SERVICE UPGRADES

I had my electrical panel upgraded to a 200A service to make room for a heat pump (and a couple other things). Colin did excellent work, communicated well, was always on time and great to work with. He facilitated all the communication that had to happen with Hydro to pull a new service wire, and kept me in the loop the whole time. His works shows pride in quality. Great guy, great service! Recommend!

-Jon L

The electrical panel is the heart of the home, providing power to your appliance, lighting and outlets.  However, like all systems within a house, the electrical panel has a lifespan and will eventually need to be upgraded or replaced to ensure that your home can meet the needs of modern electrical systems.

Wayfinder Electric specializes in upgrading old and outdated electrical panels to new, safe and modern solutions that will meet the electrical capacity requirements of today.

There are many factors that need to be considered when replacing an electrical panel.  These factors include,

  • Adding pipes or cables for future appliances

  • Coordinating with BC Hydro to schedule the upgrade

  • Locating utilities to safely complete the task

  • Strategizing to minimize down time

Wayfinder Electric can help guide you through these considerations and install a panel that best meets your home’s needs.

 

How does a service upgrade work?

1. Site Visit (45-60 minutes)

We will come to your house and get a better understanding of why you are interested in a service upgrade. If there are any new appliances you have in mind, we can strategize a plan with you to make it a reality. While we are there we will also assess the location of your existing panel and meterbase. In general, this visit takes 45 minutes.

2. Proposal (7 days)

Generally, about a week after the first visit, we can have a proposal sent to your email detailing the service. It will clearly show you what is included in the job and the final cost. After going over the proposal you can say “yes” or “no”. 

3. Start a Connection Request (5 – 10 minutes) 

If you said “yes” to the proposal, then congratulations! You just need to spend 10 minutes on the computer and your work is done. All you need to do is log into your MyHydro account on the BC Hydro website and start a connection request. Once this is completed the site will generate a number a 7-digit number. Simply copy this number and send it to colin@wayfinderelectric.ca and we will take it from there!  

4. Site Prep (1-2 days)

This is when we get to work. Prepping could look different from home to home. We will probably be digging somewhere to install a new ground electrode. We may drill some holes in the wall for cables. We will open the wall around the existing panel if we plan to remove it.


5. Schedule the Connection (10-20 days)  

Once the prep is done we will be in close contact with you to schedule the date of the upgrade. In some circumstances, BC Hydro may delay the date because they need to repair their infrastructure or upgrade the transformer on the street. Once both parties are ready we will call you to confirm the date.  


6. Connection Day (1 day)

 This is game day. This is when your power will be turned off for a large part of the day. BC hydro will disconnect your old wires and pull new 200 amp wires from the street to your house. As that is happening, we will be working to set up your house to be re-energized. We suggest that you plan a day out to avoid the disturbance.