Panel Upgrades & Service Changes

A panel upgrade is the job that unlocks most other electrical work in a Metro Vancouver home. Heat pumps installed under CleanBC rebates, Level 2 EV chargers, induction ranges, a secondary suite and a hot tub all add load, and a 60A or 100A service that was fine in 1975 has no room for them. The upgrade replaces the main panel and, when the service size changes, the meter base, mast and service conductors as well.

The process in BC has two halves. The electrical contractor pulls the permit, installs the new panel and has it inspected. BC Hydro handles the disconnect and reconnect at the meter and, for a larger service, may need to change the drop or the transformer feeding your street.

In the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Maple Ridge the inspection is by the municipal electrical department; in the rest of Metro Vancouver it is Technical Safety BC. Your contractor coordinates the Hydro appointment, and the power is usually off for four to eight hours on the day.

Several things push the price up: an underground service, a mast that has to move to meet current clearance rules, a panel located in a closet or bathroom that has to be relocated, and old Stab-Lok or fuse panels where the branch circuits need new breakers and sometimes AFCI protection under the current BC Electrical Code. A sub-panel is the cheaper answer when the main service has capacity but the panel is out of breaker spaces. A load calculation, which the contractor is required to do, tells you which one you actually need.