What is the cost of a kitchen electrical panel upgrade in NB?

A kitchen-driven electrical panel upgrade in New Brunswick costs $1,500 to $4,000, depending on whether you are going from 60 amps to 100 amps or from 100 amps to 200 amps. Many older NB homes — particularly those built in the 1960s through the 1980s — still have 60-amp panels that simply cannot support a modern kitchen with today's appliances and code requirements.

A 60-amp to 100-amp upgrade runs $1,500 to $2,500 and is the minimum needed if you are adding a modern kitchen with a dishwasher, range, microwave, refrigerator, and multiple countertop circuits. This scope includes a new 100-amp panel, new main breaker, transferring existing circuits, and adding capacity for new kitchen circuits. A 100-amp to 200-amp upgrade costs $2,500 to $4,000 and is the better long-term investment, especially if you are also considering electric vehicle charging, heat pumps, or a hot tub down the road. Most electricians in Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John recommend going straight to 200 amps during a major kitchen renovation since the incremental cost is only $500 to $1,000 more than a 100-amp panel.

The NB Building Code requires specific dedicated circuits for a modern kitchen: two 20-amp small appliance circuits for countertop outlets, plus dedicated circuits for the refrigerator, dishwasher, range or oven, microwave, and garburator if you are installing one. That is a minimum of six to seven circuits just for the kitchen. A 60-amp panel typically has only 12 to 16 circuit spaces total for the entire house, which means there is physically no room to add the required kitchen circuits without upgrading.

What the Upgrade Involves

The work typically takes one full day and involves shutting off power to the house for 4 to 8 hours. Your electrician will remove the old panel, install the new panel in the same location (or relocate it if the current spot is not code-compliant), reconnect all existing circuits, and add new breakers for the kitchen renovation. If your home still has an outdoor meter base with a separate indoor panel, the meter base may also need upgrading to handle the higher amperage — NB Power will need to disconnect and reconnect service, which your electrician coordinates as part of the job.

For homes with knob-and-tube wiring (common in pre-1950 NB homes), a panel upgrade alone is not sufficient. The knob-and-tube circuits cannot be connected to modern breakers without rewiring, so you are looking at additional rewiring costs of $3,000 to $8,000 for the kitchen area, depending on accessibility.

Permits are mandatory for panel upgrades in New Brunswick. Your electrician pulls the electrical permit through your local municipality or Regional Service Commission, and the work must pass inspection before the panel is energized at full capacity. Permit fees run $75 to $200 depending on the municipality. Never hire an electrician who suggests skipping the permit — it is a code violation, an insurance risk, and could complicate a future home sale.

The panel upgrade should be scheduled early in your renovation timeline — ideally as the first electrical task. All subsequent kitchen electrical work depends on having adequate panel capacity. If you are planning a kitchen renovation in NB and your home has a 60-amp panel, budget for this upgrade from the start. It is not optional — it is a prerequisite for a safe, code-compliant modern kitchen.

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Looking for experienced contractors? The New Brunswick Construction Network connects homeowners with qualified professionals:

• Thirty Four Renovations
• Gionetterenovations