Multi-unit panels
for apartments & condos.

Monte Power & Electric handles multi-unit panel upgrades and replacements across San Jose and the South Bay. Apartment buildings, condos, duplexes, and small multi-family properties. Tenant separation, individual metering, common-area panels, and per-unit cutovers scheduled around tenant access. Property management and investor accounts on Net 30/60.

  • 2-12+ unitsScope range
  • 1-3 weeksTypical building schedule
  • Net 30/60PM & investor accounts

What we do

From a duplex rebuild to a 12-unit apartment building.

Multi-unit work is a coordination job as much as an electrical one. The wiring needs to land cleanly across unit boundaries, the meters need to map to the right tenants, the common-area panel needs its own protected feeder, and the schedule needs to fit around when tenants are actually home.

Monte Power & Electric handles the full scope: per-unit panel swaps, tenant-separation rebuilds, individual metering, common-area panels for hallway lighting and elevators, and the PG&E multi-meter coordination that ties it all together. Property managers get a schedule one to two weeks ahead so notice can be served.

  • 2-12+ unitsBuildings handled, residential and mixed-use.
  • 4-6 hrTypical per-unit cutover window.
  • $2MGeneral liability coverage on every job.

By building type

Sized to the building
and the tenant mix.

Multi-unit panel scope changes with the building. Walk us through the unit count, the existing service, and the tenant access pattern, and we'll spec the right approach.

01

Duplex & triplex

Small MFR

Two and three-unit residential. Often paired with a tenant-separation rebuild where the original wiring crossed unit boundaries. EV charger circuits and modern AFCI/GFCI compliance built in.

  • Per-unit 100A or 200A subpanel
  • Tenant separation rebuild
  • Individual or shared metering
  • 1-2 day install per unit
02

Apartment buildings

4-12 units

Per-unit panel replacement and meter-bank rebuilds for older small apartment buildings. Coordinated with property management and PG&E for the multi-meter side. Phased scheduling around tenant access.

  • Per-unit panel swap
  • Meter bank rebuild
  • Common-area panel
  • 1-3 week building schedule
03

Condo associations

HOA-coordinated

Per-unit upgrades for owner-occupied condos with HOA coordination on common-area work. Useful when an HOA needs a building-wide replacement of failing legacy panels driven by insurance or assessment.

  • Per-unit owner panel swap
  • HOA common-area panel
  • Insurance closeout package
  • Phased per-unit scheduling
04

Mixed-use & ground-floor retail

Residential + commercial

Buildings with ground-floor retail or small commercial below residential units. Three-phase commercial service downstairs, single-phase residential upstairs, separate meters and metering banks coordinated.

  • Three-phase commercial below
  • Single-phase residential above
  • Separate meter banks
  • PG&E multi-meter coordination

Why multi-unit panels need work

If any of these are familiar, the building is on the carrier or AHJ radar.

Most multi-unit panel calls start with one of the eight patterns below. Some are insurance-driven. Some are tenant-driven. All of them get worse if they wait.

  • Insurance non-renewal citing Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels
  • Wiring crosses unit boundaries from a 1960s rebuild
  • Tenant complaints about flickering or breakers tripping
  • Common-area panel shared with a tenant unit
  • Meter bank failures or unsafe legacy meters
  • EV charger requests from tenants the panel can't support
  • Heat pump conversion at the unit level
  • Building sale or refinance flagged the panels in inspection

How a multi-unit upgrade goes

Five steps from
walkthrough to closeout.

Same disciplined sequence whether the building is two units or twelve. Tenant access scheduled with notice, common-area work coordinated with PM, and a single closeout package delivered at the end.

  1. 01

    Walkthrough

    Building tour with the property manager or owner. Per-unit panel review, meter bank check, common-area panel review, and tenant-access pattern noted. No charge.

  2. 02

    Quote & schedule

    Itemized quote with line items per unit, common areas, meter bank, and PG&E coordination. Phased schedule proposed so the property manager can serve notice.

  3. 03

    Permit & PG&E

    Electrical permit pulled. PG&E multi-meter coordination scheduled. AHJ inspection sequence agreed.

  4. 04

    Phased install

    Per-unit cutover with controlled four to six hour power-down windows. Common-area work scheduled around tenant access. Site cleaned at end of each day.

  5. 05

    Closeout

    Final AHJ inspection. Single closeout package delivered to the owner or PM with photos, panel directories, and insurance carrier documentation.

Quick answers

Multi-unit
questions.

Six of the most-asked. More on the dedicated contact page or by phone.

  • Can you upgrade a multi-unit building without disrupting tenants?
    Mostly. Common-area work happens with little tenant impact. Unit-level cutovers are scheduled with notice and timed in four to six hour windows per unit. Property managers get the schedule one to two weeks ahead so notice can be served.
  • Do you handle individual metering and tenant separation?
    Yes. Individual unit metering, sub-metering for billing, and tenant-separation rebuilds where the original wiring crossed unit boundaries. PG&E coordination handled through their multi-meter group.
  • Do you do duplex and triplex upgrades?
    Yes. Duplex and triplex properties are a regular scope. Often paired with a panel rebuild to add proper tenant separation, modern AFCI/GFCI compliance, and EV charger circuits where the property allows.
  • Can you handle insurance-driven panel swaps across a building?
    Yes. Some insurance carriers are non-renewing multi-unit buildings with Federal Pacific or Zinsco gear in any unit. We schedule per-unit replacements across the building with minimum tenant disruption and deliver a single closeout package for the carrier.
  • How long does a multi-unit upgrade take?
    A duplex runs one to two days. A small apartment building (4 to 12 units) runs one to three weeks scheduled around tenant access. Larger buildings break into phases.
  • Do you handle the permit?
    Yes. Monte Power & Electric pulls the electrical permit, schedules the AHJ inspection, and delivers the closeout paperwork your insurance carrier or property management company will need.

Related panel work

Ready when you are

Get a quote on the
multi-unit upgrade.

Walk us through the building, the unit count, and the carrier or PM situation. We'll come back with a phased plan and a single closeout schedule.

Get an estimate Call 408-630-0548