In short
- Stittsville sits in the former Goulbourn Township, immediately southwest of Kanata and about 20 km west of downtown Ottawa.
- The ward councillor's March 2024 count puts 44% of Stittsville homes as built since 2016.
- The May 2022 derecho interrupted 180,946 Hydro Ottawa customers in one day.
- ESA requires a transfer device and a notification of work for a generator permanently connected to a home's wiring.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Electrician hourly rate | $80–$130 per hour | mid-size cities, Ottawa named |
| First hour of a service call | $100–$200 | Canada-wide; travel and first assessment |
| Breaker replacement | $130–$250 | Canada-wide, per breaker |
| Home generator installation | $3,000–$8,000 | Canada-wide |
| 200 A panel upgrade | $1,500–$4,500 | Canada-wide, permit included |
Sources. HomeStars, Electrician Hourly Rate in Canada: 2026 Guide, seen 29.10.2026. Rules: ESA, Generator Safety, ESA, What you need to know, ESA, Aluminum Wiring, ESA, Knob and Tube Wiring, Hydro Ottawa, Electrical service requests, Tarion, coverage for freehold and condo units, Ontario, Guide for home renovation businesses, all seen 29.10.2026. Storm: Hydro Ottawa, Major event May 21, 2022, Stittsville Central, 13.06.2022, seen 29.10.2026. Area: Wikipedia, Stittsville, Councillor Glen Gower, population growth notebook, 28.03.2024, read 29.10.2026.
Four building waves, four sets of wiring questions
Wikipedia dates the village to 1854, around Carp Road and Hazeldean Road, now called Old Stittsville; after the 1870 Carleton County Fire, villagers rebuilt around the new railway. Councillor Glen Gower’s 2024 history, drawn from GeoOttawa aerial photos, traces the rest. Before the 1980s, building ran mostly along Stittsville Main Street south of Abbott Street, and Fringewood North and South were well underway. By 1991 came Crossing Bridge, Wyldewood and Amberwood; to 2002, Bryanston Gate, Forest Creek and Granite Ridge; to 2011, Timbermere and Jackson Trails. The 2011 to 2021 decade added Fairwinds-Poole Creek, Potter’s Key and the rest of Hartsmere, and the councillor expects more building in the Fernbank area.
Put the neighbourhood or build decade at the top of your request. It changes the parts and the paperwork.
Old Stittsville and the 1970s streets
ESA dates knob-and-tube to the early 1900s through the 1940s and aluminum branch wiring to homes built from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s. Houses in the village core can fall in the first window and the Fringewood streets in the second, though each house is assessed on its own.
Both matter for insurance. ESA reports that many insurers will not provide or renew coverage on a house with knob-and-tube, and that some will not cover an aluminum-wired home without an ESA inspection. After repairs, your insurer may ask for the ESA Certificate of Acceptance. Our aluminum wiring page has more on that assessment. If an insurer has written to you, quote its requirement in the request.
Fernbank, Fairwinds and the two-year window
The councillor counts 44% of Stittsville homes as built since 2016. Tarion’s warranty covers defects in work or materials in the electrical delivery and distribution systems for two years from possession, and the cover stays with the house if it is sold. For a failing circuit in a house inside that window, the claim goes to the builder first. If an electrician comes anyway, ask for a written note of down what it found for the claim.
After May 2022: the backup power request
Hydro Ottawa’s report on the May 21, 2022 derecho counts 180,946 customers interrupted that day and 11,528 more in the days after, together 54% of its customers; 90% had power back by May 28. Stittsville Central described Main Street closed for three days, lines across it between Liard and Carleton-Cathcart, and generators in demand.
If that outage is why you are writing, the job is a proper generator connection. ESA’s rule: a standby generator permanently connected to your wiring needs a transfer device so its power cannot flow back into the utility lines, plus a notification of work. HomeStars puts a home generator installation at $3,000–$8,000 across Canada; the hookup for a generator you already own is priced after a look at the panel. List what must keep running (furnace, sump pump, fridge, some lights) and the generator’s wattage. See generator hookup.
When the storm reaches the mast
On an overhead service, Hydro Ottawa owns the wires from the pole to your wall. You own the mast, the wires inside it, the meter base and the wires to the panel. When your part is damaged, an LEC takes out an ESA permit, repairs it and passes the inspection; then Hydro Ottawa reconnects, with you home and the main breaker off. Call (613) 738-6418 first so Hydro Ottawa confirms which equipment is yours. Many home insurance policies cover mast repairs, so keep receipts. More on the service mast and meter base.
What a Stittsville job costs and what the quote shows
HomeStars gives $80–$130 per hour for mid-size cities including Ottawa, with the first hour at $100–$200 for travel and assessment. After-hours rates run 1.5 to 2 times standard, and some firms bill a two-to-four-hour emergency minimum. Grouping small jobs into one visit means one call charge.
Ontario requires a written agreement for any contract over $50, and a bill can exceed an included estimate by no more than 10% without a signed change. A contract signed at your home carries a 10-day cooling-off period. Ask for the ESA fee as its own line.
Who you are dealing with
Ottawa Electric Desk is a request service. We hand your Stittsville request to one independent local electrical contracting company; that company phones you, quotes and does the work.
Questions to ask the company
- For a generator, will you fit a transfer device, file the ESA notification and show the fee in the quote?
- Can my panel take the transfer device as it stands, or does it need work first?
- For a 1970s house, have you worked with aluminum branch wiring?
- If the storm bent my mast, will you take out the ESA permit and arrange the inspection?
- Will the written quote show parts, labour, the ESA fee and HST on separate lines?
Have this ready for the call
- Street and nearest main road: Stittsville Main, Hazeldean, Carp, Abbott, Huntmar or Fernbank
- Neighbourhood or build decade
- Possession date, if the house is under two years old
- A photo of the open panel and the main breaker label
- For backup power: the generator's wattage label, or what it must run
Questions people ask
Which Stittsville houses could have aluminum wiring?
ESA says homes built from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s may have it, and the councillor’s history has Fringewood North and South well underway before the 1980s. The Code permits aluminum wiring when it is properly connected, and ESA assesses each home on its own.
Could an Old Stittsville house have knob-and-tube?
ESA dates knob-and-tube to the early 1900s through the 1940s. A house in the old village from that era falls inside the window; an assessment by a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC) tells you what is in the walls.
My Fernbank house is a year old and a circuit keeps failing. Who pays?
Tarion’s warranty covers defects in work or materials in a new home’s electrical systems for two years from possession. Inside that window, the claim goes to the builder through Tarion’s process.
Can a portable generator feed the house during an outage?
Only through a proper connection. ESA requires a transfer device and a filed notification of work for any generator permanently connected to the wiring, and strongly recommends an LEC for the hookup. It also warns against running a generator inside the house or garage.
Does a panel upgrade involve Hydro Ottawa?
A service upgrade does. Hydro Ottawa wants its Service Request form three to four weeks ahead, replies within 10 business days and emails a customer layout with the work and estimated costs.
