Top Energy-Saving Electrical Upgrades for Your Home

Some energy savings come from habits, like switching off a power bar at night. The ones in this guide come from hardware: devices and circuits an electrician puts in once, which then save power without anyone having to think about it. Below are the upgrades we would look at first. After them comes a section on what a homeowner can handle and what needs a licensed electrician, and a last word on what these changes do for a house over the years. For the habits, see our seven ways to lower your electricity bill.

LED Conversions and Dimmers

Swapping old fixtures for LED pot lights, LED strips under the kitchen cabinets or LED pendants lowers the power your lighting draws and the number of bulbs you replace. A dimmer helps a little more, since an LED turned down draws less than one at full brightness. The dimmer has to be one rated for LED loads; an old dimmer meant for incandescent bulbs is the usual reason new LEDs flicker or hum. We work out where each light goes and how it will dim before any holes go in the ceiling.

Sensors, Timers and Smart Controls

Occupancy sensors turn off the lights in rooms people pass through, such as a laundry room, a garage or a basement storage area. Timers look after the porch and the driveway. Smart switches and smart receptacles let you set schedules and control lamps and small appliances from your phone, and many of them report how much power the device plugged into them uses. That reading is an easy way to spot the heater or old appliance that costs more to run than you thought.

Circuits for Efficient Appliances

Trading a furnace for a heat pump, a gas range for an induction range, or an old water heater for a heat pump model usually means a new dedicated circuit, often at 240 volts. Before that circuit goes in, we check that the panel has the space and the capacity to carry it. A house that will add an electric vehicle (EV) charger in the next few years is in the same position, because a Level 2 charger draws from a dedicated 240 volt circuit. A panel upgrade done once can make room for the charger and the heat pump together, and it avoids opening the panel twice.

Whole-Home Surge Protection

Efficient appliances are full of electronics: variable-speed motors, control boards and touch displays. A whole-home surge protector mounted at the panel catches a surge where power enters the house, before it travels out along the circuits. It can go in at the same time as a panel upgrade. Our whole-home surge protection guide explains how it works together with the plug-in surge bars you may already own.

What You Can Do Yourself, and When to Call an Electrician

Changing bulbs, plugging electronics into a power bar you can switch off, adding weatherstripping and choosing efficient appliances are all yours to do. New circuits, dimmers, sensor and smart switches, pot lights and anything inside the panel are electrical work. In Ontario the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) is notified of that work before it starts, and it inspects the job once it is done. A homeowner may take out the permit and do that work in their own home. For circuits and panels we still recommend a licensed electrical contractor, who takes out the permit and books the inspection for you.

What These Upgrades Do for the House Over Time

Efficient lighting and controls keep lowering what you use for as long as they stay in service, with no effort after the first day. A panel with room to spare, current wiring devices and LED lighting also make the house easier to add to later, whether the next project is a charger, a heat pump or a finished basement. When a permitted job passes inspection, ESA issues a Certificate of Acceptance. Keep it with your house papers, since ESA describes it as an important document for insurance and for resale.

For how these upgrades fit the newer and older houses of one town, see our guide to energy upgrades in Stoney Creek.

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