A free panel check, using your real BC Hydro usage
Book a free estimate and we'll check whether your electrical panel can take the new equipment, using your actual hourly usage rather than a calculation from the panel label. It can mean you don't need a panel upgrade at all.
What the panel check is
Before a heat pump goes in, someone has to work out whether your electrical service can carry it. There are two ways to do that under the BC Electrical Code, and they often give different answers.
The standard calculation, Rule 8-200, adds up what your home could draw if the range, the dryer, the water heater and the new equipment all ran flat out at the same time. It's deliberately cautious, and it often says you're out of room.
The measured method, Rule 8-106(8), starts from the highest demand your home has actually reached over the last 12 months, taken from your BC Hydro hourly data, and adds the new equipment to that. That's the one we use for the panel check. Your home has never run everything at once, and this method doesn't assume it has.
For the formula and a worked example, read whether you actually need a panel upgrade for a heat pump. The calculation itself is always done for your specific home by a licensed electrical contractor.
Who it's for
Anyone getting an estimate for equipment that adds electrical load to the house:
- a ducted heat pump, including one replacing a gas furnace
- ductless mini splits, often in homes on electric baseboards
- central air conditioning
- a heat pump water heater, in place of a hot water tank
You don't need to know anything about your panel before you book. Our home comfort advisor looks at it during the visit.
How it works
Book your free estimate
Pick a time online or give us a call. The panel check is part of the estimate, at no extra charge.
Export your hourly usage from BC Hydro
Only the account holder can do this. Log in at bchydro.com, go to My Usage, then Data Export Centre, then Consumption History. Choose the Hourly interval and export the last 6 months, then do the same for the 6 months before that. BC Hydro caps each export at 6 months, so ending up with two files is right.
Email both files to us
Send them to [email protected] with your name and your estimate number.
Our licensed electrical contractor runs the load calculation
They find the busiest hour your home had in the last 12 months, add the new equipment to it, and check the total against your electrical service.
We tell you what your panel can take
You'll know whether your panel can carry the new system as it is. If it can't, we go through the options with you.
What it can save you
A service upgrade is a big job: an electrical contractor's work plus a new connection from BC Hydro. If the measured method shows your service has room for the new equipment, you don't need one.
One home we worked on had a small service that was already carrying an electric range and an electric dryer. The standard calculation said a multi-zone ductless system couldn't go on it. The measured method said it could, and it did. Your house has its own numbers, which is why we check them.
If another company has quoted you a panel upgrade and nobody asked for your usage data, it's worth asking why. You can also send us that quote through our free quote check.
If you do need an upgrade
Sometimes the measured method says no as well. There are a few ordinary ways through that:
- a load management device or an interlock, so two large loads can't run at the same time
- switching an electric range to gas, where a gas line already reaches the kitchen
- a service upgrade
We bring the electrician in and schedule their work around your install. Once the new load is worked out, the BC Electrical Code requires your panel to be labelled with it and the date, and our electrician takes care of that. The electrical contractor's charges and BC Hydro's connection fee sit outside our starting prices.
Questions about the panel check
Does the panel check cost anything?
No. It's part of your free estimate. The only thing we ask you to do is export your BC Hydro usage and email it to us.
Why can't you just read the label on my panel?
The label tells us what your service is rated for, not how much your home actually uses. The measured method needs your real usage, and BC Hydro's hourly data is where that lives.
Why do I have to export the data myself?
Only the account holder can log in to BC Hydro and export it. Everything after that is on us: the calculation, the result, and the electrician if one is needed.
Why are there two files?
BC Hydro caps a single export at 6 months. The calculation needs 12, so you export twice. You haven't done it wrong.
I'm in New Westminster. Does this still work?
New Westminster runs its own electrical utility rather than BC Hydro, so your usage data comes from the city instead. Mention it when you book and we'll work out the data with you.
Does it work for a townhouse or condo?
Technical Safety BC sets which buildings the measured method can be used on. Broadly, it is a detached house with one dwelling unit. A secondary suite on the same meter as the main house is fine, and most suites in Metro Vancouver share the meter.
Townhouses, apartments, duplexes and houses with a separately metered suite go through a different calculation under the BC Electrical Code. Our home comfort advisor confirms which one applies to your home at the estimate.
I'm planning an EV charger or a hot tub. Does that change anything?
Tell us at the estimate. The calculation is based on the 12 months behind it, so adding a big load later means another 12 months of data and a new calculation. It is simpler to plan for both now.
Is the result a guarantee?
It tells you where your panel stands. Requirements vary between municipalities, and Technical Safety BC's own bulletin says they must be confirmed with the local authority, so nobody should promise you automatic approval, us included.
Book your estimate and we'll check your panel
We come to your home, look at your system and your panel, and give you a written quote with options. Send us your BC Hydro data and the panel check comes with it.