Commercial Electrical Panel Upgrading in Calgary

Experiencing issues with the electrical system in your commercial facility? It might be time to upgrade your electrical panel. Common reasons for an electrical panel Inspection include overloading one side of the panel, having aluminum wiring in the building, and frequent breaker tripping. Even flickering lights can indicate that it’s time for an upgrade.

In Calgary, many businesses are in older buildings. If your building is 25 to 40 years old, consider an inspection to discuss whether it’s time to upgrade even if you’re not experiencing problems. You should also think about upgrading the electrical panel if you’re installing a new piece of equipment that is going to use a lot of electricity as the current panel may not be able to handle the load.

Another good reason to upgrade if the building is older is that the electrical use is probably higher than the system was designed to handle. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to electricity, as a misstep can put people and businesses at risk, including the risk of unnecessary downtime. Bringing your building up to today’s code is a smart investment in your company’s future.

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Upgrading to 200 or 400 Amps

Older buildings typically have 60- to 100-amp service, which simply isn’t enough for today’s commercial businesses. The size of your facility and the amount of power you need will determine whether you should upgrade to 200 or 400 amps. In our experience, small buildings can usually make do with an upgrade to 200 amps while owners of larger commercial buildings will have to consider moving to 400-amp service—or even more.

If you’re considering installing a new piece of equipment that uses electricity and you’re not sure your system can support it, talk to us. We can assess your electrical panel and look at the equipment you’re currently using, including your lighting, to help you determine whether it’s time for an upgrade.

Cost to Upgrade Electrical Panel

When you’re running a business, it’s important to know how much it’s going to cost to upgrade the electrical panel. Honestly, cost depends on a number of factors. First, do you have overhead or underground service? If it’s underground, the upgrade may be quite expensive depending on what the electrical authority already has there.

Upgrading may also require you to change your electric meter, which adds to the cost.

The make of your electrical panel might also affect the cost and the area where the panel is located. Is there enough space for a bigger panel? We need to have one metre in all directions in order to upgrade your panel and to adhere to electrical codes.

It’s typically less costly to upgrade to 200 amps than 400 amps. But since every project is different, we really don’t know the exact price until we’re done. We do, however, always provide an estimate based on our past experience so you have a general idea of what to expect, and we’re completely transparent about all costs.

When budgeting, remember that we may need to open up sections of walls to gain access to the wiring. While we’ll clean up after ourselves, you’ll need to factor in the cost of repairing and repainting the wall sections as part of the cost to upgrade the electrical panel.

Your Electrical Panel Upgrade Specialists

If you’re thinking about upgrading your commercial electrical panel in Calgary, contact us today. We’ll come to your facility, assess the situation, and deliver a clear solution.