When choosing between electricians in Victoria there's a lot to consider. Here’s why most customers choose us:

• Professional and on time

• Competitive pricing

• Great communication all the way from scheduling to completion

• We employ skilled electricians with over 20 years combined experience

• We are licensed, bonded, and insured

• Our business is reputable and is in good standing with local authorities

• Our electricians work promptly and respect the value of your time

We want to work for you. Our goal is to provide you with quick, efficient service that will make you want to hire us again. We don’t find time for our customers, we MAKE time.

Updating your home's electrical in Victoria doesn’t just mean increasing your home’s safety, it can also reduce your electricity bill. If you want to invest in smart, energy efficient upgrades we recommend the following:

• Replace old lighting with new LED lighting. Updating your lighting is an easy way to reduce your electricity bill.

• Replace old incandescent christmas lights with LED string lights.

• Replace basic thermostats with smart thermostats. A smart thermostat is programmable and gives you the ability to regulate your home’s temperature on a schedule or remotely. BC Hydro even offers rebates on qualifying thermostats.

• Replace old appliances with new energy efficient models. BC Hydro offers rebates on new energy efficient appliances.

It’s common for expired or non-functioning smoke detectors to go overlooked in Victoria homes. Here are some reasons to replace your home’s smoke detectors in Victoria:

• They are chirping or going off at random

• They don’t go off at all

• They were installed more than 10 years ago

• They are visually discolored and appear old

• When tested, they do not function at all

The current building codes in Victoria require that all homes have hardwired smoke detectors equipped with battery backup. Here are the guidelines for smoke detectors. Smoke detectors should be located in:

• Each bedroom

• Outside sleeping areas

• On every level, include basements

• And be interconnected so that when one is triggered they all go off at once

Purchasing a home in Victoria in today's market is a major accomplishment. When shopping around for houses, you will probably consider factors like the age of a home's roof, or how much life is left in the hot water tank, furnace, or other appliances. In order to make an educated and informed decision about a home's electrical system, you should arm yourself with some information. Here’s our list of electrical items to be aware of:

• The age of the electrical system. Homes built before 1960 were wired with Knob and Tube wiring. You can read more about Knob and Tube here. This type of wiring is unbonded and presents greater fire and shock hazards than modern wiring. Some homes have been completely rewired but the old wiring has been left in place, which can make it confusing to tell what is going on. Other homes may have been partially rewired and might still have active Knob-and-Tube wiring. The best way to determine if the home has dangerous wiring is to have an electrical inspection completed. You can read more here.

• Homes built in the 1970s often have aluminum wiring. Determining if a home has aluminum wiring often requires taking a closer look behind devices such as switches and receptacles as well as the electrical panel. Aluminum wiring presents a greater fire hazard than modern wiring and home insurers will often ask for it to be declared prior to providing coverage. You can read more about aluminum wiring here.

• DIY electrical work. This is one of our customers' main concerns when purchasing a home in Victoria. DIY electrical work is often poorly and cheaply done. Finding DIY electrical work usually signals a general lack of home maintenance and should not be ignored. Make sure your home inspector photographs all wiring that is of concern. Having photographs will enable one of our skilled electricians to provide you with a solution to get it corrected.

This is a common question we get asked. If you are tackling a renovation in Victoria that requires adding new wiring, then all of the new wiring and electrical work will need to meet modern building codes. A good example of this is adding GFCI protection for receptacles near sinks, or running dedicated circuits for new counter plugs to meet electrical code requirements. Our electricians are obligated to outline any unsafe electrical conditions they see while performing electrical work, and we may provide you with some recommendations.

Many homeowners in Greater Victoria question whether or not they should replace their electrical panel. The answer really depends on the reason for replacement. Here are some top reasons why electrical panel should be replaced with newer, safer models:

• The existing electrical panel is unsafe. Older brand panels are often not up to modern electrical code standards and can have very expensive replacement parts

• The electrical panel doesn’t have any more room for new circuits, like hot tubs, level 2 EV chargers, or heat pumps.

• The panel is in the wrong place or isn’t accessible to all people in the home

If you think your electrical panel needs to be replaced, the first place to start is by discussing your options with one of our qualified electricians. We can provide you with some baseline pricing to give you an idea of the cost of replacement or provide you with some formal pricing.

When you hire Valkyrie Electric for electrical work in Greater Victoria, we handle all the permit requirements. We will handle paying for the permit and scheduling inspections. We can also provide all permitting documentation upon request. Valkyrie Electric maintains a positive working relationship with all local municipal and provincial inspectors and coordinates regularly to best serve our customers.

Yes, doing electrical work in Victoria requires an electrical permit. There are very few exceptions for when an electrical permit is not required in Greater Victoria. Depending on where you live, you will need an electrical permit from either Technical Safety BC or The City of Victoria. This applies whether you’re in downtown Victoria, Langford, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, or the outer municipalities. The electrical permit ensures that all electrical work is done up to code and keeps homeowners safe. Here is a list of some common electrical work requiring permits:

• Replacing light fixtures

• Replacing electrical panels

• Adding new wiring for receptacles and lighting

• Installing Level 2 EV chargers

• Rewiring knob and tube or aluminum wiring

• Installing hot tubs or spa’s

• Installing wiring for new appliances like heat pumps, stoves, and microwave hood fans

If you have questions about electrical permits we encourage you to reach out and speak with one of our electricians.

Frequent tripping indicates:

• The circuit is overloaded, there are too many appliances plugged in at once

• Tripping due to broken appliances

• Short circuits in wiring or devices

• Ground faults caused be damaged, or unsafe electrical equipment or wiring

• Old breakers and electrical panels that simply need replacing

Troubleshooting and resolving electrical problems requires some serious know-how and experience. Determining the reason for tripping breakers is only part of the repair process, replacing electrical equipment and resolving

If you are experiencing electrical problems in Victoria or the Westshore, we’ve got you covered. When to call a professional:

• Power outages that come and go

• Flickering lights and intermittent power

• Breakers that frequently trip or won’t reset

• Abnormal sounds like buzzing or humming coming from electrical equipment

• Sparking

• Electrical outlets and switches that no longer work

• Old electrical equipment that doesn’t look safe

• Burning smells coming from switches, outlets, or panels

Even if you are a handy person, we don’t recommend fixing or replacing electrical equipment yourself. Hiring a professional electrician ensures that the installation is safe and up to code. This means your home is kept safe and you are investing in quality work. When you hire Valkyrie Electric, you can expect prompt professional service. Our electricians are knowledgeable and work in a time efficient way to resolve your electrical issues.