100 Amp vs 200 Amp Panel: When Do You Need an Upgrade?

Your electrical panel is rated by the maximum amount of current it can safely handle — measured in amps. A 100-amp panel was the standard for decades in Ontario homes, and it worked fine when the biggest electrical draws were an oven, a dryer, and some lights. But modern homes demand more.

What 100 Amps Actually Means

A 100-amp panel can deliver a maximum of 100 amps of current across all circuits simultaneously. That sounds like a lot, but it fills up quickly once you account for heating or cooling (15-40 amps), an electric stove (40-50 amps), a dryer (30 amps), and the rest of the house (lights, outlets, appliances). Add an EV charger (40-50 amps) or a hot tub (40 amps) and you are at or over capacity.

When 100 Amps Is Still Enough

If your home is modest in size, you heat with gas rather than electricity, you have no plans to add major electrical loads like an EV charger or central air, and your panel is in good condition, 100 amps may still be perfectly adequate. Not every home needs an upgrade.

When You Need 200 Amps

Consider upgrading if you want to add an EV charger, you are installing central air conditioning, you are finishing a basement that needs additional circuits, you plan to add a hot tub, pool equipment, or workshop, your breakers trip frequently, or your insurance company is flagging your existing panel.

A 200-amp panel gives you roughly double the capacity, which provides headroom for today's needs and future additions.

What the Upgrade Involves

A panel upgrade from 100 to 200 amps typically requires replacing the electrical panel itself, upgrading the service entrance cable from the meter to the panel (and sometimes the service from the utility pole to the meter), coordinating with your local hydro provider for the meter change, and pulling an ESA permit and passing inspection.

The whole process usually takes one day, though hydro coordination may add a few days to the timeline.

Cost

A panel upgrade from 100 to 200 amps in Ontario typically costs between $2,500 and $5,000. If the service entrance from the utility also needs upgrading, costs may be higher. We provide a detailed, itemized quote before any work begins.