Granada Hills, CA · November 2025 · LADWP / LADBS

Facing west on purpose.

A 3.20 kW DC array on an accessory dwelling unit in Granada Hills, at 20 degrees, due west — with not a single length of conduit visible from the street.

A west-facing array shifts more of its output into the afternoon. Whether that improves the bill depends on the rate plan and on when the house uses power.

At a glance

DC System

3.20 kW

AC System

2.90 kW

Modules

8 × 400 W

Inverters

8 × Enphase IQ7A

Tilt / Azimuth

20° / 270° W

Service Panel

Existing 200 A

Roof

Composition shingle

Utility / AHJ

LADWP / LADBS

The story

Eight panels on an accessory dwelling unit, facing due west. On paper that is the wrong direction. In practice it was the point.

South-facing arrays produce the most kilowatt-hours over a year. West-facing arrays produce fewer, and they produce them later in the day — when the house is occupied and the air conditioning is running. Whether that afternoon shift is worth money depends on the rate plan: on a time-of-use plan the afternoon is the expensive part of the day, on a tiered plan the hour does not change the price. It is worth knowing which one you are on before deciding a west roof is not worth using.

The ADU roof is narrow, so the array is a single row down its length. Eight Canadian Solar 400-watt modules on eight Enphase IQ7A microinverters — 3.20 kilowatts DC, 2.90 kilowatts AC. The existing 200-amp service panel was adequate and stayed where it was.

The detail that took the most thought is the one nobody sees. Instead of running the conduit across the roof surface — the fast way, and the way that leaves a pipe visible from the street for the next twenty-five years — it drops through and runs inside the attic, held clear of the decking. From outside there is an array and nothing else.

The array covers 176 square feet of a 1,060 square foot roof. The layout keeps the fire-access pathways and clearances shown in the approved plan set.

The array went on as drawn, the inspection passed, permission to operate followed and the accessory dwelling has been running on it since. Cali Energy handled the design, the permit and the interconnection for this Granada Hills accessory dwelling.

How it ran

What we did

• Designed the array for the ADU roof plane rather than forcing it onto the main house.
• Installed at a 20 degree tilt and a 270 degree azimuth — afternoon output rather than annual maximum.
• Routed the conduit through the attic so no pipe crosses the roof surface.
• Confirmed the existing 200-amp service panel was adequate — no upgrade sold.
• Kept the fire-access pathways and clearances shown in the approved plan set.

System specifications

Is your project like this one?

• You have an ADU, a garage or a workshop with usable roof and the main house does not.
• Your only good roof plane faces west or east.
• Somebody told you a west-facing roof is not worth doing.
• You do not want conduit running across your roof.
• Your panel is 200 amp and you have been told it needs upgrading anyway.

Cali Energy in Granada Hills

Frequently asked questions

Is a west-facing solar array worth installing?

Often, yes. A west-facing array generates less over a full year than a south-facing one, but it generates later in the day, when household demand is highest. Whether that is worth money depends on your rate plan — a time-of-use plan prices the afternoon higher, a tiered plan does not price by hour at all. If your only usable roof plane faces west, that on its own is not a reason to dumpster solar.

Can solar go on an ADU instead of the main house?

Yes. The array is designed for whichever roof plane suits it — an accessory dwelling unit, a garage or a workshop are all normal locations. The interconnection still goes to the property's service. On this project the array sits entirely on the ADU and the existing 200-amp panel needed no changes.

Does solar conduit have to run across the roof?

No. It can drop through the roof and run inside the attic, held clear of the decking by the required distance. It takes longer and it needs to be planned before anything is mounted, but the result is a roof with an array on it and nothing else visible.

Does Cali Energy install solar on ADUs in Granada Hills?

Yes. Granada Hills is inside City of Los Angeles boundaries, so permits run through LADBS and interconnection through LADWP. Accessory dwelling units, garages and workshops are normal locations for an array, and small systems on an existing service panel are a regular part of the work here.

What this would look like on your roof

Related

• The utility approved a smaller system Granada Hills, CA · 11.6 kW DC · 28 days to PTO Solar
• The permit that moved the gas meter Granada Hills, CA · 12.05 kW · LADWP Solar
• No permit until the soil was tested Granada Hills, CA · 16.2 kW · methane zone Solar
• Two houses. Two routes. One day Sun Valley, CA · new ADU and an extended home Solar
• One lot. Two meters. Two solar systems Sherman Oaks, CA · house and ADU · 7 days to the meter Solar

This timeline reflects this property and this permitting path. Updated September 2026.