Golden Leaf Electrical Call

Services

Electrical Panel Upgrades in Richmond

Not enough capacity left for what you want to add, or something that needs bringing up to code.

Golden Leaf's own services list names electrical code corrections, surge protection, smoke detector installation and the wiring of appliance circuits, and their commercial work names dedicated circuitry and new building construction. The kitchen case is the one most people meet first: their renovations page explains that kitchen appliances are among the largest consumers of energy in a house, that they often need dedicated circuits to prevent damage to the home's electrical system, and that when too many appliances share one circuit it will trip repeatedly and cause much larger problems later. A panel job is the same question asked about the whole house — what is on it now, what you are about to add, and whether there is room.

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Price
$3,500–$7,000 typical 100A→200A service upgrade
Google rating
4.8
Service in
English
I needed help on two different occasions for small electrical repair jobs. I am so happy with both results. Chris is professional, knowledgeable, pleasant, and was able to diagnose and fix both issues quickly. As a senior living on my own I felt extremely confident that the job would be estimated fairly and done professionally. After my initial contact with the company one of my jobs was done on the same day I called in. I also want to mention that I really appreciate that this company will do smaller jobs. From my first call to Golden Leaf to the completion of the job it was a great experience and I was kept in the loop from start to finish. Oh…..and a great seniors discount!!!
Muriel Farrell · customer

What people worry about, and how the call actually goes

  • 01

    examine the issue

    When nobody picks up

  • 02

    identify the problem area

    When a part gets swapped and nothing gets explained

  • 03

    identify probable causes

    When the bill is the first number you hear

What to check, and what to ask

General guidance for homeowners, not specific to your system — worth knowing before you book anyone, including us.

  1. Your service size is a number you can read for yourself

    The main breaker at the top of the panel has its rating printed on it. That number, and the date on the panel label, decide most of the conversation before anyone quotes anything.

  2. A full panel and an undersized service are different problems

    No empty slots is a space problem and sometimes has an answer inside the existing panel. Not enough total capacity is a service problem and does not. Ask which one you have, and how it was determined.

  3. Ask for the load calculation, not the opinion

    The size of service a house needs is calculated from what is connected to it. An electrician who upgrades on a calculation can show you the sheet. One who upgrades on a glance cannot.

  4. This work is permitted and licensed, and that is checkable

    Panel and service work in BC requires a permit and a licensed electrical contractor to pull it. Ask who is pulling it and under which licence. If permits never come up in a quote, ask why.

Try these first

  1. 1. Read the number on the main breaker

    Stand in front of the closed panel and read the rating printed on the large breaker at the top. That number is the first thing anyone quoting the work will ask you for. Do not open the cover.

  2. 2. Count the empty slots and read the label

    The label inside the door lists the circuits and often the year. Photograph it. A photo of the label and the closed panel answers more questions on the phone than a description will.

  3. 3. Write down what you are actually adding

    A car charger, a heat pump, a suite, an induction range, a hot tub. The list of what is coming is what a load calculation is run against, and having it ready shortens the visit.

  4. 4. Note which circuits trip, and what was running

    If breakers trip, write down which one, how often, and what was switched on at the time. That is evidence of a capacity problem, or of a fault, and the two are handled differently.

  5. 5. Label what you already know

    Working out which breaker feeds which room, from outside the panel, is genuinely useful and costs nothing. Write it on the existing label in pencil.

Before you call

How do I know whether my panel is actually full?
Full and out of capacity are two different questions. A panel can have no empty breaker spaces left and still have plenty of service capacity, and it can look half empty and still be at its limit once a load calculation is done. What decides it is the calculation, not the door. If you are adding a car charger, a heat pump, a range or a suite, that calculation is the first thing that should happen — before anything is ordered.
Does a panel or service upgrade need a permit?
Yes, and in Richmond the permit does not come from the city — Richmond does not self-administer electrical permits, so residential electrical work is permitted through Technical Safety BC. Burnaby does run its own. Either way the work is also coordinated with BC Hydro, because the incoming service has to be disconnected and re-landed. That is normal and it is part of the job, not an add-on. It is also the reason a service upgrade is not a same-afternoon job the way a repair often is.
How long will the power be off?
For a straightforward residential service change, the outage is usually a working day rather than a weekend — the panel is changed and re-landed while the service is down, and everything else is prepared before and finished after. The exact window depends on the utility's schedule, which is why nobody should promise you a time on the phone before they have seen the service.
Can you just add a circuit instead of upgrading everything?
Often, yes — and it is the cheaper answer when it is the right one. A dedicated circuit for one appliance is a much smaller job than a service upgrade, and it is exactly what Golden Leaf's own renovations page describes doing for kitchen appliances. The load calculation is what tells you which of the two you are actually looking at, and it is worth doing before anyone quotes you the bigger one.

What we do

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604-568-1899

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Hours
Weekdays 7:30AM–5PM. 24/7 emergency line.
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