Etobicoke · Toronto Hydro service area
Electrical service upgrades for Etobicoke homes
A panel change in a 1930s Kingsway house differs from one in a Long Branch bungalow or a Markland Wood split-level. We size the new service to your home and your plans, then book Toronto Hydro and ESA for you.
Why Etobicoke panels vary
Three eras of house, three starting points
Etobicoke grew in stages, and each stage left a different kind of panel behind. In the Kingsway, Humber Valley Village and Princess-Rosethorn, solid brick houses from the 1930s and 40s were built long before anyone owned a dishwasher. Most have been updated since, but often one piece at a time.
On those streets the panel may be newer than the wiring behind it, and the service size may never have changed. A tidy breaker panel from the 1980s can still be a 100 amp service with every slot taken. It looks modern and has no room left.
Along the lakeshore, Mimico, New Toronto, Long Branch and Alderwood are full of compact post-war bungalows. Plenty of them still run on the 60 or 100 amps they were built with. Further north, Markland Wood, Thistletown and Rexdale filled in during the 1950s and 60s with bungalows and split-levels. Their original panels are now old enough that replacement parts can be hard to find.
What usually triggers the call
In the older south and centre, it's a renovation: a new kitchen, an addition, or a basement turned into living space. In the north end, it's often an insurer asking about the panel's age, or breakers that trip whenever the air conditioner starts.
By part of Etobicoke
What an upgrade tends to involve
Every house is checked on site, but these patterns come up again and again.
| Area | Typical home | What we often plan for |
|---|---|---|
| The Kingsway, Humber Valley Village, Princess-Rosethorn | 1930s and 40s brick, renovated in stages | Tracing a mix of wiring ages before circuits move, plaster finishes, a panel sized for a large renovation |
| Mimico, New Toronto, Long Branch, Alderwood | Post-war bungalows on wider lots | 60 or 100 amp service going to 200, room for a basement and a car charger |
| Markland Wood, Thistletown, Rexdale | 1950s and 60s bungalows and split-levels | Replacing an original panel, labelling circuits that were never mapped, adding space for central air |
| Islington Village, Edenbridge | Larger detached homes, some rebuilt | Bigger loads such as heated floors and pool equipment, sometimes more than one panel |
The day itself
How an Etobicoke service change runs
Visit and load calculation
We look at the meter, the service entrance and the panel, and add up what the house uses now and later.
Fixed price in writing
Equipment, labour, the ESA filing and the Toronto Hydro request, all in one number.
Utility date
We ask Toronto Hydro for the disconnect and reconnect and confirm the date with you.
Swap
Power goes off in the morning. The new service equipment and panel go in, and each circuit is moved and labelled.
Inspection and power back
ESA inspects and authorizes the connection, Toronto Hydro reconnects, and you keep the Certificate of Acceptance.
Storm season
Plan for the creeks while the panel is open
The Humber River, Mimico Creek and Etobicoke Creek all cut through the borough on their way to the lake. Heavy summer storms can bring a power cut and a wet basement in the same evening, especially in low-lying homes. That makes the sump pump one of the most important circuits in the house.
A panel upgrade is the cheapest moment to prepare for that. We can give the sump pump its own labelled circuit and leave space for a generator transfer switch. Surge protection can go in at the panel too. See backup generators in Etobicoke if you want the pump to keep running through an outage.
- Load calculationBased on the house now and the work you have planned
- New 200 amp panel and main breakerWith spare spaces left for later
- Meter base and service entranceIncluding the mast on overhead services
- Grounding and bondingChecked and brought up to current rules
- A written panel directoryEvery circuit traced and named
- ESA filing and inspectionEnding with the Certificate of Acceptance
For the full city-wide picture, see our panel upgrades page.
Questions
Panel upgrades in Etobicoke: questions
My Kingsway house had its panel replaced years ago. Could it still need an upgrade?
It can. Many older Etobicoke homes had a panel swap decades ago that kept the same 100 amp service. That was fine then, but a renovated kitchen, central air and a charger can use it up. A load calculation tells you whether there's headroom left.
We're finishing the basement of our Alderwood bungalow. Should the panel come first?
Usually, yes. The basement circuits then go straight into the new panel and are inspected once. If the bungalow is still on 60 or 100 amps, the finished basement is often what tips the load over the limit.
Who books the Toronto Hydro disconnect for an Etobicoke upgrade?
We do. All of Etobicoke is Toronto Hydro territory. We request the disconnect and reconnect, plan the day around their crew and tell you the date. ESA has to authorize the connection before Toronto Hydro restores power.
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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