A lot of homes and properties around Winnipeg and the Interlake are still running on a panel sized for the way people lived decades ago, before central air, hot tubs, heat pumps, electric heat, well pumps, and an EV in the garage. When breakers keep tripping, when the panel is full and there is no room for another circuit, or when an addition or a shop needs more power than the service can give, the panel is the bottleneck. A service upgrade fixes it.
The most common job we do is taking a home from 100-amp to 200-amp service, the standard most modern homes are built around. On acreages and cottages out toward St Andrews and Lockport, upgrades often go further, feeding a detached shop, a garage, or a pump house off the same service. We handle the panel, the permit, the Manitoba Hydro coordination, and the inspection.
We start by working out what you actually need, because the right answer is not always the biggest panel. We look at what is on the system now and what you plan to add, whether that is an EV charger, electric heat, air conditioning, a hot tub, or a workshop. From there we size the service and give you a clear scope.
On install day the power is off for part of the day while we change the panel and, on a full service upgrade, the meter base and service entrance. We coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with Manitoba Hydro, do the work to the Manitoba electrical code, and have it inspected. Older homes that need a panel upgrade often have knob and tube or aluminum wiring as well, and it is usually more efficient to handle both at once than to open the same walls twice. Where a rural upgrade means a new underground feed, our own crew does the trenching rather than waiting on another contractor.
A 100-amp service still suits some smaller homes with modest loads. Once you add the big continuous loads that modern homes and rural properties carry, 200-amp gives you headroom instead of leaving you back where you started in a few years. We see this constantly in the post-war bungalows around East Kildonan and Transcona and on Interlake acreages, where the original service never anticipated a shop, a well pump, and a hot tub on one property. We tell you honestly which service fits rather than selling capacity you will not use. We install panels and breakers from manufacturers like Eaton, Square D, and Siemens, matched to your home and what you run.
100-amp service
200-amp service
A panel upgrade is one of those jobs where the difference between a careful electrician and a cheap one shows up later, in whether the work passed cleanly and whether the system has room to grow.
In most cases, yes. A panel upgrade and a full rewire are separate jobs, and plenty of homes need more service capacity while their branch wiring is sound. The exception is older homes with knob and tube or deteriorated aluminum, where it often makes sense to do both at once. We tell you which situation you are in after we look.
A straightforward panel or service upgrade is usually a one-day job, with the power off for part of that day during the changeover. Larger jobs, rural feeds, or ones that involve additional wiring take longer, and we give you the timeline before we start.
Yes, for part of the day. Changing a panel and service means the power comes off while we work, and Manitoba Hydro disconnects and reconnects the service as part of the process. We schedule it to get you back up the same day.
Yes. Feeding a detached building off your service is common on Interlake properties, and we handle the panel, the underground or overhead feed, and the trenching in-house. We size the upgrade so the main service and the outbuilding both have what they need.
If your panel is full, dated, or not keeping up with what you run, get in touch for a free estimate and a straight answer on the right service for your home or property.
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