At a glance
- 01
We file with ESA
Every job that needs a notification is filed under our contractor licence, and you get the Certificate of Acceptance when it passes.
- 02
Tidy in lived-in homes
Drop sheets down, dust kept in the room we are working in, and the vacuum comes out before we leave.
- 03
Jason and Wendy run it
A family business for more than a decade, so the people who quote your job are the people responsible for it.
- 04
Clear from quote to cleanup
A written quote that says what is included, and a call if anything we find behind the wall changes it.
Most of our week is spent in people’s homes. As a residential electrician in Kitchener, we wire basements and kitchens, replace tired panels, chase down old wiring in century homes and add the circuits that newer equipment needs. Einwechter Electric is owned and run by Jason and Wendy Einwechter, and it has been for more than a decade. We also train apprentices on real jobs, alongside a licensed electrician, which is how good habits get passed down.
Below is everything we do in houses, condos and townhouses, with links to the pages that go deeper.
Condo property maintenance
Condominium corporations and their property managers call us for the shared parts of a building: corridor and stairwell lighting, parking garage fixtures, exit signs, exterior lights and the electrical rooms. We also do in-suite work for owners, with the building’s rules on noise, elevator bookings and access respected. Managers get one contact and a written record of what was done.
New homes
On a custom build or an infill house, we work from the plans with the builder or owner, rough in the wiring before insulation and drywall, then come back to trim out devices and fixtures. ESA inspects at rough-in and again at the end, so we plan the schedule around both visits rather than leaving the trades waiting.
Renovations and upgrades
A kitchen redo, a finished basement or an addition almost always means new circuits, relocated outlets, and lighting that suits how you use the room. Kitchens in particular need several dedicated counter circuits under the code. We walk the space with you before any walls open so the electrical plan is settled early.
Updating old wiring
Many older homes in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge still have sections of knob and tube, ungrounded two-wire circuits, or aluminum branch wiring from the late 1960s and 1970s. Our knob and tube rewiring page explains how we replace it room by room with as little wall damage as possible.
Generator installations
A standby generator starts on its own when the grid goes down. A portable one needs approved transfer equipment so it can never feed power back onto the utility lines. We size and wire both; see generator installation.
EV chargers
A Level 2 charger in the garage or driveway is one of the most common calls we get. We check your panel’s capacity first and, where it is tight, use a load management device rather than forcing a service upgrade. More on our EV charger installation page.
Panel upgrades
Plenty of houses in the region still run on 100 A service or an old fuse panel. Moving to 200 A means coordinating a disconnect and reconnect with Enova Power or GrandBridge Energy, depending on where you live. Read how panel upgrades work, or compare the options in 100 amp vs 200 amp service.
Hot tub wiring
A spa needs its own GFCI-protected circuit, a disconnect in the right spot and, usually, a buried cable run across the yard. Our hot tub wiring page covers the distances.
Smart home systems
Smart switches, dimmers, video doorbells, thermostats that need a common wire, and whole-home control hubs all start with sound wiring and boxes deep enough to hold them. We install the devices, make sure neutrals are where they need to be, and leave you with something that works from the wall as well as the app.
Pot lights
Slim LED pot lights change a room more than almost anything else for the money. We lay them out on a grid, fish wire through existing ceilings and patch small. See pot light installation.
Homes we work in
- Single-family homes: from 1900s brick in downtown Kitchener to 1990s subdivisions in Waterloo and Cambridge.
- Condos: in-suite work for owners, and common-area maintenance for boards and property managers.
- Townhouses: freehold and condominium, where shared walls and fire separations need care.
- Apartment complexes: lighting, suite repairs, laundry rooms and service equipment for landlords and owners.
How a job at your house runs
- Site visit: we look at the panel, the route the wiring will take and anything unusual, then ask what you want the finished space to do.
- Written quote: a clear scope and price, usually sent within one business day of the visit.
- ESA notification: we file it under our licence before work starts. If a contractor ever asks you to take out a permit in your own name, treat it as a warning sign.
- The work: done by our electricians and apprentices, with floors covered and power outages kept short and announced.
- Inspection: an ESA inspector reviews the work, before walls close where that is required, and you receive the Certificate of Acceptance.
- Cleanup: debris out, devices labelled, the panel directory updated, and a walk-through so you know what changed.
We serve Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Wilmot, Woolwich and North Dumfries. Tell us about the house and the project and request a free quote, or call 519-591-1442 Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.
Questions people ask
Do I need an ESA permit for electrical work in my house?
Most electrical work in Ontario needs a notification filed with the Electrical Safety Authority, and an inspection. When you hire a licensed electrical contractor, the contractor files it. Homeowners may do their own work in a house they own and live in, but they then take out the notification themselves.
What does a residential electrician charge per hour in Kitchener?
Published Ontario rates for a licensed electrician are $95 to $150 an hour. Most of our residential work is quoted as a fixed price after a site visit, so you know the total before we start. The electrician cost guide breaks down what affects it.
Can you work in an occupied condo unit?
Yes. We book around the corporation’s rules for working hours, elevator use and parking, keep the work area covered, and coordinate with the property manager if the job touches anything outside the suite, such as a shared electrical room.
Will there be holes in my walls?
Some openings are usually needed to run new wire, but we plan routes through basements, attics and closets to keep them few and small. We cut cleanly so drywall repair is straightforward, and we say up front where openings will be.
How do I know an electrician is licensed in Ontario?
Electrical contractors in Ontario hold a licence from the Electrical Safety Authority, and ESA’s website has a search tool to check a business by name. Einwechter Electric is a licensed electrical contractor.