Alliston · Alectra Utilities service area
Electrical panel and service upgrades in Alliston and New Tecumseth
An older house near downtown Alliston, a 1990s home in Tottenham and a farmhouse near Colgan each outgrow their panels differently. We size the new service, file the ESA permit and book the utility.
Why panels fall short here
Town houses, new streets and farm loads
On the older streets of Alliston, Beeton and Tottenham, plenty of houses still run on a 60 or 100 amp service. Some have a fuse box. Others have an early breaker panel that has been extended with tandem breakers until no space is left. An insurer or a buyer's inspector is often the first to flag it.
In the subdivisions built since the 1990s, the panel is usually sound but small for how the house is used now. A finished basement, central air, a hot tub and an EV can all land on a service sized for none of them.
Rural properties carry loads a town house never sees. A well pump, a shop with a welder or compressor, a heated barn and electric baseboard heat can share one service. Sizing has to start with everything fed from the meter, not just the house.
By property
How an upgrade differs across New Tecumseth
Where the power comes in decides most of the day's work.
| Older town streets | Newer subdivisions | Rural lots | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How power arrives | Often overhead, to a mast on the house | Usually underground to the meter base | Overhead or underground, sometimes to a yard pole |
| What we tend to find | Fuses or a crowded early panel | A 100 amp panel with no spare spaces | One service feeding the house and outbuildings |
| Usual reason to call | Insurance, a sale or a renovation | A charger, heat pump or basement | A shop, barn, generator or new heating |
| Extra checks | Grounding and the mast | Room for future circuits | Feeder sizes and grounding at each building |
Upgrade day
How a New Tecumseth service upgrade is scheduled
The utility date and the permit are set before anyone drives up.
Site visit and load calculation
We look at the meter, the panel and every building fed from them, then size the service.
One written price
Equipment, labour, ESA permit, utility booking and travel time, each listed.
Permit filed, date booked
We file the notification of work with ESA and book the disconnect with the utility.
The change-over
Power off in the morning, new service equipment in, each circuit moved and labelled.
Inspection and reconnect
ESA inspects, the utility restores power, and your Certificate of Acceptance follows.
The scope
What a complete upgrade includes
- Load calculationIncluding outbuildings, a well pump and any charger or heat pump you plan
- New panel and main breakerUsually 200 amps, with spare spaces for later
- Meter base and service entranceMast and weatherhead where the supply is overhead
- Grounding and bondingBrought up to current rules at the house
- Circuit directoryEvery breaker traced and named in plain words
- ESA permit and inspectionFiled and booked by us
If a charger is on your list, fitting its circuit on upgrade day saves a second trip. See EV chargers in Alliston. For how we handle upgrades everywhere we work, read the main panel upgrades page, or go back to our Alliston service area.
Questions
Panel upgrades in Alliston: questions
Our farmhouse meter is on a pole in the yard. Does that change the upgrade?
It changes the plan, not the idea. The new service is sized for the house and every building fed from that pole. We also check the feeders to each building, since an upgrade at the pole does little if a feeder is undersized. The site visit settles the layout before you get a price.
Who books the shut-off in Beeton or Tottenham?
We do. In the towns that means Alectra Utilities. Some rural properties are on Hydro One, and your bill tells us which. Once the ESA permit is filed, we request the disconnect and reconnect and confirm the date with you.
We want a heat pump. Will our panel need to change first?
Sometimes. A heat pump adds a large 240-volt load, and so does its backup heat. If the house already has a charger, a hot tub or electric water heating, a 100 amp service can be short. A load calculation answers it before you order equipment.
How long is the power off during a panel upgrade?
Usually most of one working day. The utility disconnects the service in the morning, we swap the panel and service equipment, and power is reconnected once the work is ready. We book the utility appointment for you and tell you the date in advance.
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