North Vancouver • West Vancouver

Electrical Panel Upgrades for North Shore Homes

Most homeowners ask about a panel for one of two reasons: they have run out of breaker space, or they are adding something large — an EV charger, a hot tub, a heat pump, a suite or a renovation — and want to know whether the house can carry it. Those are different problems with different fixes, and an assessment is what tells them apart.

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Most homeowners arrive at this page with one question: do I actually need a panel upgrade, or is something cheaper going to solve this? That is a fair question, and it deserves an assessment rather than a sales answer.

Text a photo of your open panel and the panel label and you will usually get a useful first read before anyone visits.

What this covers

Service capacity assessed before any upgrade is recommended
Panel swaps where the equipment itself is the problem
Assessment and load calculation to confirm what is actually needed
Permit and inspection coordination where these apply
Utility coordination and meter base / mast work where the job requires it
Sub-panels for suites, garages and workshops
Panel replacement where the existing equipment is the problem

Where we do this work

Panel Upgrades & Panel Swaps for homes across North Vancouver and West Vancouver — Lonsdale, Lynn Valley, Edgemont, Deep Cove, Ambleside, Dundarave and the rest of the North Shore.

Service areas West Vancouver electrician

The real question

More breaker space, or more electrical capacity?

These get talked about as one thing. They are two different problems with two different price tags.

More breaker space means the panel has nowhere left to land a circuit. If the capacity coming into the house is adequate for what you run, this can sometimes be addressed by replacing the panel with one that has more positions, or by adding a sub-panel where the new circuits are needed.

More capacity means the house is being asked to draw more than the existing service is sized to deliver. That is a service upgrade, and it involves the utility side of the installation as well as the panel, which is why the two jobs are not comparable in cost or duration.

A load calculation based on your actual house — its size, heating type, appliances, and anything you are planning to add — is what determines which situation you are in. We would rather do that first than sell you the larger job by default.

Text a photo of your panel

This is the fastest way to get a meaningful first answer about your options.

A photo of the panel with the door open
A photo of the panel label or main breaker rating
What you are planning to add, if anything
Your heating type — electric, gas or heat pump

Call 604-700-3414 Text a panel photo to 604-700-3414

We aim to reply to calls, texts and service requests within 15 minutes during working hours.

Why homeowners ask

Four reasons this comes up

Each one leads somewhere slightly different, which is why the assessment matters more than the quote.

You have run out of breaker space

Every slot is used, breakers are doubled up on a single terminal, or there is nowhere to land a new circuit. This is a space problem, and it does not automatically mean the house needs more capacity.

You are adding a large load

An EV charger, a hot tub, a heat pump, air conditioning, a second kitchen or a suite all add meaningful demand. The question is whether the existing service can carry it alongside everything already there.

The panel itself is the problem

Corrosion, heat damage, discolouration, breakers that will not hold, or equipment that no longer has parts available. Here the panel is replaced because of its condition, independent of capacity.

A renovation is changing the house

Kitchens, basements, additions and legal suites usually mean new dedicated circuits. It is far cheaper to sort out the panel while walls are open than to revisit it afterwards.

If you are here because of a specific addition, the detail is on those pages: EV charger installation and hot tub electrical. If a breaker or panel is misbehaving rather than undersized, start with repairs and troubleshooting.

Scope and sequence

What the work involves

The order things happen in is what decides the timeline.

First the assessment and load calculation, based on your actual house rather than a rule of thumb. That number drives every decision after it, including whether an upgrade is the right recommendation at all.

Then the practical side: permit and inspection coordination, utility coordination where the job requires it, and a look at the physical installation — meter base, mast condition, grounding and bonding, and whether the panel location still makes sense for the house as it is used now.

On the day, the panel is replaced, circuits are re-terminated and properly labelled, grounding is brought current, and the installation is inspected. Older homes sometimes turn up conditions behind the old panel that nobody could see beforehand — you hear about those before we act on them, not after.

Panel swap vs service upgrade

Two different jobs that get called the same thing

Knowing which one your house needs is most of the value in the assessment.

Panel replacement (a panel swap)

The existing service stays as it is and the panel itself is replaced — usually because the equipment is aged, damaged, obsolete, or simply out of usable positions. Circuits are re-terminated into the new panel, grounding and bonding are brought current, and everything gets labelled properly. The capacity coming to the house does not change.

Electrical service upgrade

Here the capacity supplied to the house increases. That means the panel plus the service equipment — meter base, mast or underground service conductors, grounding — and coordination beyond the house. It is a materially larger job than a swap, which is why we would rather confirm it is necessary than assume it.

Sub-panel

A sub-panel is fed from the existing service and adds breaker positions where new circuits are needed — a garage, a workshop, a suite, or a renovated basement. Where the load calculation shows adequate capacity, this is often the practical answer to a full panel, and it avoids the service work entirely. It does not add capacity; it distributes what is already there.

100A and 200A

What your service size does and does not tell you

Amperage is a headline number. The load calculation is the real answer.

Plenty of North Shore homes run on a 100A service and are perfectly adequate for how they are used. A 100A service is not a fault, and it does not automatically rule out an EV charger or a hot tub. What matters is the total demand the house presents — square footage, heating type, range, dryer, hot water, and any large additions — measured against that capacity.

Where 200A tends to become relevant is when several modern loads stack up: electric heat or a heat pump plus an EV charger plus a hot tub, or a house being extended with a suite or a substantially larger kitchen. In those cases the upgrade is not cosmetic — it is what makes the rest of the plan possible.

It also works the other way. Homes with gas heat and gas hot water frequently have more headroom than the owner expects, and load management can sometimes cover a single large addition without touching the service. The calculation is what decides, and it is the first thing we do.

Planning more than one addition?

Read the detail on EV charger installation, hot tub electrical and renovation electrical, then send one panel photo and we will look at the whole picture at once.

FAQ

Panel Upgrades & Swaps questions

What is the difference between a panel swap and a service upgrade?

A panel replacement changes the equipment the circuits land in. A service upgrade increases the electrical capacity coming to the house, which involves more parties and more work. Many homeowners who ask for the second one actually need the first.

How do I know which one I need?

An assessment of the existing service and the loads in the house, including a load calculation, is what tells you. Anyone quoting an upgrade without looking at what the house actually uses is guessing.

My panel is full — do I need an upgrade?

Not necessarily. Running out of physical breaker space and running out of capacity are different problems. Where capacity is adequate, a sub-panel or reorganising existing circuits can sometimes solve it for considerably less.

I have a 100A service and want an EV charger. Is that a problem?

Sometimes it is fine, sometimes it is not — it depends on what else the house runs, particularly electric heat. A load calculation gives you the answer, and load management is occasionally an alternative to upgrading.

Will the power be off?

Yes, for part of the job. We confirm the expected window with you in advance and plan around fridges, freezers and home offices where we can.

Do panel jobs involve permits and inspection?

Panel work commonly involves a permit and inspection. The requirements for your job are assessed before we start, and we handle that coordination rather than leaving the paperwork with you.

Related electrical services

Book panel upgrades & swaps on the North Shore

Call or text 604-700-3414 — a photo of the problem or your panel is often all we need to give you a straight answer about what's involved and what it's likely to cost.