New 200 amp service and a second meter for a nanny suite in Cimarron, Okotoks
2026 · Residential · Service upgrade · Secondary suite · Cimarron, Okotoks
Koop Electrical installed a new 200 amp electrical service for a home in Cimarron, Okotoks, in July 2026, with a two-gang meter base so the main house and the new nanny suite above the detached garage are metered separately: two dwellings, two power bills, one property. The new service cost $5,000; wiring the suite and the garage was $12,000. The utility work was coordinated with FortisAlberta, and the suite and garage were built by Alta Homes.
At a glance
Client: A homeowner in Cimarron, Okotoks, with builder Alta Homes
Job type: New 200 amp service with a two-gang meter base; full electrical for a nanny suite and a detached garage
Date: July 2026
Scope: Service application and coordination with FortisAlberta; two-gang meter base on the house with an underground feed in conduit; 100 amp main panel for the house and a 100 amp panel for the suite; suite wiring (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living area, interconnected smoke and CO alarms, furnace interlock); garage wiring (lights, receptacles, door opener, EV plug); Town of Okotoks permits and inspections
Cost: $5,000 for the new service; $12,000 for the suite and garage wiring
Utility: FortisAlberta
Why two meters
Most Calgary-area suites share the house meter, and the owner guesses at the tenant's share of the bill. A suite on its own meter ends the guessing: the tenant opens their own account and pays for what they use, the owner pays for the house, and the arrangement is clean for the rental agreement and for resale. The catch is that a second meter needs a meter base with two sockets and the utility's sign-off, so it is far easier to do when the service is being built or replaced than to add later.
What we did
Applied to FortisAlberta for the new service and coordinated the connection.
Installed a two-gang meter base on the side of the house, fed underground in conduit from the utility's transformer.
Installed a 200 amp main panel for the house and a second panel for the suite, each on its own meter.
Wired the nanny suite from rough-in to finish: kitchen circuits, bathroom, bedroom and living area, interconnected smoke and CO alarms across both dwellings, furnace interlock, and the receptacle protection the code now requires.
Wired the detached garage: lighting, receptacles, door opener, a plug for a future EV charger.
Pulled the Town of Okotoks electrical permits and passed the inspections.
The result
A property that works as two homes: separate power, separate bills, and the capacity to add an EV charger or a hot tub later without touching the service again.
Secondary suites in Calgary and Okotoks
Koop Electrical brings suite electrical up to current code and handles the permit and inspections, in Calgary and in Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane and Okotoks. If the suite needs its own service or its own meter, we deal with ENMAX or FortisAlberta for you. Estimates are free: call 403-702-6053 or use the contact form.
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