The electrical service in your home is not likely something that you have ever needed or wanted to learn about. But due to the increasing amount of electrical equipment and devices being installed in homes it’s becoming a more common home upgrade. So how do I know if I need to upgrade my service? Everything you need to know is here!
Here’s a detailed article on what an electrical service is and how to go about getting one upgraded in your home and if you even need to do it at all.
What is an electrical “service”?
The electrical service is your home’s main connection to the electrical grid. Your home electrical service is made up of three main parts.
- Service conduit or Service Mast: This is where the electrical wires from the Hydro Authority come in. A service Mast will be a long rigid steel pipe that extends above the roof of your house. A service conduit Is a PVC pipe that extends underground to connect to the Hydro Authorities transformer.
- Electric Meter: The electric meter and its enclosure is where the Hydro Authority has they’re metering equipment. This is the bubble sticking out from a metal box that has a bunch of random numbers on it. In most cases your electric meter will be installed within one metre of the corner of your house and be clearly visible.
- Electric Panel: Your home’s electric panel is the main point of distribution in your home. The main feed conductors from the hydro Authority will enter the bottom or top portion of your electrical panel and be connected to what is called the main breaker. From here all of the electrical outlets, devices, plugs, switches and equipment will branch out from their individual circuit breakers.
These three components are what makes up the electrical service in your home. This portion of your electrical system is the most protected and the most dangerous part of the electrical system. All of these components are made safe with extra covers, locks, and installation methods to keep you safe. Although we encourage the DIY guy as much as possible, this would be the one location in your home we would not recommend working on yourself.
What is the size of my electrical service?
The actual size of your electrical service can be determined by looking at the size of the main circuit breaker. This main breaker is most commonly installed in your electrical panel at the bottom or top but it can also be located on the meter outside or in a disconnect.
Here are the most common sizes of electrical services in homes:
- 100 Amps
- 125 Amps
- 150 Amps
- 200 Amps
If you’re having difficulty determining what the size of your electrical service is or where your main breaker is feel free to reach out and we can give you an on the phone consultation to help.
Contact us now to talk to an professional electrician.
How do you know if your home is overloaded?
Back when your home was originally built the electrician’s would have done a load calculation to determine how large of an electrical service your home required. This complicated calculation takes into account the square footage of your home and what the load is of the electrical devices to be installed.
Load calculations are great when you’re building the home but as your home ages and new electrical devices are installed the load on your electrical system can increase. The Canadian Electrical Code states that any electrical load being added to a house that is more than 1.5 kilowatts will affect the load calculation of your electrical system. When enough of these new loads add up your home will become overloaded. Here are some of the most commonly added electrical items that can bring your home to an overloaded state.
- Hot Tubs/Spas
- EV Car Chargers
- Air Conditioning Units
- Compressors
- Baseboard Heaters
- Suite Kitchen
If you’re looking into adding a new piece of equipment to your home that requires electricity, your electrician should do a load calculation and let you know if you are within the capacity of your home electrical system. This however isn’t done in some cases and you may still want to get some information. You can check out our article here on doing an electrical load calculation for yourself. This calculation can be pretty complicated so if you need some help getting this done you can contact us and we will get you a full home electrical load calculation.
Why would you upgrade your service?
We know you’re not sitting around on a Friday afternoon strolling through images of upgraded services in houses dreaming of having an upgraded service. Upgrading your service is more of a need to do thing then a want to do thing. Here are two of the most common reasons why you would need to upgrade the electrical service in your home.
- A load calculation determines that your current electrical system is overloaded due to adding equipment over the years that has increased the demand.
- You’re looking at adding a significant piece of equipment like a spa, basement Suite, or EV charger to your home.
If you’re looking at adding a significant piece of electrical equipment to your home it is worth Consulting an electrician beforehand to help you determine the electrical load of your system. Because the equipment like an EV charger or a Spa is pretty expensive you’ll want to know beforehand if you are going to be incurring additional cost by needing to upgrade your electrical service.
Need to know if your home has electrical capacity? Fill out the form below to request a Professional full home electrical load calculation.
What are the costs of upgrading my electrical service?
As with most things in construction, the cost of upgrading your electrical service can vary thousands of dollars. We’ve put together a very detailed article here that can help you determine roughly what the cost of upgrading your electrical service will be.
See a more in depth article on how much it will cost to upgrade your electrical service here.
What are the benefits of upgrading my service?
You’ve probably never thought about upgrading the electrical service in your home before but if you find yourself in the situation where you need to upgrade your service rest assured there are tons of benefits to upgrading your electrical service.
- As demand for electric vehicles increases more and more home buyers will want to buy a home that has the capacity to charge their cars.
- If a home inspector determines that the electrical capacity of the home is overloaded you may have to upgrade your service when you buy or sell a home.
- An upgraded service gives you a brand new panel and all brand new breakers. In most cases homes have outdated electrical Breakers and panels and some breakers are getting harder and harder to purchase. with a new electrical service you get all brand new equipment that is up to date and the safest available.
How to get a quote on upgrading my service and how long will it take?
Getting the service in your home upgraded is a comprehensive process. Here’s a breakdown of the steps involved in getting your home electrical service upgraded:
- Contact an electrical company to request a quote.
- Contact the Hydro Authority to request a service upgrade and a quote. They will send someone from their team to make sure their system has the capacity.
- Wait for an installation date.
- Prepare your home for the service upgrade.
From our experience this whole process generally takes 1 – 2 months. It can be taken care of quicker depending on how many quotes you get and how quickly the company you hire takes action. A large portion of the timeline is dependent on the hydro authorities availability and when they are booking. If time is of the essence it is very important that you choose the correct Electrical Company that is fast and efficient.
Click here to see how we are able to provide our customers with the quickest service upgrades.
Summary
We hope that this article can help with determining if you need to upgrade your electrical service. All in all being aware of how much capacity your electrical system has allows you to make smarter decisions when it comes to buying new equipment for your home. You don’t want to be in a situation where you purchased a Spa or an EV Car not knowing that you’re going to have to get your electrical service upgraded.
Really make sure you hire a great electrician to do this for you, it is one of the most difficult electrical jobs in your home. Here is an article on what is the difference between a good electrical company and a bad electrical company to help you.
