Oakville · Oakville Hydro service area
Oakville electrical panel and service upgrades
South of the QEW, many Oakville homes still run on a service sized decades ago. We replace it with one sized from a load calculation, book Oakville Hydro for the disconnect and carry the job through ESA inspection.
Where Oakville's old panels are
South of the QEW, the service is often the oldest thing in the house
Old Oakville and Bronte were towns long before the rest of Oakville filled in. Their streets mix 19th-century houses, 1920s cottages and the brick bungalows built after the war. Many have been renovated beautifully inside while the electrical service stayed as it was. A 60 amp service, or a 100 amp panel crowded with tandem breakers, is a common find.
Those services were sized for a house with gas heat, a range and a few appliances. They struggle once central air, a heat pump, an induction cooktop or a car charger arrive. Insurers notice too, and older panels are a frequent question at renewal.
North of Dundas Street the picture is different. Homes in the newer subdivisions usually have a 200 amp underground service. There, the question is rarely the service size and more often a panel with no spaces left.
How the power arrives
Overhead lanes and buried services
Whether Oakville Hydro feeds your house from a pole or underground changes what we replace.
| Overhead supply | Underground supply | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | A cable from a pole to a mast or bracket on the wall | No overhead cable; the meter is fed from below |
| Where it's common | Many older streets in Old Oakville and Bronte | Glen Abbey, River Oaks and the north Oakville subdivisions |
| What we replace | Mast, weatherhead, meter base and panel | Meter base and panel, with cable work where needed |
| What can complicate it | Mature trees around the drop and heritage frontage | Finished basements around the panel location |
With Oakville Hydro
How an Oakville service upgrade is booked and done
Assessment
Panel, meter base, service entrance and a load calculation for your household.
Written quote
Equipment, labour, the ESA notification, utility coordination and travel time, all on one page.
Utility booking
We arrange the Oakville Hydro disconnect and reconnect and confirm the date with you.
Upgrade day
Supply off early, new equipment installed, every circuit traced, moved and labelled.
Inspection and reconnection
ESA authorizes the connection, Oakville Hydro restores power, and you receive the Certificate of Acceptance.
Renovations and rebuilds
Sizing the service for the house you're making
Many south Oakville owners upgrade because of a bigger plan. It might be a rear addition in Bronte, a full Old Oakville renovation, or a much busier kitchen. Size the service for the finished house, not the current one. The new panel can then sit where the finished layout needs it.
Larger custom homes in Eastlake and around Old Oakville can need more than 200 amps. Heat pumps, a pool and two chargers add up quickly. Those services are designed from a load calculation before framing. If the old house is coming down, the existing service has to be disconnected first.
Planning a charger as well? See EV chargers in Oakville. For the general picture, read our panel upgrades page.
Questions
Panel upgrades in Oakville: questions
We live in a heritage district in Old Oakville. Can the meter be moved?
Sometimes, but it may not be only an electrical decision. Moving a meter or adding a mast changes the outside of the house, and in a heritage conservation district that can need the Town's approval. Where we can, we keep the meter where it is. If it has to move, we raise it early so you can check with the Town.
Our north Oakville house is only a few years old. Why is the panel already full?
Builders size panels for the house as sold. A finished basement, a hot tub and an EV charger can fill the spaces quickly even when the service itself has capacity left. A load calculation shows whether you need a larger service, a sub-panel or only a reorganized panel.
How is travel time handled on an Oakville panel upgrade?
Oakville is further out, so the quote includes travel time as its own line. You see it before you book, and it doesn't change once the job is scheduled. A service upgrade is usually one long day on site, so travel is a small part of the total.
Do you take out the ESA permit?
Yes. In Ontario, the licensed contractor files the notification of work with the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) and books the inspection. We handle it on every job that needs one, and you get the ESA Certificate of Acceptance when the work passes. Keep it: insurers and home buyers often ask for it.
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