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6 guides

Panel and electrical service

Find out whether your 100 A is enough, upgrade to 200 A, replace a fuse panel, choose an overhead or underground service, and know who your utility is.

  • 6 guides
  • 6 reviewed by a master electrician
  • Official sources cited
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Free quote Our service : Panels and service entrances

100 A, 200 A and load calculation

2 guides

6 min readThe load calculation: is your 100 A enough before you buy an EV charger, a heat pump or a hot tub?The load calculation adds up what your house draws from the grid, following the Code. It tells you whether your 100 A service is enough, or whether you need a sub-panel, load management or a 200 A upgrade. It’s done before adding an EV charger, a heat pump or a hot tub, never after.
  • The Code adds a base load according to the living area, then each large appliance with its own percentage.
  • The total in watts, divided by 240 V, gives the amps the service must supply.
  • Since the 2026 Code, an EV charger counts at 100%, installed or only planned, unless an energy management system is used.
Read the guide 6 min readUpgrading from 100 A to 200 A: when it’s needed and how it goesUpgrading from 100 A to 200 A becomes necessary when the Code’s load calculation exceeds what the service can supply: electric heating, an EV charger, a heat pump, a hot tub. Here is what the calculation counts, the solutions that sometimes avoid the work, what the 2026 Code changes and how it goes, from the request to the utility to the power coming back on.Read the guide

Replacing your panel

2 guides

7 min readReplacing your electrical panel: what drives the costNo two panel replacements cost the same: it all depends on the condition of the electrical service, the distance between the meter and the panel, the number of circuits to transfer, the circuits added and whether you upgrade to 200 A. Here is each item, the cases we often see and how to compare two quotes, with no made-up numbers.
  • The cost mainly depends on five things: the condition of the electrical service, the distance between the meter and the panel, the number of circuits, the circuits added and access to the panel.
  • Upgrading to 200 A changes the electrical service: the utility shuts off and reconnects, and its fees are added according to its conditions.
  • The load calculation decides between keeping 100 A, adding load management or a sub-panel, or upgrading to 200 A.
Read the guide 6 min readFuse panel: should you replace it, and why your insurer asksA fuse panel in good condition and used properly isn’t dangerous in itself. But it often lacks capacity and room, it doesn’t accept modern protection, and several insurers ask for it to be replaced. Here is how to recognize one, what to do when a fuse blows, what the insurer expects and how the replacement goes.Read the guide

The service and the utility

2 guides

5 min readUnderground or overhead service entrance: how to choose for a new house or a service to redoThe utility’s cable arrives either through a mast on the roof (overhead) or through a trench (underground). Overhead is simpler to install; underground is invisible and safe from branches, but needs a trench, conduits and close coordination. The choice depends on the lot, what the utility offers on your street and your priorities.
  • According to Hydro-Québec, the service follows the street line: overhead if it’s overhead, underground if it’s underground.
  • If the line is overhead and you want an underground service, it’s at your expense, connected to a pole by agreement.
  • The trench and conduits on your lot are at your expense, at installation and at replacement.
Read the guide 4 min readHydro-Sherbrooke or Hydro-Québec: who is my utility, and what it changesIn the Eastern Townships, your electricity comes from Hydro-Québec… or not. Sherbrooke has its own network, Hydro-Sherbrooke, serving part of the city; Magog and Coaticook also have municipal networks. Your utility’s name is on your bill, and it changes the steps for a new service entrance or an outage.Read the guide

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Words to know

The whole glossary
Electrical service
Where the utility’s electricity enters the house: the mast (overhead service) or the trench (underground service), the cable, the meter base and the panel. Its capacity is stated in amps, for example 100 A or 200 A.
Mast
The pipe attached to the house where the utility’s overhead cable arrives, then runs down to the meter base and the panel. An underground service has none: the cable comes in through a trench.
Meter base
The outdoor box the utility’s meter plugs into, between the mast (or the underground cable) and the panel. It is part of the electrical service.
Electrical panel
The box that receives the electrical service and splits it into circuits, each protected by a breaker (or by a fuse, in older panels).
Circuit breaker
The automatic switch that cuts a circuit in overload or fault, to protect the wires from overheating. It is chosen for the gauge of the wires it protects: never replace it with a bigger one.
Fuse panel
An older panel where fuses protect the circuits. In good condition it is not dangerous in itself, but it often lacks capacity and space, can’t take modern protection, and many insurers ask for it to be replaced.
Sub-panel
A second panel, fed by the main panel, that adds room for circuits. It adds no capacity to the electrical service: the load calculation tells whether the service is enough.
Load calculation
The sum of what the house draws from the grid, done according to the Code’s rules (section 8-200). It tells whether a 100 A service is enough, or whether you need a sub-panel, load management or an upgrade to 200 A. Do it before adding a charger, a heat pump or a hot tub.

In your town

We do this work in Sherbrooke and the surrounding municipalities. Each town page gives the electricity utility and the municipality to contact for permits.

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