Residential Electrician Serving Durham Region
KV Bear Electrical is a licensed electrical contractor (ECRA/ESA 7014730) based in Oshawa, serving homeowners across Durham Region.
Get a Free Quote in Durham Region
Durham Region runs from the Lake Ontario shoreline in Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington up to the townships of Uxbridge, Scugog and Brock. The Ontario Electrical Safety Code is the same in all of them, yet a panel change, a new circuit or a service upgrade can involve different people depending on the street. The company that delivers your power, the office that issues a building permit and the age of the house you live in all shift as you cross the region.
Take a 200 amp upgrade as an example. In central Oshawa the request goes to Oshawa Power. In Whitby or Ajax it goes to Elexicon Energy. On a farm property outside Bowmanville or Port Perry it may go to Hydro One instead. The electrical work inside the house looks much the same, but the forms, the utility visit and the order of steps do not.
This page sets out those regional differences in one place. For anything specific to your town, such as its housing, its permit office or the services available there, open your community's page from the list below.
What Durham Region Homeowners Should Know
The Region of Durham's permits page directs residents to their local area municipality (Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge or Whitby) for local permits such as a renovation building permit, while the permits the Region issues itself cover matters like road use and driveway entrances.
Source: Permits, Region of Durham (durham.ca)Durham Region is made up of eight local municipalities: the cities of Oshawa and Pickering, the towns of Ajax and Whitby, the Municipality of Clarington, and the townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge.
Source: Communities, Region of Durham (durham.ca)Statistics Canada's 2021 Census counted 696,992 residents in Durham, 7.9% more than in 2016, living in 243,048 occupied private dwellings, a 6.6% rise over the same five years.
Source: Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census: Durham (Regional municipality), Statistics Canada (www12.statcan.gc.ca)The Region's Durham Region Profile, which draws on 2021 Census data, reports that 62.7 per cent of residential dwellings in Durham were built after 1981, so roughly three homes in eight are older than that.
Source: Durham Region Profile: Demographic and Socio-Economic Data, Region of Durham (durham.ca)Elexicon Energy's list of service communities names seven of Durham's eight municipalities: Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby. Oshawa is the one missing from that list.
Source: Move In / Move Out, Elexicon Energy (elexiconenergy.com)Oshawa Power, legally Oshawa PUC Networks Inc., takes service upgrade and new connection requests through an online form. It needs an ESA Connection Authorization whose address matches the service address, and it advises applicants not to commit to major expenses until its connection approvals are in place.
Source: Upgrade/New Construction Request Form, Oshawa Power (oshawapower.ca)The Municipality of Clarington tells residents that homes in its rural areas get their electricity from Hydro One, and that Elexicon Energy covers the urban areas.
Source: Utilities, Municipality of Clarington (clarington.net)Scugog Township's utilities page says Elexicon supplies urban Port Perry, while Hydro One supplies most of the township's rural area.
Source: Utilities, Township of Scugog (scugog.ca)The Township of Uxbridge suggests that new residents contact both electricity utilities and give their address to learn which one serves the property.
Source: Utilities, Township of Uxbridge (uxbridge.ca)Where a house still has its meter indoors, Elexicon asks for that meter to be moved to an outdoor location as part of any change to the residential service.
Source: Upgrades, Relocations and Renovations, Elexicon Energy (elexiconenergy.com)The Electrical Safety Authority says houses built between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s may contain aluminum wiring, and it recommends a Licensed Electrical Contractor who knows the special repair techniques that wiring needs.
Source: Aluminum Wiring, Electrical Safety Authority (esasafe.com)
Facts checked October 13, 2026.
Elexicon, Oshawa Power or Hydro One: Who Serves Your Street
Elexicon Energy covers more Durham municipalities than any other distributor, with Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby all on its list of communities. Oshawa is not on that list; the city has its own utility, Oshawa Power. Hydro One fills in much of the countryside: Clarington and Scugog both tell residents that rural homes are on Hydro One, while the urban areas, including Port Perry, stay with Elexicon. In Uxbridge the line is fine enough that the Township tells newcomers to check with both companies.
The distributor matters most when a job changes the service coming into the house: a move from 100 to 200 amps, a relocated meter, or an overhead line replaced with an underground one. Each utility has its own request process. Oshawa Power needs an ESA Connection Authorization that matches the service address for an upgrade request, and Elexicon will ask for an indoor meter to come outside when the service changes. The simplest way to confirm your utility is the company name printed on your electricity bill.
Building Permits From Your Town, Electrical Permits From ESA
The Region of Durham runs services such as regional roads, transit and paramedics, but a building permit for your house comes from your local municipality. Each of the eight has its own building department and application process. When wiring is part of a bigger project, such as finishing a basement, building an addition or converting a garage, check with that department about the construction permit. Your town's page links to the services available there.
The electrical work is permitted separately, and the process is identical from Pickering to Brock. A notification is filed with the Electrical Safety Authority before work starts, ESA inspects the installation, and an ESA Certificate of Acceptance is issued once it passes. When you hire a Licensed Electrical Contractor, the contractor files that notification, so there is nothing to take to the town hall for the electrical portion.
Older Homes, Newer Subdivisions and What Each Needs
By the Region's own figures, 62.7 per cent of Durham's homes date from after 1981, which still leaves more than a third of the housing stock older than that. Homes from the 1960s and 1970s are the ones ESA flags for possible aluminum wiring, and older houses can still have fuse panels, 60 amp services or circuits that have been extended many times. A wiring assessment, a panel upgrade or aluminum wiring repairs are the usual starting points in those homes.
Houses from recent decades bring other priorities. The service is often larger, but breaker space runs out once a basement is finished or a hot tub goes in, and owners want to add an EV charger, pot lights or smart home installation such as hardwired smart switches, dimmers and thermostats. A load calculation shows whether the existing panel can carry what you are planning before anything is bought. To book that assessment anywhere in Durham Region, call 905-999-5048 or request a quote below.
Our Services in Durham Region
EV Charger Installation
Level 2 home charger installation with panel assessment & ESA permit included.
Panel Upgrade
Upgrade to 200-amp service — safe, code-compliant, ESA-inspected panel replacements.
Pot Light Installation
Retrofit recessed LED lighting in any room — minimal mess, clean results.
Aluminum Wiring
Pigtailing and replacement for homes with aluminum wiring — restore insurance eligibility.
Knob & Tube Wiring
Safe removal of knob-and-tube wiring to meet insurance requirements and modern standards.
Home Renovation Electrical
Complete electrical work for kitchen, basement, bathroom renovations and whole-home rewires.
Smart Home Installation
Smart switches, automated lighting, thermostats and whole-home automation wiring.
Generator Installation
Whole-home backup generator with automatic transfer switch — never lose power again.
Electrical Inspection
Thorough home electrical inspections with detailed written reports — for buyers, sellers, and peace of mind.
Electrical Services in Durham Region: Common Questions
Which Durham Region service areas have their own page?
Oshawa, Whitby, Brooklin, Ajax, Pickering, Bowmanville, Clarington, Uxbridge, Port Perry and Courtice each have a page, listed above with the services offered there. Some of those are communities inside a larger municipality: Brooklin is part of Whitby, Bowmanville and Courtice are in Clarington, and Port Perry is in Scugog. If your address is elsewhere in the region, mention it when you ask for a quote.
How do I find out whether Elexicon, Oshawa Power or Hydro One supplies my Durham home?
Your electricity bill names the distributor. As a rough guide, addresses in the City of Oshawa are generally on Oshawa Power, most urban addresses elsewhere in Durham are on Elexicon Energy, and many rural properties in Clarington and Scugog are on Hydro One. Boundaries do not always follow town lines, which is why Uxbridge advises residents to ask both utilities. Knowing the distributor early keeps a service upgrade from stalling.
Do I need a permit from the Region of Durham to upgrade my electrical panel?
No. A panel upgrade is permitted through the Electrical Safety Authority, not the Region or your town, and the Licensed Electrical Contractor you hire files the notification. If the panel work is part of a larger renovation that needs a building permit, that permit comes from your local municipality's building department.
Is smart home installation available across Durham?
Yes. KV Bear Electrical installs smart switches, automated lighting, connected thermostats and the wiring behind whole-home systems for homeowners throughout Durham Region. Any new circuit or wiring change goes under an ESA notification, and every device should carry a recognized certification mark before it is used in Ontario.