Main panel upgrades for solar, batteries and a bigger service
Cali Energy replaces and upgrades main electrical panels across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, in Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, Simi Valley and Santa Clarita. We size the panel for the solar, battery or EV charger you are adding, file the permits and the utility work request, and set the new service under our C-10 electrical license.
Solar connects through your main panel, and the electrical code caps the main breaker plus the solar breaker at 120% of the panel's busbar rating. When the sum does not fit, there are two ways out: derate the main breaker to a smaller size, or install a panel with a bigger busbar. Across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, Cali Energy checks the busbar, runs the load calculation and builds the option your house can live with. In unincorporated Los Angeles County, about one in ten solar permits for existing homes filed from 2020 to August 2026 listed a main panel upgrade.
When a panel upgrade comes up
- Solar or a battery will not fit under the 120% limit of your current busbar.
- Every position in the panel is taken. In Van Nuys no slot was left even for a derate, so Cali Energy connected the solar through new service equipment, and the net meter was set in March 2022.
- The house needs more service for an EV charger, a heat pump or an ADU.
- The utility asks for a service upgrade or a new meter spot as part of your project.
Derate, new panel or service upgrade
| Option | What changes | When it fits | Our project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derate the main breaker | A smaller main breaker, so main plus solar fit the busbar | The load calculation shows the house can live on the smaller main | Tarzana: main breaker to 175 amps, panel left in place |
| New panel, bigger busbar | A 225-amp busbar under a 200-amp main leaves room for solar | The load calculation rules out a derate, the panel is full, or the panel is being replaced and you want headroom for later | Granada Hills, Mission Hills, Simi Valley |
| Solar-ready panel | A factory solar position that does not count against the main | You want the full service and room for solar | Burbank: 400-amp split service panel, nothing derated |
| Service upgrade | A bigger service from the utility, with its own work request and meter spot | The house needs more capacity | Winnetka: two LADWP work requests, two meter spots |
How a panel upgrade runs
- Check. Busbar rating, main breaker, open positions and a load calculation for the house. In Santa Clarita that check found a 225-amp busbar, and the derate a revised plan had proposed was not needed.
- Design. Derate, new panel or service upgrade, drawn together with the solar, battery or charger it serves.
- Permits. An electrical permit with LADBS, your city or, outside city limits, LA County Public Works. Some cities run an express route: Simi Valley moved our panel-upgrade application onto its instant, self-issued express permit the same day.
- Utility. The utility reviews a changed service on its own. On our Winnetka project LADWP ran the panel replacement and the solar interconnection as separate work requests, each with its own representative and meter spot.
- Installation. The panel change is scheduled with you and the utility, and the new service is set under our C-10 electrical license.
- Final and release. The city inspects, the utility reconnects and, where solar is part of the job, grants permission to operate. In Calabasas both finals passed on 22 August 2022 and SCE granted permission to operate on 16 September 2022.
LADWP, SCE, Burbank and Glendale
- LADWP: a changed service needs a meter spot; on our Winnetka project the panel and the solar ran as separate work requests with separate meter spots.
- Southern California Edison: the city or, in unincorporated areas, LA County Public Works issues the electrical permit; in Simi Valley a panel upgrade can go through the instant express permit, and in Calabasas we took the Planning Division clearance before the building permit.
- Burbank Water and Power: reviewed and accepted a 400-amp split service panel with a dedicated solar position on our Burbank project.
- Glendale Water & Power: a city utility with its own service and interconnection review. Solar with GWP
Panels we have upgraded, derated or checked
The panel came out. What went back has a bigger busbar.
A bigger busbar left room for later: a year after permission to operate, the owner asked about a battery.
The load calculation ruled out a derate, so a 225-amp panel went in
The load calculation showed the house needed 200 amps, so a 225-amp panel went in; final passed in November 2022.
The panel was full. The fix was a smaller main breaker.
Main breaker derated to 175 amps after a load calculation; the panel stayed, and permission to operate came 85 days after the interconnection application.
Derating the main breaker was the cheap answer. It was not the one used.
A 400-amp split service panel with a factory solar position; Burbank Water and Power accepted it with nothing derated.
Santa Clarita: the main breaker did not need derating.
A proposed derate checked and dropped: the busbar was already rated 225 amps. Final in January 2022.
One house. Two work requests. Two meter spots.
Panel replacement and solar as two LADWP work requests with two meter spots; permission to operate in December 2025.
Planning first, Building and Safety second, and a new panel instead of a derate
A new panel instead of a derate; both finals passed in August 2022 and SCE granted permission to operate in September.
What moves the price
- A derate or a new panel.
- The size of the panel and the service, and whether the meter and mast change too.
- An overhead or underground service, and whether the panel has to move.
- What the utility requires: a new meter spot or a new service drop.
Main panel upgrade cost in Los Angeles
Main panel upgrades by city. Simi Valley · Santa Clarita · Woodland Hills · all services by city
Panel upgrade questions
Does Cali Energy do main panel upgrades in Los Angeles?
Yes. Cali Energy replaces and upgrades main electrical panels across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, in Burbank, Glendale, Calabasas, Simi Valley and Santa Clarita, for solar, batteries and EV chargers. We handle the load calculation, the permit and the utility work request, under our C-10 electrical license. CSLB #1032379, based in Northridge; call +1-323-844-7777.
Do I need a new panel for solar?
That depends on the busbar. The code allows the main breaker plus the solar breaker up to 120% of the busbar rating. When that does not fit, a smaller main breaker can solve it: in Tarzana the main went to 175 amps and the panel stayed. When the house needs its full service or room for later loads, the panel is replaced with a bigger busbar, as in Granada Hills.
When is a derate not enough?
When the load calculation shows the house needs the full service, or when there is no position left for the solar breaker. In Mission Hills the calculation showed the house needed at least 200 amps, so a 225-amp panel went in. In Van Nuys every position was taken, so the array was connected through new service equipment and reached permission to operate in March 2022.
What takes the most time in a panel upgrade?
In Calabasas the new panel went in on a single day. Most of the calendar goes to the permit and the utility's review of the changed service; in Simi Valley the express permit was issued the same day the city moved the application onto it.
Can I add a battery or an EV charger to the same upgrade?
Yes, and the service can be sized for them now. In Winnetka we built a 225-amp service ready for a battery the owners had not bought yet. In Granada Hills the owner came back a year after permission to operate to ask about a battery, and the bigger busbar had the room for it.
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Find out what your panel can take
Send a photo of your main panel's label and a recent electric bill. We will tell you whether a derate, a new panel or a service upgrade fits what you are adding, and what the city and your utility will require.
Get a panel upgrade quote Call +1-323-844-7777
Cali Energy · Northridge, CA · cali-energy.com