Commercial electricians for Vancouver businesses.

LGD Electric is a licensed BC commercial electrical contractor serving Metro Vancouver since 2005. Our highest-volume commercial work in 2026 is restaurant and retail fit-outs along Vancouver commercial corridors (4th Avenue, Broadway, East Hastings, Main Street, Commercial Drive), LED retrofits for offices and warehouses (typically 30 to 60 percent reduction on lighting energy with payback inside 24 months at current BC Hydro rates), and tenant improvement electrical for landlord-driven shell-to-fit-out work. Three-phase service design, infrared thermal scanning, scheduled service agreements, and rapid-response troubleshooting are bundled into ongoing maintenance contracts for commercial building owners and property managers.

Commercial services we run in Vancouver

1. Restaurant and food-service electrical fit-outs

Kitchen equipment electrical (commercial range, hood and makeup-air control, walk-in coolers and freezers, induction line cookery, dedicated grease-trap pump circuits, GFCI on every counter receptacle), dining-room lighting and dimming, exterior signage, dedicated POS and music-system circuits. Most Vancouver kitchen upgrades require a BC Hydro service conversion to three-phase, which adds eight to twelve weeks to the schedule. CEC Section 26 and Section 78 govern much of this work. LGD coordinates with the kitchen-equipment installer, the mechanical contractor for hood and makeup-air, and the City of Vancouver inspector.

2. Retail and office tenant improvement fit-outs

Shell-to-fit-out electrical scope for landlord-driven TI work. Sub-panel sizing from the base-building feeder, dedicated branch circuits for retail merchandising and office equipment, data and communications rough-in (Cat6, fibre to the floor where applicable, low-voltage rough-in for security and AV), exit and emergency lighting per CEC Section 46 and Vancouver Building Bylaw, occupancy-sensor controls for energy compliance, exterior signage circuits. Permit pulled in the contractor's name with the landlord as additional insured.

3. LED lighting retrofits (offices, warehouses, retail)

Replacing T8 and T12 fluorescent fixtures with LED panels or strips, parking-lot and warehouse high-bay conversions, exterior fixture upgrades. Typical Vancouver retrofit reduces lighting-related energy use by 30 to 60 percent. Payback at current BC Hydro commercial rates is usually inside 24 months for office and retail, inside 18 months for warehouses with long operating hours. BC Hydro's Power Smart commercial lighting incentive program can offset 20 to 40 percent of the project cost where the existing fixtures qualify. LGD provides the baseline lumens-and-watts audit, the proposed retrofit fixture cuts, the payback analysis with BC Hydro rate projections, and the rebate application paperwork. See the commercial LED retrofit cost guide for tenant-type cost ranges and BC Hydro Power Smart rebate process detail.

4. Three-phase service design and panel upgrades

Single-phase to three-phase service conversions for commercial kitchens, manufacturing equipment, large HVAC, EV charging depots, and tenant improvements where the base-building service is undersized. BC Hydro three-phase lead time is currently eight to twelve weeks across Metro Vancouver, longer for new service drops on commercial-zoned addresses. Transformer pad coordination, sub-panel sizing, short-circuit coordination study where required.

5. Commercial EV charging

Networked Level 2 stations for workplace charging, parkade installations for strata commercial mixed-use, multi-station depots for fleet operations. Brands: ChargePoint, FLO, JuiceBox, Schneider EVlink with OCPP-compliant back-ends for billing and usage reporting. CleanBC Go Electric offers up to $2,000 per station for multi-unit residential adjacent to commercial space. BC Hydro has separate commercial fleet and workplace charging incentive programs that LGD layers where applicable. EV charger installation details.

6. Infrared thermal scanning and preventive maintenance

Quarterly, bi-annual, or annual scheduled visits with infrared thermal imaging of every panel, breaker, busbar, and lug connection in the building. Hotspots indicate loose connections, overloaded conductors, or developing arc faults before they trigger nuisance trips or equipment damage. Maintenance plans include torque-checks on connection points and breaker exercise to prevent stuck breakers. Insurers will sometimes reduce property premiums for buildings on documented IR-scan programs.

7. Data and communications rough-in

Cat6 and Cat6A for new fit-outs, fibre to the floor for offices that need 10Gb backbone, structured cabling for server rooms with grounded equipment racks, wireless access point backhaul rough-in, security and AV low-voltage pathways. Cabling tested and certified per TIA-568 standards with documentation packs delivered at handover.

8. Surge protection and standby power for critical operations

Type 1 or Type 2 SPDs at the main and at every sub-panel for critical-load distribution. Standby generators with listed automatic transfer switches for medical, data centre, food-service, and tenant-critical loads. Coordination between the generator, the ATS, and the building management system. BC inspectors do not accept breaker interlock kits, so a listed ATS is the only compliant standby-power solution.

9. Compliance: emergency and exit lighting, fire-alarm electrical

Emergency lighting per CEC Section 46, exit sign placement, photoluminescent and battery-backed emergency fixtures, monthly visual and annual functional testing records, fire-alarm electrical (the line-voltage feed to the fire alarm panel and the disconnect requirements). LGD provides the documentation property managers need for annual fire-alarm inspection sign-off.

Vancouver commercial sectors we serve

• Restaurants and bars along 4th Avenue, Broadway, Main Street, Commercial Drive, Granville, Robson, and East Hastings. Kitchen electrical, three-phase service upgrades with BC Hydro coordination, dimming, signage, POS circuits.
• Retail storefronts across the major Vancouver commercial strips. LED retrofits, signage, dedicated circuits for merchandising and POS.
• Office tenant improvements in Downtown, Yaletown, Mount Pleasant, False Creek, and the broader Broadway corridor. TI fit-outs, data rough-in, controls.
• Warehouses and light industrial along the Boundary Road corridor (including Hastings-Sunrise), the Vancouver port lands, and the Marpole and Mount Pleasant industrial pockets. High-bay LED, three-phase distribution, equipment circuits.
• Hotels and short-term accommodation. Renovations, fixture updates, dimming, emergency lighting compliance.
• Medical and dental clinics. Dedicated equipment circuits, isolated grounds for sensitive imaging gear, emergency power for critical-care zones.
• Strata commercial common areas in mixed-use buildings, including the dense Richmond mid-rise stock at Brighouse, Lansdowne, and Capstan SkyTrain district. Parkade lighting, EV charging deployment, exterior signage.
• Property management portfolios. Scheduled service agreements across multiple addresses, IR-scan programs, emergency-call coverage.

Permits, landlord coordination, and inspection

Every commercial electrical job in Metro Vancouver requires an electrical permit pulled by a licensed contractor. The authority depends on address:

• City of Vancouver: all commercial addresses inside the City boundary. Permits scale with declared work value; tenant improvements typically run $400 to $2,500 for a mid-sized fit-out. Pulled through City of Vancouver Development and Building Services.
• Technical Safety BC: all other Metro Vancouver municipalities. TSBC permits scale similarly with declared work value.

For tenant improvements, LGD pulls the permit in the contractor's name and lists the landlord as additional insured on the certificate of insurance issued for the project. Coordination with the building manager on after-hours phased shutdowns is typical for occupied retail and office buildings. LGD's Field Safety Representative declares compliance with the Canadian Electrical Code on every commercial permit. Vancouver versus Technical Safety BC permit breakdown.

Scheduled service agreements for commercial property

Most LGD commercial clients move to a scheduled service agreement after the first major project. Three tiers:

• Annual: one preventive visit per year with full IR scan, breaker exercise, panel torque-check, emergency-fixture monthly-log audit. Right tier for small offices and low-load retail.
• Bi-annual: two visits per year. Right tier for restaurants, mid-sized offices, and any building with significant motor or HVAC load.
• Quarterly: four visits per year with IR scan every visit. Right tier for medical, data-adjacent, and high-uptime commercial operations.

All tiers include priority response on urgent calls during business hours, fixed-rate troubleshooting hours, and 10 percent off non-emergency project work. Certificate of insurance with additional insured is renewed annually as part of the agreement.

Same-day response on urgent commercial calls during business hours

Phones answered Mon-Fri 4:00 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific. Same-day on-site response is typical on urgent commercial calls received during business hours: burning smells, arcing gear, tripped main breakers, water in switchgear, equipment outages. The 4:00 AM start window is specifically designed for commercial and construction clients who need power before the day's operations begin.

Our commercial process

What City of Vancouver tenant improvement permits require that surprises landlords

Landlords scoping a TI fit-out in a Vancouver commercial property routinely under-estimate the permit scope. LGD has seen the same six pattern-surprises on commercial TI projects:

1. Existing electrical that "was fine for the last tenant" still needs to meet current code on the changed portion. If the new tenant changes occupancy classification (retail to restaurant, office to medical), the entire electrical scope inside the TI envelope is reviewed against the current CEC edition. AFCI, GFCI, tamper-resistant receptacles and grounding electrode upgrades may all retroactively apply.
2. Demising-wall electrical separation requires a documented disconnect path. If the TI splits or merges suites, each suite must have an independently accessible electrical disconnect. Inspector wants to see physical labelling, panel directory, and lockout-ready breakers.
3. Restaurant kitchens trigger a BC Hydro three-phase service review. Hood and makeup-air control, walk-in cooler circuits, dedicated grease-trap pump circuits all require dedicated circuits. Most TI restaurant projects need single-phase to three-phase conversion which adds eight to twelve weeks of BC Hydro lead time to the schedule.
4. Emergency lighting and exit signs must demonstrate 30-minute battery backup on the inspector's visit. Inspector physically presses the test button. Aged backup batteries that pass voltage but fail under load is a common failure mode and a common first-visit rejection.
5. The landlord's electrical certificate of insurance must list the tenant as additional insured for the duration of the TI. LGD includes this as part of the contractor's COI provided at TI start. Landlords who let tenant contractors work without this exposure document end up on the hook for sub-tenant injury claims.
6. Inspection sequence: rough-in inspection BEFORE drywall closes, final inspection AFTER all fixtures and equipment are powered. Tenants moving in furniture before final inspection passes is the most common scheduling conflict. LGD coordinates with the GC to ensure final inspection happens after fixtures but before tenant occupancy.

For TI projects bundled with kitchen scope: budget 12-16 weeks from contract acceptance to final inspection pass. For office or retail TI without BC Hydro service change: budget 4-8 weeks. LGD scopes both timelines as part of the initial quote so the lease commencement date can be set realistically.

Commercial electrical FAQ, Vancouver

How much can LED commercial lighting retrofits save in Vancouver in 2026?

Typical Vancouver LED retrofit reduces lighting-related energy use by 30 to 60 percent. Payback at current BC Hydro commercial rates is usually inside 24 months for office and retail, inside 18 months for warehouses with long operating hours. BC Hydro's Power Smart commercial lighting incentive program can offset 20 to 40 percent of the project cost where the existing fixtures qualify. LGD provides the baseline lumens-and-watts audit and the payback analysis before the retrofit is scoped.

How long does a three-phase service upgrade take in Vancouver?

Eight to twelve weeks for the BC Hydro service-change side, gated by their lead time for three-phase work. Permit and inspection are typically inside two weeks of BC Hydro completion. Plan any restaurant opening, kitchen renovation, or three-phase equipment install with that lead time built in from day one.

Does LGD pull the electrical permit for tenant improvements?

Yes. LGD pulls the City of Vancouver or Technical Safety BC permit in the contractor's name, declares compliance with the Canadian Electrical Code under our Field Safety Representative, and walks the final inspection. The landlord is listed as additional insured on the certificate of insurance for the project.

How fast is commercial emergency electrical response?

Phones answered Mon-Fri 4:00 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific. Same-day on-site response is typical on urgent commercial calls received during business hours. Burning smells, arcing gear, tripped main breakers, water in switchgear, equipment outages all trigger same-day dispatch. Outside business hours, leave a voicemail and we return first thing the next business morning.

What is infrared thermal scanning and why does my building need it?

Infrared thermal scanning uses a thermal-imaging camera to identify hotspots in panels, breakers, busbars, lug connections, and motor starters before they fail. A hotspot is the visible early-warning sign of a loose connection, overloaded conductor, or developing arc fault. IR scans are included in LGD's quarterly, bi-annual, and annual preventive maintenance plans. Some insurers reduce commercial property premiums for buildings on documented IR-scan programs.

Do you handle restaurant kitchen electrical fit-outs?

Yes. Commercial range circuits, hood and makeup-air control, walk-in cooler and freezer feeds, dedicated grease-trap pump circuits, GFCI on every counter receptacle, exterior signage and dining-room dimming. Most kitchen upgrades require a BC Hydro service conversion to three-phase, with the lead time built into the schedule. LGD coordinates with the kitchen-equipment installer, the mechanical contractor, and the City of Vancouver inspector.

What warranties apply to commercial electrical work?

Standard is a 1-year labour warranty plus 1 to 5 year manufacturer coverage on fixtures and gear. Warranties extend through active scheduled service agreements. Certificates of insurance with additional insured are issued at project start and renewed annually for ongoing agreements.

Does LGD do BC Hydro commercial rebate paperwork?

Yes. BC Hydro Power Smart commercial lighting incentives and commercial fleet/workplace EV charging incentives are submitted by LGD as part of the project paperwork, with the permit reference, the equipment cuts, and the proof-of-installation documentation the programs require.

What is the difference between a TI permit and a base-building permit?

A base-building (shell) permit covers the landlord's electrical infrastructure: the service entrance, main switchboard, common-area distribution, base-building lighting. A tenant improvement (TI) permit covers the work inside the leased space: sub-panel feeds, branch circuits, lighting, equipment circuits. The TI permit is pulled by the contractor on behalf of the tenant. LGD handles both scopes and coordinates with the landlord's existing electrical drawings on every TI project.

Do you do EV charging for commercial property and fleet operators?

Yes. Networked Level 2 stations for workplace charging, parkade installations for strata commercial mixed-use, multi-station depots for fleet operations. OCPP-compliant back-ends (ChargePoint, FLO, JuiceBox, Schneider EVlink) for billing and usage reporting. CleanBC Go Electric and BC Hydro commercial incentive programs layered where applicable.