Sherman Oaks, CA · May – June 2021 · LADWP / LADBS
The queue was three weeks. We asked if there was another way.
A 5.92 kilowatt system in Sherman Oaks on LADWP, with the main service replaced. The project stalled on a step most homeowners have never heard of — and the way past it was a question rather than a wait.
On this project in 2021, with LADWP meter spots in the area running 15 to 20 days, the utility offered a virtual inspection instead of an in-person visit, arranged directly with the assigned representative. That was the position then; what is available now is a question for the representative on a given project.
At a glance
- DC System
- 5.92 kW
- Modules
- 16 × REC 370 W
- Inverters
- 16 × Enphase IQ7PLUS
- Service
- Replaced
- Racking
- IronRidge XR10
- Meter spot queue
- 15 – 20 days in that area
- Utility's stated turnaround
- 2 – 3 days
- App → meter
- 44 calendar days
The story
The system was not complicated: sixteen REC 370-watt modules, sixteen Enphase IQ7PLUS microinverters, 5.92 kilowatts on IronRidge rails with FlashFoot2 attachments. What was complicated was what the site visit found on the wall.
The existing main service panel was an older Federal Pacific unit. The plan set went in with a service upgrade included, and on this project that decided the scope long before anyone got on the roof.
The interconnection application went in on 10 May 2021. And then the project hit the meter spot.
A meter spot is the utility's own visit to mark where the meter goes. On this service-replacement project the site-assessment step had to close before the interconnection review could continue, and it is not a step a homeowner ever hears about until their project is sitting on it. We asked the utility how long it would take.
The answer was specific and useful: meter spots in that area were running 15 to 20 days from submission, the representative would get to this one at the beginning of the following week — and, almost in passing, that the process could be sped up with a virtual inspection.
So we asked how to request one. The reply: tell the assigned representative that you want a virtual inspection and the two of you coordinate a time. Those, we were told, can usually be accommodated within two to three days.
We wrote to the representative the same day, 21 May, and he offered nine o'clock on the Monday. The two to three days was the turnaround the utility quoted for virtual inspections generally; on this project the request went in on the 21st and the site assessment closed on the 24th.
That assessment closed two weeks after the application. The interconnection review completed on 14 June, and the net meter was set on 23 June — 44 calendar days from application to meter, on a project that had a service replacement inside it.
The reason this one is written down is not the timeline. The assigned representative offered a virtual inspection after we asked about the queue — the route existed, and one question surfaced it. If your project is waiting on a utility step and nobody has explained what the step is, that question is worth asking out loud.
How it ran
| 4 May 2021 | Contract signed |
|---|---|
| 8 May 2021 | Permit set issued |
| 10 May 2021 | Plans sent to the owner; interconnection application filed |
| 20 May 2021 | Utility confirms meter spots in that area run 15 – 20 days, and that a virtual inspection can be requested |
| 21 May 2021 | Virtual inspection requested and scheduled |
| 24 May 2021 | Site assessment closed |
| 14 June 2021 | Interconnection review completed |
| 23 June 2021 | Net meter set |
The 44 days run from the interconnection application to the net meter and cover permitting, the service replacement, installation and utility processing rather than time spent on the roof. This is what the queue and the virtual inspection option looked like in that area in 2021; both are set by the utility and change.
What we did
- Surveyed the existing service and specified a replacement as part of the project.
- Filed the interconnection application the day the plans went to the owner.
- Asked the utility how long the meter spot would take rather than waiting to find out.
- Established that a virtual inspection was available and requested one.
- Coordinated the virtual inspection directly with the assigned representative.
- Carried the project through interconnection review to the net meter.
System specifications
| DC system | 5.92 kW |
|---|---|
| Modules | 16 × REC REC370AA, 370 W |
| Inverters | 16 × Enphase IQ7PLUS-72-2-US |
| Racking | IronRidge XR10 on FlashFoot2 attachments |
| Service | Main service panel replaced as part of the project |
| Design wind speed | 110 mph, exposure B |
| Battery | None |
| Utility / AHJ | LADWP / LADBS |
| Application → net meter | 44 calendar days |
Is your project like this one?
- Your project is waiting on the utility and nobody has told you what for.
- You have been given a date that keeps moving.
- Your main panel is an older unit and you suspect it will have to be replaced.
- You want to know which steps can be moved and which cannot.
- Your Sherman Oaks property is served by LADWP, while permits are handled by LADBS.
Cali Energy in Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks is inside City of Los Angeles boundaries: permits run through LADBS, interconnection through LADWP.
The houses here are older than the new builds further up these streets, and what is already on the wall decides how much of the job is electrical.
This installation is on the Sherman Oaks projects page alongside the others, and what the work covers is set out on the Sherman Oaks service area page.
- License and classifications: CSLB #1032379
- Official reference for this process: LADWP interconnection process
Frequently asked questions
What is a meter spot and why does it hold up solar?
It is the utility's own visit to mark where the meter goes, and the electrical side of a project cannot be signed off until it has happened. On this project the utility told us meter spots in that area were running 15 to 20 days from submission. It is not a step most homeowners know exists until their project is sitting on it.
Can an LADWP meter spot be done virtually?
On this project the utility offered exactly that: a virtual inspection, arranged directly with the assigned representative, which they said could usually be accommodated within two to three days rather than the 15 to 20 the in-person queue was running. That was the position in that area in 2021. Whether it is available on a particular project is a question for the representative assigned to it.
Why does an old service panel change a solar project?
Because the solar circuit has to be connected to something that can carry it. On this house the existing panel was an older Federal Pacific unit and the project included a replacement. Whether a panel needs replacing comes from its rating and condition and the load calculation for that house, and it is worth establishing before the array is designed.
Does Cali Energy chase utility steps in Sherman Oaks?
Yes. Sherman Oaks is inside City of Los Angeles boundaries, so permits run through LADBS and interconnection through LADWP. Finding out which step a project is sitting on, and whether there is a faster route through it, is part of the job rather than something the owner is left to work out.
What this would look like on your roof
Every number on this page came off a real job in Sherman Oaks, CA — not a brochure. Tell us your utility, your roof and what your bill looks like now, and we will model your own version of it before you commit to anything.
Or call +1 (323) 844-7777 · Cali Energy, Northridge · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39) — design, permits, install and electrical under one licensed contractor.
Related
This timeline reflects this property and this permitting path. Updated September 2026.