Aurora · Alectra Utilities service area
Aurora electrical panel and service upgrades
Some Aurora panels are too small for the house. Others are big enough but have no spaces left. We find out which one you have, then plan the upgrade with Alectra and ESA.
Two different problems
Too small, or just too full
Aurora's oldest homes sit in the village around Yonge and Wellington. Some still run on 60 amp service, and a few still have fuses. A panel that size was planned for a house with lights, a fridge and a stove. It was never meant for central air, a modern kitchen and a car charger.
The family subdivisions are a different story. Homes in Aurora Heights, Aurora Highlands and Aurora Grove, much of them built from the 1970s to the 1990s, mostly have breaker panels. Many of those have simply filled up. A finished basement, a hot tub and a second fridge in the garage each took a slot.
Newer houses in Bayview Northeast and Bayview Wellington usually have a 200 amp service. There the upgrade is rarer. It comes up when owners add a generator, two chargers or a large addition at once.
Which fix fits
Sub-panel, new panel or a bigger service
Three ways to make room, depending on what the load calculation shows.
| Add a sub-panel | Replace the panel | Upgrade the service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it fits | The service has spare capacity but no spaces | The panel is worn, outdated or unsafe | The house needs more amps than it has |
| Power off | A short shutdown inside the house | Most of a day | Most of a day, with Alectra |
| Typical Aurora home | A full panel in a 1980s or 90s house | An older breaker panel near the core | A fuse or 60 amp house in the village |
| Paperwork | ESA permit | ESA permit | ESA permit and the Alectra booking |
Signs
Telling signs in an Aurora house
Breakers that trip on hot days
Central air, a pool pump and a dryer competing on a tight service.
No empty slots
Every space taken, with tandem breakers squeezed in over the years.
A fuse box in the basement
Still found in older village homes, and a frequent insurance question.
Big plans ahead
A generator, a charger or an addition that the current panel can't carry.
With Alectra Utilities
The day of your Aurora upgrade
Ahead of time
We file with ESA and arrange the shutdown with Alectra, then confirm the date with you.
Early on
Alectra cuts the service. Fridges and freezers stay closed to hold the cold.
Midday
The old panel comes out, the new one goes in, and each circuit is moved and labelled.
Afternoon
ESA inspects, or authorizes the connection so power can be restored.
Evening
Alectra reconnects. We walk you through the new panel and its directory.
Larger homes
Estate houses in the Hills of St. Andrew
Larger homes on bigger lots bring their own loads. Pool equipment, a detached garage, heated floors and outdoor lighting all draw from the same service. When those owners renovate or rebuild, we size the new service from the drawings and a load calculation, not from the square footage.
A panel upgrade is also the right time to plan ahead. Leave spaces for a future charger, or add the generator inlet now. Read more about panel upgrades, or see everything we do in Aurora.
Questions
Panel upgrades in Aurora: questions
Our 1980s Aurora home already has breakers. Why would we need a new panel?
Usually because it's full, not because it's unsafe. Decades of additions use up the spaces. Sometimes a sub-panel solves it. If the main service is too small for what you're adding, a service upgrade is the better answer. A load calculation tells us which.
Does Alectra charge for the disconnect and reconnect?
Alectra customers usually don't pay a separate fee for a standard disconnect and reconnect on a service upgrade. We book the appointment for you and confirm the details when we schedule your job.
Our insurer wants the fuse panel gone. How soon can it be replaced?
It depends on the ESA permit and the Alectra booking, which we arrange once you approve the price. Tell us your insurer's deadline at the first call. We plan the schedule around it and give you the date in writing.
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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