Identify the actual service arrangement

Two homes that look similar from the street may have different electrical supply arrangements. Ask a qualified professional to identify whether your unit has an individual supply path or is served through common equipment. A conceptual drawing of several homes connected to one gang meter base explains a possible arrangement; it is not evidence of the configuration at your property. Keep an unconfirmed service type labelled unknown.

Separate unit and building questions

Your unit's panel is only part of the assessment when common equipment is involved. Ask which unit, feeder, common distribution and utility questions the proposed review will address. Who can provide existing drawings or equipment records? Which parts are outside the unit contractor's scope? A change inside one unit does not establish spare capacity in the common supply, and a unit-only report should not be presented as a complete building assessment.

Check the Calgary authorization path

Calgary requirement: the City requires a signed Row Housing Electrification Authorization form with permits for relevant gang-meter rowhouse projects. Its guidance connects the additional load assessment to the common service and condo board or homeowner association. Ask the contractor to identify the applicable form and sign-off before finalizing equipment. Do not carry Calgary's exact form or acceptance process into another Canadian jurisdiction without checking local requirements.

Organize the shared decisions

Bring the board or association a clearly described project: intended equipment, proposed location, who will assess the electrical system and what common access is needed. Ask who authorizes work on shared equipment and who keeps the records. If there is a broader EV or electrification plan, ask how your project fits it. Separate the owner's preference, association permission, professional assessment and authority approval; one does not substitute for the others.

Compare the available paths transparently

Ask for the practical implications of retaining the existing supply, using an accepted management arrangement or changing common infrastructure where feasible. What operating constraints, permissions and future decisions accompany each? Identify dependencies that can change the quote. Your next step is a proposal with the actual shared-service configuration and responsible parties recorded, rather than buying a larger unit panel on the assumption that it creates additional building capacity.

Questions for the shared project team

  • Which equipment and records are common to more than one home?
  • Who assesses the common supply and authorizes work on it?
  • How does this installation affect the building's future plans, and which decisions still need the board, contractor, authority or utility?

Source references

Reviewed September 29, 2026. Local authorities, utilities and equipment requirements control the actual project. Illustrations simplify the system and do not provide installation instructions.