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Commercial service upgrade in Sacramento

Increase the building’s service capacity after the load has been shown to need it — not a default to more amps.

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Licensed C-10 · CSLB #1115460

Emergency electrical
On this page 4 sections
  1. After the calculation
  2. Gear & shutdown
  3. When it is a different job
  4. Utility and permits

Commercial service upgrade: increase the building’s service after the load has been shown to need it — not a default to more amps

A commercial service upgrade is the increase after the calculation says the existing service is short. It includes the gear on your side of the meter and, on most jobs, a scheduled disconnect with the utility.

  • The calculation first

    New HVAC, a kitchen, process load, or a tenant that outgrew the service. The increase is after that need is established.

  • The gear is the problem instead

    Obsolete or damaged equipment, load still fine, is commercial panel replacement.

  • The service is fine, the floor is not

    That is a commercial subpanel. A multifamily building service is multifamily service upgrade — not a stack of residential 200-amp jobs.

Commercial service upgrade: you provide the new gear; the utility schedules the shutdown

A commercial service increase is new switchgear plus utility coordination. The switchboard or panelboard, the service-entrance conductors, and often a CT cabinet are yours to install. The utility handles disconnecting and reconnecting the power on its own schedule — and the building usually has to keep running while the work happens.

  • Switchboard, not just a panel

    A larger service often means a switchboard or a CT-metered service, not a bigger panel. The gear, its rating, and the room it needs are the real scope.

  • The utility’s process

    The service application, the metering change, and the scheduled disconnect run on the utility’s timeline. Building the job around that date is half of getting it done.

  • Occupied through the work

    Most upgrades happen on a working building. Temporary power, phasing, and a short planned outage keep the tenant open while the service changes.

When a commercial service upgrade isn’t the right job

A proven capacity increase is this job. Failed gear at the same amperage, or a multifamily building service, are not.

The can failed and the amperage is staying

That is commercial panel replacement.

Apartments or condos as a property

That is multifamily service upgrade.

Commercial service upgrade: utility, permits, and this job

This work often involves the utility or a permit. The address decides which office and which provider — not a generic Sacramento paragraph copied onto every service.

  • SMUD, PG&E, or Roseville Electric may need a disconnect or a meter appointment if the service equipment is involved.

  • We pull the permit for the city or county that actually covers the address.

  • A dimmer, a switch, or a lighting control does not get this chapter — the utility is not in that job.

Commercial service upgrade questions

Is more amps the default?

No. The increase is after the load is shown. If the gear is the problem, that is commercial panel replacement.

Does the utility have to be involved?

Usually. A service increase on your side of the meter still needs a scheduled disconnect on most jobs. We coordinate that.

Can a subpanel skip this?

If the service still has headroom, a commercial subpanel is the distribution job. This job is when the service itself is short.

This is an apartment building.

The building service, house meters, and the utility on one schedule is multifamily service upgrade.

What is considered an electrical service upgrade?

Raising capacity at the service, the meter, or the main distribution so the calculated load fits. We coordinate the utility.

Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.

Part of our Commercial panels, service and distribution family

Serving 19 communities across the Sacramento area

Litel Electric serves businesses throughout all 19 communities in our service area — from Davis and Woodland to Roseville, Folsom, and Elk Grove.

SacramentoWest SacramentoNorth HighlandsCarmichaelArden-ArcadeRancho CordovaCitrus HeightsFair OaksOrangevaleAntelopeRio LindaElvertaRosevilleRocklinElk GroveGold RiverFolsomDavisWoodland All areas

Get estimate

Tell us what is happening, or what you are planning. We read the details, tell you what else we need to know, and explain the next step before anything is scheduled.

  1. 01

    You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.

  2. 02

    We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.

  3. 03

    Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.

License
CSLB #1115460 · C-10 electrical