60 Amp Services - Is there a problem ?
Issue: Home buyers have been denied or being unable to obtain homeowner’s insurance as a result of 60 amp electrical service.
Background
Many dwellings (1,200 sq. ft. or less) built in Ontario in the 1950s and 1960s were equipped with 60 amp electrical service.
It is becoming a common belief that electrical services less than 100 amps are inadequate, therefore unsafe, and therefore must be upgraded.
The Canadian Electrical Code allows for 60 amp service in a single dwelling where the floor area, excluding basement, is less than 861.20 sq. ft. otherwise, the single dwelling must have a 100 amp service. It is NOT mandatory for older installations to be upgraded to 100 amp service.
The solution to the perceived 60 amp service problem is not necessarily a larger service but rather a larger distribution system.
Conclusion
There is no evidence that properly installed and inspected 60 amp service is a problem. Blanket refusal of some insurers to consider coverage of 60 amp serviced homes is unjustifiable.