Updated October 2026
Straight answer
Yes. We send electricians to Cambridge for repairs, panel and meter work, rewiring and new circuits for kitchens, heat pumps and EV chargers. A large share of the work there involves triple-deckers and condo units, where the fix starts with finding out which meter and which panel feed the problem. Phones are answered 24/7, so a dead circuit at night still reaches a person.
Who pays for the hallway light? Sorting meters in a three-unit building
In a triple-decker, each unit usually has its own meter and panel, and a separate house meter is supposed to carry the shared loads: stair lights, the basement, common area smoke alarms, sometimes a boiler. Over a century of owners and tenants, those lines blur. We regularly find a back stair light on a tenant bill or a basement outlet fed from the top unit. Before anyone buys a condo or refinances, it pays to know exactly what sits on each meter.
Tracing it takes patience rather than demolition. We shut units down one at a time, tag every circuit at every panel, and map what the house meter actually carries. Then we propose moves that make sense: shared loads onto the house panel, tenant loads back to their own units, and a clear directory at each panel. Where meter sockets are corroded or crowded on the rear wall, we plan replacement with Eversource so the building is not dark longer than needed.
Triple-deckers, new units and current code in Cambridge
Stacked three-family houses fill much of Cambridge, and the city, along with Somerville next door, wants room for more of them. That puts two kinds of jobs on our calendar here. One is sorting out a hundred years of add-ons inside existing buildings, where every owner changed something different. The other is laying out meters, feeders and unit panels for buildings being converted or added. New work inside an old Cambridge building still has to meet the current state electrical code, the 2023 NEC as amended by Massachusetts, so a fresh unit can sit beside a hallway nobody has rewired in decades.
Unit panels that have run out of room
Many Cambridge units still run on small panels sized for lights, a fridge and a window air conditioner. Add an induction range, a heat pump and a dryer in a renovated flat and the panel has no spaces and no headroom left. Tandem breakers stuffed into every slot and double-tapped terminals are the usual sign. A load calculation tells us whether the unit needs a bigger panel, a bigger feeder from the meter, or just a smarter layout.
Replacing a unit panel in a stacked building is mostly a routing problem. Feeders climb through chases, closets and old chimney paths, and the plaster around them is often original. We plan the route before we open a wall, keep the other two units powered while we work, and leave our openings square and neat for the plasterer. Work that changes a panel or service goes through the city wiring inspector, and we book that visit as part of the job.
Cambridge jobs we take on most often
Triple-Decker & Multi-Family Electrical
Meter banks, house panels and unit feeders in stacked three-unit buildings.
Condo & Apartment Electrical
Unit renovations planned around association rules and shared shutdowns.
Electrical Panel Upgrade
Unit panels that ran out of spaces once kitchens and laundry went electric.
Heat Pump Electrical Wiring
Circuits and disconnects for mini-splits in each flat of the building.
Knob & Tube Wiring Replacement
Original runs that still feed top floor ceilings in older buildings.
Intercom & Doorbell Wiring
Front door buzzers and releases that serve every unit in the house.
Not sure which meter feeds the problem? Call and we will help you narrow it down.
Call (617) 843-6591Questions Cambridge owners and associations ask
Usually, yes. Each unit has its own panel, so we can switch off one flat and leave the others running. Work on the meter bank or the main service is different and needs a planned outage, which we schedule with the owners and Eversource.
Yes. We test and tag every circuit at the house panel and each unit panel, then hand over a written map showing which loads belong to which meter. Associations use it to settle billing questions and plan upgrades.
Most renovation wiring does, including new circuits and panel work. We file the permit on work that needs one and book the city wiring inspection. Small like-for-like device swaps are often a different story, and we tell you which category your job falls in.
Often it can, but the answer comes from a load calculation for each unit and for the building service. Some buildings need larger unit feeders or a service upgrade first. We work that out before anyone buys equipment.
Yes. Phones are answered 24/7. For a dead circuit, a hot outlet or a burning smell, we tell you what to switch off and get an electrician on the way.