Electric baseboard heaters in Ottawa: repairs, new circuits, thermostats

Repair, swap, new heater or new circuit

A repair finds why a heater or a room went cold. A swap puts a new heater or thermostat on the wiring already in the wall. A new heater on an existing circuit needs a check that the circuit can carry the extra wattage. A new circuit runs from the panel to a room that never had electric heat, such as a finished basement.

Say which one you have, because the last two decide whether wire and a breaker are needed.

What the price is made of

HomeStars’ Ottawa electrician page puts installing or wiring an electric baseboard at $200–$600, with Ottawa electricians at about $100–$160 an hour. A Canada-wide guide says most firms bill a first hour of $100–$200 for travel and the first look, so one cold heater can cost close to that minimum.

• Heaters and thermostats. List every room in the request so the quote covers one visit.
• The circuit. A 240 V run back to the panel is $250–$800 in the same Canada-wide guide, listed for a stove or charger outlet.
• Panel space. Capacity for the added load is its own question; see panel upgrades.
• Parts. Heater length and wattage, a basic or programmable thermostat.

Ontario requires a written agreement for any contract over $50, with an itemized list of products and services. The bill can go at most 10% over an estimate unless you sign a change.

Thermostats and wattage limits

Thermostat models carry a wattage rating, which is why the request should say how many heaters share one thermostat.

Natural Resources Canada’s Heating with Electricity (revised 2003) describes one electronic model used with baseboard heaters that keeps the room within 0.5 °C of the set point and could save around 3% on energy use. Night setback saves about 2% of the heating bill for every 1 °C the thermostat is turned down. Hydro Ottawa’s electric vehicle page lists an Ultra-Low Overnight rate, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., for overnight charging; ask Hydro Ottawa whether a rate plan fits heating.

Older houses and aluminum branch wiring

ESA says homes built from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s may have aluminum wiring, safe with proper connections and devices approved for it. Give the build year in the request. More in aluminum wiring.

A heating breaker that trips when the heat comes on is covered in breakers that keep tripping.

Baseboards, heated floors or a heat pump

NRCan’s 2003 guide calls the initial cost of baseboard heating apparently inexpensive and the annual cost to heat such a home quite high. What people price against it:

• Heated bathroom floor. Electric (bathroom, heating-only) floor heating, $110–$323 per m² in a Canada-wide guide.
• Air source heat pump. $6,000–$12,000 installed, Canada-wide. Save on Energy’s Home Renovation Savings program, open to homes heated with electricity, lists up to $7,500 for a cold climate model, set by unit size; it must be on NRCan’s qualified products list.
• Switch to gas. HomeStars’ Ottawa HVAC guide prices baseboard electric to central gas at $10,000–$16,000.

The electrical share, such as a circuit for the outdoor unit and panel capacity, is what this request covers.

Placement, rentals and condos

NRCan places baseboards preferably under windows along outside walls, in unobstructed space; room heaters have built-in controls against overheating when airflow is restricted.

Tenants: Ontario’s regulation makes heat a vital service from September 1 to June 15, so tell the landlord before anyone books a repair. Condo owners: give the building and floor, and ask the property manager whether the corporation must approve the work.

Who you are dealing with

Ottawa Electric Desk takes your request and hands it to one independent local electrical company. That company calls you back, prices the heaters, thermostats or circuits, and does the work itself.