Main panel upgrade in Burbank, CA
Cali Energy upgrades main electrical panels in Burbank for solar and batteries. On a new Burbank house we replaced a planned derate with a solar-ready 400-amp split panel that keeps the full main breaker; on another, a new 200-amp solar-ready panel went in on its own electrical permit, and Burbank Water and Power accepted both the solar and the panel.
Burbank is its own city with its own utility. Burbank Water and Power reviews the solar first and issues a confirmation number, and the City of Burbank issues solar and storage permits for single-family homes instantly online once it has that number. A panel upgrade is a separate electrical permit, and BWP's field acceptance covers both the solar and the service upgrade before the meter is set. Cali Energy carried a Burbank project through that sequence to BWP's permission to operate letter in August 2025.
How a panel upgrade runs in Burbank
- The utility first. Burbank Water and Power reviews the plans and issues a solar confirmation number; the city's instant online permit for solar and storage follows it.
- The panel is its own permit. A new main panel is a separate electrical permit with the City of Burbank, carried to its own final.
- One acceptance for both. BWP's field acceptance covers the solar and the service upgrade together; then the meter is set, the system is tested and BWP issues a permission to operate letter.
- The houses. Burbank's single-family homes have a median build year of 1941; 91.2% of the 18,431 were built before 1960.
A solar-ready panel instead of a derate
A derate lowers the main breaker to make room for the solar breaker under the code's 120% rule, and the house lives on the smaller main from then on. On a new Burbank house the issued drawing set showed a derate; we identified it and specified a solar-ready 400-amp split panel with a dedicated solar position in its place, so the main breaker stays at full size. The array conduit was run through the open framing before the walls closed, and BWP's separate size review, which asks for square footage and a twelve-month load estimate on a house with no consumption history, was answered with a load calculation. Derate, new panel or service upgrade
A new panel on its own permit
On a second new Burbank house, a new 200-amp solar-ready main panel went in under its own electrical permit, separate from the solar. The plan set went to BWP complete and came back with no corrections three days later, the utility issued the solar meter spot after its field visit, and on 20 August 2026 BWP issued field acceptance for the solar and the new 200-amp panel together.
Burbank panels we have installed
Derating the main breaker was the cheap answer. It was not the one used.
A planned derate replaced with a solar-ready 400-amp split panel with a dedicated solar position, the main breaker kept at full size; permission to operate on 14 August 2025.
The mounts went in first. Everything else followed that.
A new 200-amp solar-ready main panel on its own electrical permit for a new house; field acceptance for the solar and the panel issued on 20 August 2026.
Steps in Burbank
- Check. Panel label, busbar, main breaker and a load calculation; on a new house, the drawing set before the walls close.
- BWP review and the solar confirmation number, with the size review where the utility asks for it.
- City permits: the instant online solar permit and the separate electrical permit for the panel.
- Installation under our C-10 electrical license.
- Finals, BWP field acceptance, meter and test, then the permission to operate letter.
Nearby. Main panel upgrades in Glendale · North Hollywood · Sun Valley · All our Burbank projects
Panel upgrade questions for Burbank
Does Cali Energy do main panel upgrades in Burbank?
Yes. Cali Energy installs new and solar-ready main panels in Burbank under its C-10 electrical license, with the City of Burbank's permits and Burbank Water and Power's acceptance. CSLB #1032379, based in Northridge; call +1-323-844-7777.
Do I have to derate my main breaker for solar?
Not necessarily. On a new Burbank house we replaced a planned derate with a solar-ready panel that has a dedicated solar position, so the main breaker kept its full size.
Is the panel a separate permit in Burbank?
Yes. The panel upgrade is its own electrical permit with the City of Burbank, and Burbank Water and Power's field acceptance covers the solar and the service upgrade together.
How does Burbank Water and Power size a system on a new house?
On a house with no consumption history, BWP's size review asked for the square footage and a twelve-month load estimate; we answered it with a load calculation, and the system went on to permission to operate.
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Find out what your Burbank panel can take
Send a photo of your main panel's label and a recent Burbank Water and Power bill. We will tell you whether a solar-ready panel, a derate or the panel you have fits what you are adding, and how BWP and the city sequence it.
Get a Burbank panel quote Call +1-323-844-7777
Cali Energy · Northridge, CA · cali-energy.com