Portland commercial electrical services
Electrical services for offices, retail, restaurants, and light industrial space across Portland — new construction, tenant improvements, and service upgrades, planned from the drawings and closed out with the paperwork your building needs.
What's included in a Portland commercial project
We take on the whole electrical scope, so power, lighting, data, and EV charging are planned together and installed by one crew on one schedule. That means fewer handoffs between trades and one contact for every electrical question on the job.
New construction & tenant improvements
Ground-up buildings, build-outs of empty shells, and remodels of occupied space. See all of our commercial services. We price from the drawings, coordinate with the other trades, and carry the project through final inspection.
Service upgrades & distribution
Load calculations, new or larger services, panels, switchgear, and three-phase distribution, sized for the equipment going in rather than the equipment that was there before.
Lighting & controls
Interior and exterior commercial lighting, occupancy and daylight controls, and the commissioning energy code calls for, so the system performs as designed on day one.
Data, low voltage & EV charging
Structured cabling and low-voltage systems, and commercial EV chargers, installed alongside the power so pathways, panels, and load are planned once instead of three times.
The full scope we take on in Portland:
- Commercial New Construction
- Tenant Improvements
- Commercial Service Upgrades
- Design-Build Electrical
- Plan & Spec Bidding
- Panel & Switchgear Installation
- Three-Phase Power Distribution
- Equipment & Machine Hookups
- Commercial Lighting & Controls
- Data & Low Voltage Systems
- Commercial EV Charging
- Permit & Inspection Coordination
Why choose Multiphase Electric
- One sub across the whole scope. Power, lighting and controls, data and low voltage, EV charging. One contract, one schedule, and nobody arguing about whose conduit that was supposed to be.
- Your date is the date. A TI that misses its date is rent on a space nobody can open yet, and a rough-in that misses its date pushes every trade behind it. We bid a date we can hold, and then we hold it.
- We work when you're closed. Shutdowns, changeovers, and anything that drops power get scheduled for nights or weekends where the work allows it, so the business does not lose a day to our crew.
Licenses and certifications
- Oregon CCB — Electrical contractor
- Energy Trust of Oregon — Certified trade ally
- Generac — Certified installer
How a project runs
Every Portland project follows the same steps, from the first site walk to the closeout package. Most of the schedule is set in the first three, which is why we start them early.
-
Site walk and drawing review
We walk the space and review the drawings before pricing anything. Long lead equipment, a service that can't carry the new load, or a pathway that doesn't exist yet gets flagged now, while it's still inexpensive to solve.
-
Written scope and price
You get a written scope with a price and a timeline. On plan and spec we bid the drawings as issued and price the alternates; on design-build we develop the electrical design with you before anything is ordered.
-
Permits and utility coordination
We pull the electrical permits for our scope and, when the service is changing, run the load calculation and open the request with PGE or Pacific Power early, since the utility's timeline usually sets the date.
-
Coordination and rough-in
We join the coordination meetings, sequence around the other trades, and take our slot when it comes. In occupied buildings, shutdowns and changeovers are planned with the tenant for nights or weekends whenever possible.
-
Trim, inspection, and commissioning
Devices, fixtures, gear, and lighting controls are finished and commissioned, and we schedule the inspections and meet the inspector on site.
-
Closeout
You receive updated panel schedules, as-built drawings, the inspection record, and warranty information: the documents the next tenant improvement will be built from.
What commercial electrical projects cost in Portland
Every commercial job is priced from the drawings and a site walk, so these are typical ranges for the Portland metro, not a quote. What moves the number most is the size of the space, whether the existing service can carry the new load, and how much has to happen outside business hours.
| Scope | Typical range | Timeline | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant improvement electrical | $8 – $18 / sq ft | 2–6 weeks | Power, lighting, and devices for the new layout, panel changes, permits, and inspections. |
| Service upgrade or three-phase service | $6,000 – $30,000 | 1–3 days on site, plus utility scheduling | Load calculation, new panel or switchgear, meter base, and coordination with the utility and the plan reviewer. |
| LED lighting retrofit | $150 – $450 per fixture | 1–5 days | New fixtures, lighting controls where required, and help with available utility rebates. |
| Level 2 EV charging | $7,000 – $15,000 per port | 1–3 days once equipment arrives | Dedicated circuits, charger mounting, load management where needed, and the permit. |
What our clients say
“I was referred to Multiphase Electric. We now use them from small changes, to our biggest projects. Clear communication, punctual, and guaranteed results. Highly recommend.”
“Really happy with these guys. We did a complete rewiring of the whole house and New panel. Leti is awesome running the office. Very responsive. Vitaliy, John and all the other Electricians were fantastic. They are pros! Highly recommend this company.”
“I have been a customer of Multiphase since 2007, I wouldn't think to go anywhere else they go above and beyond and nothing but Quality work, you definitely can go to bed knowing you were in safe hands, Dave and the whole team has been better than Good to me”
Portland and Multnomah County
We serve Portland and Multnomah County, along with the rest of the Portland metro, from Hillsboro and Beaverton to Gresham and Oregon City. The same crew and the same process apply wherever the project is.
Nearby in Multnomah County: Gresham, Corbett, Fairview and Troutdale.
Portland commercial electrical services FAQs
Do you take commercial electrical projects in Portland?
Yes. We handle new construction, tenant improvements, remodels, and service upgrades for commercial buildings across Portland and the rest of the metro.
How early should we bring an electrician into a project?
As early as you can, ideally while the drawings are still being finalized. Service size, equipment lead times, and utility coordination are easier and less expensive to solve before the schedule is set.
Do you bid design-build, or plan and spec?
Both. On plan and spec we bid the drawings as issued and price the alternates. On design-build we develop the electrical design with you, so the decisions that drive the price get made before the drawings are frozen.
Do you contract with general contractors or directly with owners?
Both. We're the electrical subcontractor for general contractors, and we contract directly with owners, tenants, and property managers.
How long does a tenant improvement take?
Most tenant improvements take two to six weeks on the electrical side, depending on the size of the space and how much is changing. Equipment lead times and inspection scheduling can add to that, so we give you a timeline with the estimate.
Can you schedule around business hours so we stay open?
Yes. Anything that drops power to an occupied building is scheduled outside your hours whenever possible, and we tell you up front when it can't be.
Do you handle three-phase power and switchgear?
Yes: distribution panels, switchgear, transformers, three-phase feeders, and equipment hookups, along with the load calculations and the one-line diagram plan review asks for.
Our new equipment needs more power than the building has. What now?
That's a service upgrade, and it's worth starting early, since the utility's schedule usually sets the date. We run the load calculation, design the service, and coordinate with PGE or Pacific Power and the plan reviewer so the equipment and the power arrive in the right order.
Who pulls the permits on a commercial job?
We do, for our scope, and we schedule the inspections. At the end you get the closeout documentation: panel schedules, as-builts, and the inspection record.
About Multiphase Electric
Multiphase Electric LLC is a licensed and insured electrical contractor based in Oregon City, serving residential and commercial clients across the Portland metro since 2005. Reach us at (503) 908-1593, see our commercial electrical services page, or see every city we serve.
Keep looking: All commercial electrical services, Everything we do in Portland, and Data & low voltage systems.
