If you are planning a heat pump, an EV charger, a hot tub, or a new suite, the same question usually pops up pretty fast: will a 100 amp service still do the job?
A lot of Burnaby homeowners assume the answer is no. Bigger house plans, more electric equipment, more demand, so just jump to 200A. I get why people think that. It feels safer to size up and move on.
But that is not always the smart move.
Sometimes a 100A service truly is too small for what you want next. Sometimes it has more room than you think. And sometimes the best answer sits in the middle, where load management, efficiency work, or removing old electric loads solves the problem without a full service upgrade.
For homes in Burnaby, Vancouver, and the greater Vancouver area, the right first step is not buying equipment or pricing out a new panel. It is getting a proper load calculation.
Why this question is coming up more often
Homes are getting more electric. That sounds obvious, but it matters because service size is really about overlap. Your home does not need enough power for every device you own if many of them rarely run at once. What matters is peak demand, the moments when several larger loads line up at the same time.
These projects tend to push a house closer to its limit:
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heat pump installation for heating and cooling
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Level 2 EV charger installation
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adding a hot tub or pool equipment
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home additions
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building a secondary suite
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switching appliances from gas to electric
In older neighbourhoods around Burnaby, a 100A service is common. That was often fine for lights, plugs, baseboard heat in some rooms, and standard household appliances. Add an EV charger and a heat pump, though, and the conversation changes.
Still, this is residential electrical work, not guesswork. The rules for detached homes are specific, and they are different from commercial electrical or industrial electrical calculations. A licensed electrician should run the numbers before anyone tells you that you need new service equipment.
What 100A and 200A actually mean
When people say, “I have a 100 amp panel,” they often mean their home has a 100 amp electrical service. Sometimes that includes the panel, and sometimes the real limit is elsewhere.
A true upgrade from 100A to 200A can involve more than swapping one panel for another. Depending on the house, it may include:
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a new main panel
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new service conductors
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meter base work
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mast or overhead service changes
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grounding upgrades
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permits and inspections
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utility coordination
That is why cost and timeline vary so much. A clean panel replacement is one thing. A full service alteration with utility work is another.
It is also why the phrase “panel upgrade” can be a little misleading. If the service size is the bottleneck, the whole service path has to be considered, not just the breakers inside the house.
The two main ways electricians calculate capacity
Load calculations are not just a nice idea. They are usually required for permits and for responsible planning. There are two common ways to do them.
1. The traditional calculated load method
This is the older, more prescriptive approach. It uses standardized rules based on square footage, major appliances, heating loads, and other expected electrical demand.
It is useful because it gives electricians a consistent way to size service when real usage data is not available. That is especially important for:
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new construction
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major renovations
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homes with new occupants who do not yet have a full year of consumption history
The downside is that it is still an estimate. A formula cannot tell whether you actually use your dryer and oven at the same time every weekend, or whether your house peaks only during a few winter evenings.
2. The meter data method
This is the more interesting option, and for many detached homes it is the better one.
Instead of relying mainly on assumptions, the meter data method uses your home’s actual hourly electricity data over the last 12 months. That gives a much clearer picture of real demand patterns and, especially, your highest period of use.
For detached single dwellings, this approach was approved by the provincial safety regulator in 2023 under the applicable demand factor rule. That matters because it gives electricians a recognized path to assess service capacity using real consumption history rather than broad averages.
In plain English, this method answers a better question. Not “what might a home this size use,” but “what has this home actually used?”
That difference can be huge.
A household that rarely uses all major loads together may look overloaded on paper under a traditional calculation, while meter data shows enough room for a new device. The reverse can happen too, but in practice, actual data tends to make the conversation more honest.
There is one catch. You need 12 months of hourly history. So this method is not available for:
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new homes
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newly occupied homes with less than a year of data
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situations where the necessary meter history cannot be obtained
How to get your hourly meter data
This part surprises a lot of people. Your electrical contractor usually cannot pull your meter history directly. You, the homeowner, typically need to download it from your utility account and send it over.
The process is fairly simple:
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Sign in to your online utility account, or create one if you have not already.
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Go to the data export area or consumption history export section.
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Choose the export type for consumption history.
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Set the date range to the last 12 months.
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Change the interval to hourly.
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Submit the export request and wait for the file. It is commonly ready within about 24 hours, and you are usually notified by email.
Once you have the file, send it to your electrician. That one step can save a lot of unnecessary speculation.
What the electrician does with that data
The exported file shows how much electricity the home used hour by hour over a full year. From there, your electrician can identify the highest demand periods and apply the approved calculation method to translate that demand into service load.
Then they compare that result with your current service size.
If your home has a 100A service and the calculation shows meaningful spare capacity, the new load may fit without a major upgrade. If the calculation shows you are already close to the edge, then the next decision gets more serious.
This usually leads to one of three outcomes.
The first is the easiest. There is enough capacity, so the new equipment can be installed as planned.
The second is the frustrating middle ground. The house is close to its limit, but not hopelessly over. That is where alternatives like load management or removing redundant loads become worth discussing.
The third is simple, even if it is expensive. The house does not have enough capacity, and a service upgrade is justified.
That is the whole point of doing the math first. You replace guesswork with choices.
Alternatives to a full 200A service upgrade
Here is the part homeowners often miss. If your service is tight, “upgrade everything” is not the only path.
In a lot of residential electrical projects across the lower mainland, electricians look for ways to make the existing service work better before recommending a full service increase. That can cut cost, shorten the timeline, and avoid utility coordination headaches.
Load management devices
These systems monitor electrical demand and prevent the home from exceeding service limits by controlling when certain large loads operate.
For EV charger installation, this can be especially useful. If the charger is the main new load, a power management device may reduce charging output when the rest of the house is drawing heavily, then allow faster charging when demand drops.
That means you may be able to add a Level 2 charger without immediately upgrading from 100A to 200A.
There are also power sharing devices that let two loads use the same available capacity without running at full demand at the same time. For example, equipment can be arranged so one major load pauses when another kicks in.
This approach is practical, not glamorous. But it solves real problems.
Removing loads you no longer need
Some homes carry electrical baggage.
If you install a heat pump and stop relying on electric baseboard heating, those old baseboard circuits may still be sitting there as if they matter to your future load. Same with unused heaters in a garage, an old sauna hookup, or the second fridge in the basement that mostly stores forgotten freezer-burned bread.
Removing obsolete or redundant loads can free up capacity. It is not always enough on its own, but sometimes it changes the answer.
Efficiency improvements
A better-insulated home often needs less heating power. Better windows and doors can reduce heating and cooling demand. Efficient appliances can trim background consumption.
Will new windows alone turn every 100A house into a perfect EV-and-heat-pump setup? No. That would be too neat.
But efficiency work can reduce demand enough to shrink the scale of an upgrade or delay it until it actually makes sense. It also makes the house cheaper to run, which is its own reward.
Some homeowners also find rebate programs tied to heat pumps, envelope upgrades, or certain electrical equipment. Those programs change often, so it is worth checking before the project starts.
When a 200A upgrade makes sense
Sometimes the answer really is yes. Upgrade it.
A 200A service is often reasonable when a home is adding several major electric loads, especially if the plan includes some mix of these:
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space heating with a heat pump and electric backup
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Level 2 EV charging
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a secondary suite
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electric water heating
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electric cooking
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a hot tub or pool equipment
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future expansion that is already part of a real plan
If the load calculation shows your existing 100A service is short, forcing the issue with workarounds does not help. You want the service to be safe, code-compliant, and usable without constant compromises.
What does not make sense is jumping to oversized service just because bigger sounds better.
If your calculated need points to 200A, then 320A or 400A is usually not a wise default. Those larger services can mean more cost, more design complexity, more utility coordination, and no practical benefit for the way the house is actually used.
People oversize out of anxiety. I understand that. Electrical work is expensive, so it is tempting to think, “I only want to do this once.” But there is a difference between planning ahead and paying for capacity you may never use.
What affects cost and timeline
There is no honest one-size-fits-all quote for a 100A to 200A upgrade.
A straightforward job in an accessible house is very different from a job that needs service relocation, trenching, meter changes, or utility infrastructure work. The main factors are usually:
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whether the panel alone is being replaced or the whole service path is changing
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the age and condition of existing wiring upgrades
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permit and inspection requirements
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utility service alteration procedures
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whether the connection is overhead or underground
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whether other work is happening at the same time, such as a suite, heat pump, or EV charger installation
Timeline works the same way. If the existing service can support the new load, the project may move ahead relatively quickly. If a full service upgrade is needed, expect more coordination. Utility approvals, connection modifications, and inspection scheduling can add time.
That does not mean you should avoid an upgrade when it is necessary. It just means you should know the difference between “add the new equipment” and “change how power gets into the house.”
A practical path for Burnaby homeowners
If you are trying to decide between staying at 100A or moving to 200A, this is the cleanest way to approach it.
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List your real near-term electrical plans. Include the heat pump, EV charger, hot tub, suite, or renovation, not just vague future ideas.
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Hire licensed electricians to perform a load calculation. If 12 months of hourly meter data is available, ask whether the meter data method can be used.
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Export your meter history from the utility portal and send it to the contractor.
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Review the result in plain language. Ask how much spare capacity exists now, and what the margin would be after the new load is added.
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If capacity is tight, ask about load management, removing old loads, and efficiency measures before approving a full service increase.
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If an upgrade is required, discuss realistic sizing. In many cases, 100A to 200A is the logical move.
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Check local permit requirements, utility procedures, and any rebates that might apply to related equipment.
That process works better than shopping by breaker size alone.
The bottom line
Burnaby homeowners should not assume a 100A service automatically needs to become 200A the moment a house starts to electrify.
Sometimes that upgrade is the right call. Sometimes it is not. The only reliable way to know is to calculate the load properly, preferably with 12 months of hourly meter data when that option is available.
That data gives your electrician a more accurate picture of how the home actually behaves. From there, you can make a decision based on facts, not fear.
And if the numbers come back tight, remember that a full service upgrade is only one option. Load management devices, efficiency improvements, and removing unnecessary loads can sometimes keep a project on track without pushing the whole house into a major electrical overhaul.
That is the part worth remembering. Good electrical planning is not about buying the biggest setup. It is about getting the right one.
