I'm moving into a new house in Ontario, Canada, and we're planning to upgrade our service panel to 200 amps. However, our electrician informed us that the service conductors are underground and that upgrading would require trenching, which means digging up sidewalks. He hasn't provided a quote yet, but I suspect this could be quite costly. The house has a gas stove and water heater, which should help with energy consumption. We've only had 100 amp services in the past and haven't faced issues, but I know 200 amps is becoming the standard. We also plan to install a hot tub later, which would push our current setup. Should I go ahead with the upgrade even with the potential extra costs?
3 Answers
Is there a pressing need to upgrade your panel right away? If you’re not facing issues with your current setup and don’t have any high-energy devices like an EV, you might want to settle in first and see how your energy needs pan out. But if you're set on upgrading, going to 200 amps could be a smart move for future-proofing your home.
Wait to see the quote before making a decision. I recently trenched for an upgrade and it didn't end up costing as much as I expected, plus I’ve had peace of mind since I no longer worry about outages with my branches.
Why do you need 200 amps if everything is functioning well? A hot tub might not justify the expense unless you really need the extra power. It’s worth getting a quote and identifying the problem you’re trying to solve before deciding if the upgrade is worth the cost.