A 100A to 200A service upgrade in Ontario is one of the most common jobs we do. Owners ask the same first question every time: how long does the whole thing take from the day they call us to the day they have an ESA Certificate of Inspection in hand? The answer is roughly three weeks for a clean job, and the variability lives mostly in utility coordination and ESA inspector availability. Here is the actual week-by-week version, with the differences between Alectra, Burlington Hydro, Hydro One, and Lakeland Power called out where they matter.
Day 0: the panel photo
The clock starts the day you send us a photo of your existing panel and the meter base outside. From a clean panel photo plus a photo of the meter and weatherhead, we can usually quote the upgrade without a site visit. What we are looking at:
- The current panel size (100A in this story), the brand, and whether the bus and breakers are reusable. They almost never are - we swap the whole panel - but it shapes the quote.
- The meter base condition. A rusty meter base or a deteriorated weatherhead means the service-entrance hardware gets replaced top to bottom, not just the panel.
- The mast and weatherhead. An out-of-plumb mast or cracked weatherhead means an additional half-day on the roof.
- The space around the panel. OESC working-clearance requirements have to be met at the new 200A panel and we have walked into basements where the existing panel was buried behind a furnace or a finished wall.
From those photos we send a written quote within 24-48 hours. If you accept, we move to the site visit.
Days 1-3: site visit and scoping
One of our journeymen comes out, usually within two business days of quote acceptance. The visit is 30-45 minutes:
- Confirm what we saw in the photos. Mast condition, meter base condition, panel location, working clearance.
- Identify every branch circuit at the existing panel. We label and document so each one lands cleanly on the new 200A panel.
- Decide the location for the new panel. Almost always the existing location - moving the panel is a different and much bigger job.
- Coordinate with the homeowner on a target install day. We typically book 10-14 days out to leave room for permit and utility.
- Take the photos for the utility application.
Days 3-14: the long pole - utility coordination and ESA permit
This is the part of the job that lives on someone else's calendar. The two parallel tracks:
ESA permit: We file the application as the LEC. The permit comes back inside a day or two. Service-upgrade work is one of the most routine permit categories ESA processes and there is rarely a delay here. This goes in our name and we are responsible for the work the permit covers.
Utility coordination: The local distribution utility owns the service drop and the meter, and they have to pull the meter and de-energize the drop on the morning of the install. Every utility we work with handles this differently:
- Alectra (Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Waterdown, Ancaster, Dundas, parts of north Burlington): requires a Service Layout application through their contractor portal. Lead time has been 7-10 business days lately, sometimes longer in peak season. They send a confirmation with the disconnect appointment date.
- Burlington Hydro (most of Burlington): faster than Alectra - usually 5-7 business days. They prefer scheduling directly with the LEC by phone after the layout is submitted.
- Hydro One (most of Muskoka, rural service areas around the Golden Horseshoe): the most variable. 10-15 business days is normal, longer if the address is rural or the layout flags a transformer issue. We submit early and call to chase.
- Lakeland Power (Huntsville, Bracebridge, parts of Muskoka): similar to Burlington Hydro - 5-10 business days, direct phone scheduling.
This week-and-a-half window is also when the homeowner can do nothing useful but wait. The work to do during the wait: clear access to the panel, decide if you want any new circuits roughed in while the panel is open (cheap to add then, expensive to add later), and confirm any work-from-home schedule against the install day.
Days 15-16: install day
Install day is one full day on site for a clean swap, occasionally bleeds into a second day if the meter base and mast both need replacement.
- Morning, utility arrives. The utility tech pulls the meter and confirms the drop is de-energized at the source. The house is now without power.
- Old panel out, label every circuit. Every existing branch conductor gets tagged with its circuit number and destination so it lands in the same place on the new panel.
- New service-entrance work. New meter base, new service-entrance cable from the meter to the panel location, new mast and weatherhead if those were in scope.
- New 200A panel mounted. Siemens, Eaton, or Schneider depending on availability and what the customer prefers. 40 or 42 spaces is standard.
- Every branch circuit re-terminated. Each conductor stripped fresh, landed on a new breaker, torqued to spec. We also bring the bonding and grounding current - a lot of older 100A services have minimal grounding electrode work and we add a ground rod or two to bring it up to current code.
- Panel labelled. Typed or handwritten legend on the door.
- Utility re-energizes. Utility tech comes back, installs the new meter, the drop is re-connected. Power is back on the same evening in almost every case.
Total time on site: 7-10 hours for a clean job. If the meter is in an awkward spot or the service-entrance cable run is unusually long, longer.
Days 17-21: ESA inspection
We schedule the ESA final inspection the same day we energize. ESA inspector lead times move with the season:
- Shoulder seasons (April-May, September-October): inspector usually on site within 3-5 business days.
- Peak summer and pre-winter: can stretch to 7-10 business days.
- Around statutory holidays: add a few days.
The inspector verifies the bonding, the grounding, the service-entrance terminations, the panel labelling, and the working clearance. For a service upgrade done correctly, the inspection is a quick visit - the inspector looks at the panel for 10-15 minutes, signs off, and the Certificate of Inspection is issued electronically within a day or two. Background on the inspection process is in our ESA permit post.
What you have at the end
- ESA Certificate of Inspection - the document your insurer and your future buyer's home inspector will ask for.
- Itemized invoice - what we installed and what we did not.
- Panel legend - posted inside the door.
- Photos before and after - on request, free.
What can stretch the timeline
- Aluminum branch wiring at the landings. If the existing 100A panel has aluminum branch circuits, every landing gets pigtailed with CO/ALR breakers or AlumiConn connectors and antioxidant compound. Adds a couple of hours but does not change the overall calendar.
- An old FPE Stab-Lok panel. Common in 1970s Hamilton, Burlington, and Stoney Creek homes. Doesn't slow the install but pairs with our FPE replacement conversation for the insurance side.
- Mast or meter base in poor condition. Adds half a day to install but not days to the calendar.
- Peak-season utility backlog. In July-August or late October, Alectra and Hydro One can run 14-21 days. We tell you up front when we see it on the application response.
- K&T wiring discovered at the panel. If we pull off the panel cover and find knob-and-tube still active, that is a separate conversation. See our K&T post.
When to call us
If you are looking at a 100A to 200A upgrade in Hamilton, Dundas, Burlington, Waterdown, Ancaster, Stoney Creek, Oakville, or anywhere across our Muskoka service area, send us a photo of your existing panel and your meter base. We will quote in writing inside 48 hours and walk you through the timeline against your specific utility. Service upgrades are most of what we do. Request a quote.