Electrical panels: what to check, and who confirms it
Panel capacity, condition, and eligibility for new loads are determined by a licensed electrician and your provincial electrical authority. This page helps you record what you can see safely, ask precise questions, and compare written quotes. Never open a panel cover.
What should you check about a home's electrical panel?
Record the service size in amps, the panel brand and model, the number of used and spare breaker spaces, and whether permits exist for past work. Then ask a licensed electrician to assess capacity for your planned loads. Age or brand alone does not establish a safety problem — only a licensed electrician can assess the installation.
- Jurisdiction
- Canada — electrical permitting and inspection are provincial
- Page reviewed
- 2026-08-31
What affects the amount
- Existing service size in amps and the capacity of the incoming service conductors
- Panel brand, model, and availability of compatible breakers
- Number of free breaker spaces and whether tandem breakers are permitted there
- Loads you plan to add: EV charger, heat pump, air conditioning, hot tub, suite, workshop
- Whether the meter base, mast, or utility service also has to change
- Permit, inspection, and utility disconnect/reconnect requirements in your area
- Access, wall finish restoration, and how far the panel is from the service entrance
What to verify yourself
- The amperage marked on the main breaker and on the panel label
- Panel brand and model from the label, photographed
- Whether past electrical work has closed permits on record
- Whether an insurer has asked questions about the panel at this address
- What a licensed electrician says about capacity for your specific plans
- Whether your utility must be involved for a service change
Who to ask
- A licensed electrical contractor, for assessment, permits, and quotes
- Your provincial electrical safety authority, for permit and inspection requirements
- Your local electric utility, for service upgrades and meter work
- Your insurance broker, for any underwriting questions about the panel
- Your municipality, for permit records on past work
Identification checklist
Record these details without opening the panel. Never remove a panel cover or touch wiring — that work is for a licensed electrician.
- 1.Photograph the panel door and the label inside the door, if visible without removing the cover.
- 2.Record the amperage marked on the main breaker (for example 60, 100, 125, 200).
- 3.Record the panel brand and model number from the label.
- 4.Count the breakers in use and any empty spaces.
- 5.Note whether the panel uses breakers or fuses.
- 6.Note visible rust, moisture staining, heat discolouration, or a burnt smell — and if present, stop and call a licensed electrician.
- 7.Note the location: finished room, unfinished basement, garage, exterior, or inside a closet.
- 8.Note whether a sub-panel exists elsewhere in the home.
This page does not diagnose safety. We do not conclude that a panel is unsafe based on its brand or age. If you have any concern — heat, smell, arcing, flickering, repeated tripping — contact a licensed electrician.
Capacity and use questions
| What you are planning | Questions for the electrician | Other parties involved |
|---|---|---|
| EV charger | What circuit is required, is there capacity, and is load management an option? | Utility, permit authority, possibly a rebate program |
| Heat pump or electric heating | What does the load calculation show, and does the service need to change? | HVAC contractor, utility |
| Central air conditioning | Is there a free double-pole space and adequate capacity? | HVAC contractor |
| Hot tub or pool equipment | What dedicated circuit and protection are required? | Permit authority, installer |
| Secondary suite | Is separate metering or a sub-panel required here? | Municipality, permit authority |
| Workshop or garage circuits | How many circuits, and is a sub-panel more practical? | Permit authority |
Permits and documents to collect
- Electrical permit numbers and their status for any past work
- Final inspection or certificate of acceptance documents
- Invoices from the licensed contractor who did the work
- Photos of the panel label and main breaker rating
- Load calculation prepared for any planned addition
- Utility correspondence for a service change
- Insurer correspondence about wiring or panel questions
- Home inspection report sections referring to electrical
Printable questions for your electrician, insurer and lender
Get answers in writing before committing to work. Nothing you type is stored or sent.
- Electrician: what is the existing service size, and what does the load calculation show for my plans?
- Electrician: is a panel change, a service upgrade, or a sub-panel the right scope here?
- Electrician: are compatible breakers still available for this panel?
- Electrician: does the meter base, mast, or utility service also need work?
- Electrician: what permit is required, who pulls it, and who arranges inspection?
- Electrician: what is included and excluded — restoration, patching, painting?
- Electrician: how long will power be off, and can we stay in the home?
- Insurer: do you ask about panel type or service size at this address?
- Insurer: what documentation would you need after any work?
- Lender: would an electrical condition affect approval or advance of funds?
- Utility: what is required from you for a service change, and what is the lead time?
- Municipality: are there open or missing permits for past electrical work here?
Planning cost worksheet
No prices are prefilled. Enter the figures from your own written quotes so the total reflects your property and local trade rates.
From the licensed contractor's written quote
Confirm whether this is inside the labour quote
Only if the electrician says it is required
Confirm with your permitting authority
Ask your electric utility
Often a separate trade
Your own allowance
This adds only the amounts you type. It is not a price guide, a market rate, or a quote, and it does not indicate what work your home requires.
Questions people ask
Sources & methodology
- Jurisdiction
- Provincial (example shown: Ontario ESA)
- Applies to
- Permits, licensed electrician requirements, and inspection of panel work
- Source link checked
- 2026-08-31
- Rule effective date
- Not asserted — confirm the effective rule directly with the source above.
- Jurisdiction
- Canada (model code), applied provincially and municipally
- Applies to
- Which construction rules apply, and why permits, inspections, and closed-permit records are handled by your local authority
- Source link checked
- 2026-08-31
- Rule effective date
- Not asserted — confirm the effective rule directly with the source above.
- Jurisdiction
- Canada (industry association)
- Applies to
- What a home policy covers, endorsements, deductibles, and claims basics
- Source link checked
- 2026-08-31
- Rule effective date
- Not asserted — confirm the effective rule directly with the source above.
Assumptions
- This page is an information-gathering checklist, not a safety assessment or an electrical opinion.
- Permit and inspection requirements are assumed to be provincial and must be confirmed locally.
- No cost, rate, or price range is published; totals come only from figures you enter.
What this estimate does not include
- Any determination that a specific panel is safe or unsafe.
- Load calculations, which must be performed by a licensed electrician.
- Utility charges and lead times, which vary by provider.
Every source used anywhere on this site — with the date its link was checked, what it establishes and what it does not — is listed in the home cost source ledger.