Our 1978 Kingston home had a 100A Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panel that our home inspector flagged and our insurance company said they would not renew without replacement. That was motivation enough.
The Federal Pacific problem:
Our insurance company provided documentation — Stab-Lok breakers have a documented failure mode where they do not trip on overcurrent, creating a fire risk. This is not theoretical — there’s been enough incident data that most Ontario insurers now flag these panels.
What we got quotes for:
200A service upgrade (complete — new meter base, service entrance, 200A panel, breakers, all permits)
- Quote A: $6,800
- Quote B: $5,200
- Quote C: $7,400
We went with Quote B at $5,200 — licensed ESA master electrician, 5-star reviews, knew the Kingston utility requirements.
We added:
- EV charger rough-in (dedicated 50A circuit to garage, no charger installed yet): $280 extra
- 2 additional 20A circuits to kitchen (were at original 2-circuit kitchen, brought to 4): $320
Total: $5,800
ESA permit: $190 (contractor obtained it)
Timeline:
- Quote to permit: 2 weeks
- Installation day: 7 hours (crew of 2)
- Power off: 5.5 hours
- ESA inspection: 3 days after installation, passed first time
Insurance result:
New policy renewal came in $180/year LESS than the prior year’s premium. Insurance company acknowledged the panel upgrade in the rate calculation.
Anyone in an older Ontario home with a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or FPE panel: don’t wait for insurance to force it. These panels are a genuine hazard.