How a Panel Upgrade Actually Works in Ontario
A service upgrade is not a same-day swap. It involves three parties — your electrical contractor, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), and your local utility — and the sequence matters.
- Load calculation and site assessment. We measure your existing service, check the meter base, mast, and grounding, and calculate your actual and planned loads to determine the correct service size.
- ESA notification (the permit). Every service upgrade in Ontario legally requires an ESA notification. We file it as the licensed contractor — this is not something a homeowner can pull for a main service upgrade.
- Utility coordination. Your service has to be disconnected and reconnected by the utility. Scheduling that disconnect is usually the longest part of the timeline, not the electrical work.
- Installation day. The physical work — new panel, main breaker, grounding and bonding, transferring and labelling every circuit — typically takes most of a working day.
- ESA inspection and Certificate of Inspection. An ESA inspector reviews the installation. The resulting Certificate of Inspection becomes part of your home’s permanent record and is what protects you at resale and on an insurance claim.
Your Utility Determines Your Timeline
Which utility serves you changes the disconnect scheduling process, and it is the single biggest variable in how long your upgrade takes:
- Toronto Hydro — serves the entire City of Toronto, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, East York, and York.
- Alectra Utilities — serves Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Mississauga, and Brampton.
- Elexicon Energy — serves Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, and parts of Durham Region.
We deal with all three regularly and file the utility paperwork for you. Overhead services are generally faster and less expensive to upgrade than underground services, where the incoming conductors may also need attention.
What a Panel Upgrade Costs
Panel work at EZ Smart starts from $1,599. Where your job lands above that starting point depends on the condition of your mast and meter base, whether your service is overhead or underground, the panel location and cable run, how many circuits transfer, and whether the grounding needs updating.
Anyone who gives you a firm number without seeing the service is guessing. We provide a written quote after the site assessment, with the ESA permit fee stated in it, and the assessment is free.
Why Homeowners Choose EZ Smart
We are fully licensed and insured, with a Master Electrician on staff and ESA authorization on every job. We file the permit, coordinate the utility disconnect, complete the work to the Ontario Electrical Code, and see the ESA inspection through to the Certificate of Inspection — you are not left chasing paperwork.
Every circuit gets properly labelled before we leave, so the next person who opens that panel — including a future inspector or buyer — can actually read it.
Book Your Free Panel Assessment
If your breakers are tripping, your panel is full, or you are planning an EV charger, addition, or basement suite, the load calculation is the place to start.
Call 416-838-9006, book a free estimate, or contact us.
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