RBQ licence: 5815-0137-01
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Service entrance · Master electricians
A leaning mast, a meter base eaten away by rust, a 100 amp service too small for an EV charger or a heat pump: STM-Électrique’s master electricians redo your service entrance, from the mast to the panel, and handle every step with Hydro-Québec.
In short
STM-Électrique is a firm of master electricians based in Mirabel, holder of RBQ licence 5815-0137-01. It replaces and upgrades the service entrances of houses and small buildings: mast, service attachment bracket, meter base and service cable, with an upgrade to 200, 320 or 400 amps according to the load calculation. The job includes every step with Hydro-Québec, the municipal permit when one is needed, the declaration of work to Hydro-Québec on its official form and, very often, the panel in the same job. Allow about two weeks before the work, as a rule. The quote is written and free: 438 542-7304 or the form at the bottom of the page.
A service entrance project? Three contact details and a few questions are enough.
Get a quoteThe service entrance is not the panel: it’s everything from Hydro-Québec’s wire to your service box. We work on it for four reasons, most often the same ones.
The most common case
A 60 or 100 amp service quickly limits serious projects: an EV charger, a heat pump, a spa. The upgrade to 200 amps is very often done with the panel, in the same job, with a single disconnection and a single permit.
Large house, two chargers, central heat pump
Beyond 200 amps, we redo a complete service connection, and the next step is usually 320 amps, the largest service metered directly by the meter base. The load calculation determines the capacity requested, and Hydro-Québec becomes part of the schedule.
Sign number one, visible from the sidewalk
The mast constantly takes the pull of the cables, and freezing rain makes it heavier. When it leans, most often its anchoring or the wall behind it has given way: we replace it and redo the anchoring, otherwise the problem comes back the following winter.
More serious than it looks
Rust on the meter base means water is getting in. The meter base belongs to you, even though Hydro-Québec’s meter sits in it: repairing it is your master electrician’s job. After a storm, we rebuild the installation that was torn off.
Service entrance or panel
The service entrance is outside, the panel is inside. The service entrance brings power from Hydro-Québec’s wire to your service box: the attachment bracket, the mast, the meter base that holds the meter and the cable that comes down. The panel takes over from there: it’s the breaker box that distributes power through the house.
Redoing them together, or not. The two are very often redone at the same time, and it costs less that way. If the service entrance is sound and only the panel lacks capacity, we don’t touch the service entrance. For the panel itself, see our page on electrical panel replacement.
Who owns what
The line is called the connection point. On an overhead service, it’s at the service attachment bracket, the part fixed to the top of the mast where the wires from the pole arrive. Underground, it’s in the meter base or in a junction box. Everything before it belongs to Hydro-Québec. Almost everything fixed to your house belongs to you: the mast, the bracket, the meter base and the cable to the panel. The meter is the only visible exception.
It’s written in Standard E.21 and in Hydro-Québec’s Conditions of Service, which govern low-voltage connections, and it’s why a damaged mast is repaired at your expense, by your master electrician. The details, part by part, are in our guide mast, meter base, meter: who pays for what in Québec.
Price
At STM-Électrique, the price of redoing the service entrance and a 200 amp panel together on a single-family home is in the written quote, free of charge. The distance between the meter and the panel, an underground rather than overhead service, the condition of the wall and the number of circuits make the price vary. A 320 amp service is well above that, because it’s a different job. The exact price is written in the quote, after the visit.
For a house, almost no grant pays for a service entrance or an electrical panel. The only exception: RénoRégion (in French), for low-income owner-occupants in a municipality of under 15,000 people, when the house has a major defect, electrical included. The details are in our guide grants to replace a panel: the real answer. And a bigger service doesn’t raise your electricity bill: capacity consumes nothing.
How your installation goes
Before the day of the work: visit, load calculation and written quote, then Hydro-Québec’s authorizations and the municipal permit if needed. Allow about two weeks, as a rule, and we confirm the date as soon as it’s set.
We disconnect the power at the connection point with Hydro-Québec’s grid, to work safely.
We take down the existing installation, from Hydro-Québec’s connection point to the electrical panel: mast, meter base, wiring and panel, depending on what needs replacing.
We install equipment suited to the amperage requested, for example a 200 A service: mast, meter base, wiring and panel. The grounding is checked and adapted if needed.
We connect your existing circuits to the new electrical panel, with the right breakers.
Once the installation is ready, we reconnect at the connection point with Hydro-Québec’s grid, and the power comes back.
We check that the installation works, test the connected circuits and label the panel so you can easily find your breakers.
We send Hydro-Québec the documents and forms required to complete the file for the work. You receive the details of the work, useful for your insurer and when you sell.
Expect 6 to 8 hours without electricity, as a rule, from the start of the work until power is restored. The time can vary with the installation and the coordination with Hydro-Québec.
Where we work
Our offices are in Mirabel. We redo service entrances everywhere STM-Électrique already works: each city below has its own page, most of them in French.
At a cottage or in a house disconnected for a long time, one detail matters: if more than twelve months have passed since the disconnection, the installation must be brought up to the current standard before Hydro-Québec reconnects it.
Our guides
What a service entrance includes, overhead or underground, and why it’s often redone with the panel.
From a leaning mast to a rusted meter base: what you can see from the sidewalk and what you can’t.
When the service entrance is redone, the panel often follows: what we check and how it goes.
Ground electrode, plastic water inlet, two-prong outlets: what the Code requires, and when to have your grounding checked.
Large house, two electric vehicles, workshop, heated pool: the cases that justify going beyond 200 amps, and those where it’s pointless.
Where Hydro-Québec’s maintenance ends and what belongs to you on your service entrance, part by part.
Related services: electrical panel replacement, generators and all our services.
Frequently asked questions
It’s everything from Hydro-Québec’s wire to your panel: the bracket where the wires from the pole arrive, the mast that holds it, the meter base that holds the meter and the cable that comes down to the service box. The panel then distributes power through the house.
At STM-Électrique, the price of redoing the service entrance and a 200 amp panel together on a single-family home is in the written quote, free of charge. The distance between the meter and the panel, an underground service or the condition of the wall change the price. A 320 amp service costs well more. The exact price is written in the quote, after the visit.
We do. We get the authorizations, coordinate the disconnection and the reconnection, and you have no calls to make. Allow about two weeks, as a rule, between the accepted quote and the day of the work.
The mast and the bracket belong to you: a master electrician replaces them, at your expense. The next question is your home insurance: sudden damage is often not treated like wear and tear, but check your policy. Never touch Hydro-Québec’s wires: if a wire is torn down or touching the ground, stay at least 10 metres away and call 911.
Not always, but often. On an older house, the service entrance and the panel frequently reach the end of their life together, and doing everything in the same visit costs less than two jobs: a single disconnection, a single permit. The visit decides.
No. Capacity consumes nothing: going from 100 to 200 amps lets you add appliances without overloading, but it’s what you plug in that makes the bill, not the size of the service.
The cost and the look, not the capacity. An underground service removes the mast and the wires from the front of the house, but it needs a trench and heavier work. The details are on our page underground electrical service. We present both options in the quote when your property allows it.
A branch on the cable, a torn-off mast or hanging wires? Stay away and see our 24/7 emergency service page, or call 438 542-7304 directly.
Service entrance
A visit, a load calculation, Hydro-Québec and the permit handled, and a written price before the work.
Your contact details and three or four quick questions. Not sure of an answer? Leave “Not sure” and we’ll check on site.