loads. A load calculation gives the answer, and in some cases an energy management system lets you keep 100A.
It can be, if your heat, range, and dryer are gas and you have no EV. Once you add major electric loads or a second suite, 100A usually falls short.
No. The panel, main breaker, service conductors, mast, and meter base all have to be rated for the new service size, so the panel is replaced as part of the upgrade.
The installation itself is typically most of one working day. The overall timeline depends on how quickly your utility can schedule the disconnect, which is commonly a couple of weeks.
No. Service size is capacity, not consumption. You pay for the energy you use, not the size of the service. The benefit is headroom and safety, not savings.
Our electricians are fully licensed and registered with the ESA and ECRA, so every job is done to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and properly inspected.
Get fast, code-compliant electrical work from licensed, ESA-registered pros in Toronto. Call today for a free estimate!
