Vancouver & the Lower Mainland
What an electrician costs in Vancouver
Vancouver electricians run roughly $95 to $135 an hour, with a service call between $150 and $300. The two jobs homeowners ask about most are panel upgrades and EV chargers, and both have a wide range because the answer depends on what your service can already carry.
What it costs
| Hourly rate | $95 – $135 / hr | Licensed electrician |
| Service call | $150 – $300 | Attendance plus initial diagnosis |
| 200A panel upgrade | $3,500 – $6,500 | Full 100A to 200A service upgrade can reach $8,000 – $12,500 |
| EV charger install | $1,200 – $3,900 | BC Hydro rebate of up to $350 may apply |
Typical Lower Mainland ranges for planning purposes — every project is quoted individually after a free site visit.
What actually drives the price
- Knob-and-tube — still present in older Vancouver homes, and most insurers will not cover a house that has it, so discovering it usually means it has to go
- Distance from the panel — running a new circuit across a finished house is mostly labour spent fishing wire through walls, not materials
- Service capacity — if your existing service can't carry the new load, an EV charger or heat pump quietly becomes a panel upgrade
- Permits and inspection — Technical Safety BC or your municipality inspects most electrical work, which is a cost and a scheduling constraint
Common questions
Do I need a permit for electrical work?
Almost always, for anything beyond swapping a fixture. Permits exist so the work gets inspected — and unpermitted electrical is something a buyer's inspector will find later.
Why do EV charger quotes vary so much?
Because the charger is the cheap part. The cost is the run from your panel to where the car parks, and whether your service has the capacity. Same charger, two houses, wildly different numbers.
Is a 200A upgrade worth doing?
If you're adding an EV charger, a heat pump, or planning a suite, usually yes — doing it once is cheaper than doing it in pieces. If you're not adding load, it's rarely urgent.
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