Published Ontario prices for replacing knob and tube wiring or rewiring a whole house run $8,000 to $50,000, and most fall at $9,500 to $25,000 before HST. A Kitchener-Waterloo contractor’s rule of thumb is $4,000 to $8,000 per 1,000 square feet.
Aluminum wiring, common in houses built in the late 1960s and 1970s, usually doesn’t need replacing: pigtailing each connection with approved connectors costs $2,300 to $4,800 for a typical house.
Whole-house rewiring
Most of the cost is labour and wall repair. Electricians run new cable through attics, basements and closets and open as little plaster as they can, but older plaster-and-lath houses in central Kitchener and Galt are slower to fish than drywall. Expect the house to be lived in during the work, a room or two at a time.
Published rewiring prices
CAD · before HST · published prices
- Full home rewire (Kitchener-Waterloo)From a Kitchener-Waterloo electrical contractor’s 2026 knob and tube guide
- $8,000 to $20,000 or more
- Full knob and tube replacement, ESA includedFrom a North York electrical contractor’s knob and tube replacement page
- $9,000 to $15,000
- Full home rewiringFrom an Etobicoke electrical contractor’s 2026 electrician pricing guide
- $10,000 to $30,000 or more
- Full residential rewire (Toronto)From a Toronto electrical contractor’s 2026 knob and tube and aluminum wiring cost post
- $20,000 to $50,000
Partial and phased work
Insurers often ask for the active knob and tube to be removed rather than a complete rewire. Removing the remaining circuits one at a time, or the highest-risk areas first, spreads the cost.
Published partial-replacement prices
CAD · before HST · published prices
- Targeted knob and tube circuit removal, per circuitFrom a Kitchener-Waterloo electrical contractor’s 2026 knob and tube guide
- $400 to $800
- Rule of thumb per 1,000 sq ftFrom a Kitchener-Waterloo electrical contractor’s 2026 knob and tube guide
- $4,000 to $8,000
- Partial replacementFrom an Etobicoke electrical contractor’s 2026 electrician pricing guide
- $3,000 to $8,000
- Selective remediation, highest-risk areas onlyFrom a Toronto electrical contractor’s 2026 knob and tube and aluminum wiring cost post
- $5,000 to $15,000
Aluminum wiring
The risk with aluminum branch wiring is at the connections, where it expands and contracts and can loosen. Pigtailing joins a short copper lead to each aluminum wire with a connector rated for it, so outlets and switches connect to copper.
Published aluminum wiring prices
CAD · before HST · published prices
- Pigtailing, typical 3-bedroom homeFrom an Oshawa electrical contractor’s 2026 aluminum wiring page
- $2,000 to $4,500
- Pigtailing with approved connectors, 3-bedroom homeFrom a Brampton electrical contractor’s 2026 aluminum wiring guide
- $800 to $2,500
- Pigtailing throughout a typical homeFrom a Toronto electrical contractor’s 2026 knob and tube and aluminum wiring cost post
- $3,000 to $8,000
- Whole-home pigtailing (about 50 connection points)From an Ottawa electrical contractor’s 2026 aluminum wiring cost guide
- $2,500 to $5,000
- Copper pigtailing, per connection pointFrom an Ottawa electrical contractor’s 2026 aluminum wiring cost guide
- $50 to $100
- Aluminum wiring inspection and assessmentFrom an Ottawa electrical contractor’s 2026 aluminum wiring cost guide
- $100 to $250
- Full home rewiring insteadFrom a Brampton electrical contractor’s 2026 aluminum wiring guide
- $8,000 to $20,000
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to replace knob and tube wiring?
Published 2026 Ontario prices for a full replacement or rewire run $8,000 to $50,000, with most at $9,500 to $25,000 before HST. Removing individual circuits is $400 to $800 each.
Will my insurance cover a house with knob and tube?
Many insurers won’t write a new policy, or charge more, until active knob and tube is removed. Ask yours what it needs: often it is a letter from a licensed contractor and the ESA certificate after the work.
Does aluminum wiring have to be replaced?
Usually not. Pigtailing every connection with approved connectors is the common fix, at $2,300 to $4,800 for a typical house in published prices.
Can we live in the house during a rewire?
Usually, yes. The work goes room by room, with power off only to the circuits being changed.
Where these prices come from
These figures are from Ontario electrical contractors’ own published price guides, including three from Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo, checked October 25, 2026. We describe each source rather than name it. They’re ranges, not quotes, and before HST. ESA fees come from ESA’s own 2026 fee guide.