Electrical work by Breton Electrical Inc. · ECRA/ESA #7018356
Milton EV Experts

Licensed EV charger electrician serving Burlington

EV Charger Installation in Burlington, Ontario

Burlington's housing stock is dominated by 1950s–1970s bungalows and side-splits in Aldershot, Roseland and the Central area, where 100-amp services are still common — and by Alton Village new builds where the panel is EV-ready. Both are routine for us; they are just different jobs.

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Working with 100-amp services in older Burlington homes

A 100-amp service is not a barrier to EV charging — it is a number in a calculation. The Ontario Electrical Safety Code load calculation counts the heating system, range, dryer, water heater and air conditioning, and what is left determines the charging circuit. In many Burlington bungalows with gas heat, gas water heating and a gas range, a 40-amp circuit clears comfortably. In an all-electric home with a hot tub, it will not.

When the calculation is tight, the options in order of cost are: a lower-output charger, an approved energy-management device that pauses charging during peak household loads, and only then a service upgrade with Burlington Hydro.

Carports, single garages and driveway charging

Burlington has a lot of carports and single-car garages with the second vehicle on the driveway. Those installs need a weather-rated unit, a mounting position that clears both the car door and the snow bank, and cable long enough to reach the port without stretching across a walking path. We commonly mount to the house wall at the driveway edge rather than inside a crowded single garage.

Where both vehicles are electric, one charger on a shared circuit with automatic sequencing is almost always cheaper than two circuits, and it avoids a service upgrade.

  • Weather-rated driveway and carport mounting
  • Shared-circuit charging for two EVs
  • Snow-clearance-aware positioning
  • Cable routing kept off walkways

Alton Village, Orchard and newer Burlington homes

North of Dundas the panels are modern and typically 200 amps, and many homes have a builder-installed conduit or a labelled spare. The job becomes about placement and equipment: NACS or J1772, indoor or outdoor, hardwired or plug-in, and whether the unit needs to sit on the shared Wi-Fi at the back of the garage — a real consideration in a deep garage with a steel door.

Commercial charging in Burlington

Burlington's business parks north of the QEW and along Harvester and Mainway have the service capacity for workplace charging, and the parking layouts make staged installations practical. Downtown and lakeshore buildings have the opposite profile: constrained services, underground garages and boards weighing a dozen owner requests at once. Both start with the same document — a measured load assessment of the existing service.

Safety, code compliance and ESA inspection

Every installation follows the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and is notified to the Electrical Safety Authority, which issues the inspection. That matters beyond compliance: an unnotified charger circuit can complicate a home insurance claim or a future sale, and uncertified work on a 240-volt continuous load is a genuine fire risk. The electrical work is carried out under Breton Electrical Inc., ECRA/ESA licence #7018356.

How the installation works, step by step

  1. 1

    Tell us what you drive and where you park

    A two-minute form or phone call. Vehicle brand, parking location, timing, and a photo of your panel if you have one.

  2. 2

    Site assessment and load calculation

    In Burlington the site visit centres on a proper load calculation, because service size here varies street by street and it determines both the charger output and the price.

  3. 3

    Fixed written quote

    You get an itemized price covering materials, labour and ESA notification. No allowances that move later.

  4. 4

    Installation day

    Circuit run, charger mounted and configured to the installed breaker, everything tested and energized. Most single-charger homes are done in one visit.

  5. 5

    ESA notification and handover

    The work is filed with the Electrical Safety Authority and we walk you through the charger app, scheduling and charging settings before we leave.

Typical EV charger installations in Burlington

ScenarioTypical circuitWhat's involvedUsual range
Newer home, attached garage40A / 32A chargerShort run from a 200A panel$1,300–$1,800
Post-war bungalow, 100A service30–40A chargerLoad calculation, possible load management$1,600–$2,300
Carport or driveway mount40A chargerWeather-rated unit, exterior wall penetration$1,700–$2,500
Service upgrade to 200A200A serviceUtility coordination, mast, new panel, ESA inspectionQuoted separately

Local service in Burlington

Burlington layers by era. Aldershot, Roseland, Elizabeth Gardens and the streets south of New Street are largely post-war, with single garages or carports, panels on an interior basement wall and services that were sized for a stove and a dryer. The Headon Forest, Millcroft, Orchard and Tansley areas are 1980s–2000s with 100 to 200-amp services and attached garages. Alton Village and the newest infill north of Dundas are the straightforward case. Downtown and Lakeshore condominiums are their own category, governed by the building's service and its board.

Common questions

EV charger installation in Burlington: common questions

My Burlington home has a 100-amp service. Do I need an upgrade for an EV charger?

Usually not. A load calculation to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code decides. Homes with gas heat, a gas water heater and a gas range typically have room for a 40-amp charging circuit. Where they do not, a lower-output charger or an energy-management device costs a fraction of a service upgrade.

How much does a service upgrade cost in Burlington?

It varies with the mast, the meter base, the panel and whether the supply is overhead or underground, so we quote it separately rather than bundling a placeholder into the charger price. We only recommend it when the load calculation and your future plans genuinely require it.

Can I charge in a carport through a Burlington winter?

Yes. Outdoor-rated chargers are built for it, and the cold-weather issue is cable stiffness rather than the electronics. We mount the unit clear of the snow line and where the connector is not sitting under a roof drip line, and we leave enough cable slack that it never has to be forced.

Can two electric vehicles share one Burlington driveway install?

Yes. A dual-port or shared-circuit charger sequences the two vehicles over the night, which suits Burlington's older services far better than two separate 40-amp circuits and typically avoids a service upgrade entirely.

Is a permit needed for an EV charger in Burlington?

The electrical work must be notified to the Electrical Safety Authority by a licensed electrical contractor; the ESA inspection is the approval. A separate City of Burlington building permit is only relevant when structural or exterior work goes beyond the electrical installation.

Plan your Burlington installation