Markham · Alectra Utilities service area
Level 2 EV charger installation in Markham
More Markham driveways have an electric car in them every year. We install Level 2 chargers in attached garages, detached rear-lane garages and on outside walls, sized to what your panel can carry.
Markham garages
Four kinds of install we see in Markham
Most homes in Berczy Village, Wismer and Greensborough have an attached garage beside the basement panel. That's often the simplest job: a short, direct run to a charger on the garage wall.
Cornell is different. Many of its homes face a street or park, with the garage behind on a rear lane. Some of those garages are attached to the house and some stand apart. A detached garage needs its own feed, and that becomes the main part of the job.
In Milliken and the older parts of Unionville, the garage may be easy to reach, but the panel may not have room. A 100 amp service can sometimes take a charger with load management. Sometimes it needs an upgrade first.
Angus Glen homes usually have large services and multi-car garages. There the question is how many chargers to plan for, not whether one will fit.
What we check
What decides a Markham charger install
How much capacity is left
A load calculation shows what the service can give a charger at the busiest time of day.
Where the garage is
Attached, on a rear lane or separate from the house, each needs a different route.
Space in the panel
A two-pole breaker needs two free spaces, or a sub-panel to hold it.
Indoor or outdoor mounting
Outdoor chargers need a rated unit and weatherproof connections.
Older services
When the panel is the real question
Chargers draw a lot of power for hours at a time. On a 100 amp service that already runs central air, a range and a dryer, that load needs care. A load management device can pause the charger when the house is busy, then let it run overnight.
If there isn't enough capacity even with load management, the answer is a service upgrade. Doing it with the charger means one permit and one visit. See panel upgrades in Markham.
Step by step
Getting a charger installed in Markham
Send the details
Your car, the charger you're considering, and photos of the panel and the spot.
Site visit
We confirm capacity, the route and whether load management is needed.
Written price
Circuit, mounting, permit and any panel work in one quote.
Install
Most attached-garage chargers go in within a working day.
Inspection
We file with ESA, the work is inspected, and you charge at full speed.
Building or renovating
Wire for chargers before you need them
If you're renovating a garage or building in Markham, plan for chargers now. A conduit or a circuit to each bay is quick to add while the walls are open. It saves opening finished drywall later. Read more about our EV charger installation across the GTA.
Questions
EV chargers in Markham: questions
Our Cornell garage is on the rear lane. How does the charger get power?
It depends how the garage is built. If it's attached to the house, the run from the panel is often short. If it's detached, we may need a feeder to the garage, buried or overhead, with a small panel inside. We look at the lot and quote the route that makes sense.
Can we charge two cars in our Angus Glen garage?
Yes. Many larger homes can support two chargers. Where capacity is tight, two chargers can share one circuit using their built-in load sharing. Planning both at once avoids a second install later.
Will a charger work in an unheated garage through a Markham winter?
Yes. Level 2 chargers are built for cold garages and many are rated for outdoor use. Your car may charge a little slower in deep cold while it warms its battery. The charger and wiring themselves are not affected.
Do I need a panel upgrade for an EV charger?
Not always. A Level 2 charger needs its own 240-volt circuit, usually 40 to 60 amps. We do a load calculation on your home first. If your panel has room, we install the charger on its own circuit. If it doesn't, the options are a panel or service upgrade, or in some homes a load management device that lets the charger share capacity. We'll tell you which applies.
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