On this page 4 sections
A multifamily service upgrade is a building increase, not stacked 200-amp jobs
A multifamily service upgrade is a building job: house load, unit load, the meter bank, and the utility. It is not a stack of residential 200-amp upgrades. The calculation and the utility process come first.
House meters and unit loads
EV charging, HVAC, or in-unit equipment the building cannot carry. The calculation is for the property, not for one unit.
The bank comes with it
A service change often takes the meter bank with it. Replacing sockets without the service question is the other page.
Not a generic commercial increase
A non-residential building service is commercial service upgrade. Failed house gear with the amperage staying is commercial panel replacement.
A multifamily service upgrade is sized by diversity, not the sum of the units
A multifamily service is sized by how a building actually draws, not by adding up every unit at full tilt. Demand factors, the house load, and now EV and heat-pump conversions decide the number — and the meter bank and utility come with it.
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Diversity, not a sum
Code demand factors mean a hundred units do not need a hundred full services. The calculation is what keeps the upgrade honest instead of oversized.
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House load counts
Elevators, corridor and site lighting, laundry, and pumps are their own load on top of the units — easy to forget until the service comes up short.
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The bank and the utility
Additional metering, the meter bank, and the utility’s process move together with the increase. This is a building project, not a unit panel swap.
When a multifamily service upgrade isn’t the right job
The building service is this job. Sockets the utility flagged, or a non-multifamily commercial increase, are not.
The utility flagged the sockets and the service is staying
That is meter banks.
It is not multifamily
That is commercial service upgrade.
Multifamily 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.
Multifamily service upgrade questions
Is this just 200 amps per unit?
No. It is a building job, not a stack of residential 200-amp upgrades. House load, unit load, and the utility are one calculation.
Does the meter bank have to change?
Often. A service increase that leaves a flagged bank in place is how people buy the utility visit twice. The bank is meter banks.
EV charging is coming.
That is one reason the building service may be short. The calculation still comes first. Stall-level charging is a different family when you are ready for it.
Can we upgrade one unit’s panel and leave the building?
An in-unit can is not this job. This job is the building service. In-unit work that does not touch the service is a unit job.
Still not sure it is the right job? Call (279) 972-9272 — available 24 hours.
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.
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.
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You send the problem or the plan, with the address if you have it.
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We reply with what it involves and what has to be seen in person.
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Nothing is scheduled, and nothing is priced, until the equipment has been looked at.
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