Main panel upgrade in Glendale, CA
Cali Energy rebuilds main service panels in Glendale for solar, batteries and electric vehicles. On two Glendale houses we rebuilt the panel, to 200 amps at the utility's spotted location and to 225 amps with a 175-amp main breaker under a 20.8 kW array, and carried both through Glendale Water & Power and the city to permission to operate.
In Glendale a panel upgrade passes through the city and its own utility, Glendale Water & Power. GWP issues the service spot for the new panel, its service fee is paid before the city approves the electrical permit, and GWP sets the generation meter only when it holds a release for both the solar and the panel. Each permit has its own inspection and its own final. Cali Energy has run that sequence on Glendale houses from 2021 to 2023 and handled the city and the utility throughout.
How a panel upgrade runs in Glendale
- The service spot. Glendale Water & Power decides where the new panel and meter go and issues a service spot drawing before the plans are final. On our 2021 Glendale project the panel was rebuilt to 200 amps at that spotted location and the meter relocated.
- The fee before the permit. The city approves the electrical permit for a panel upgrade once the utility's service fee is paid.
- Two releases, then the meter. The solar and the panel each get their own final, and GWP sets the generation meter only when it holds a release for both. On our 2023 project the panel final passed on 7 July, the utility released the project on 2 August and set the generation meter on 16 August.
- The houses. Glendale's single-family homes have a median build year of 1945; 75.9% of the 23,479 were built before 1960.
Sized by the utility
Glendale Water & Power sizes a net-metered system against the house's own consumption: above 10 kW AC it works from 110% of the electricity used over the previous twelve months, and it allows a further 4,375 kWh a year for each electric vehicle registered at the address. On our 2023 Glendale project that allowance carried a 52-module, 20.8 kW array through the utility's review, and the main service panel was rebuilt to 225 amps with the main breaker set at 175 amps to accept the backfeed. Solar with Glendale Water & Power
Check what is already open at the address
The city's permit records are kept by address, so an electrical permit applied for at a property stays on its record whoever applied for it. On our 2021 Glendale project an earlier electrical permit was still open; we paid the open balance and refiled the same scope with Cali Energy as the contractor of record, and the city issued it the same day. Before a panel job is scheduled, we ask the city what is open at the address.
Glendale panels we have rebuilt
The panel permit was already open. Under someone else's name.
Main service panel rebuilt to 200 amps at the utility's spotted location and the meter relocated; an old open permit on the address cleared the same day, permission to operate on 10 December 2021.
One house, one crew, three permits — and the last one held the switch.
A 225-amp panel with a 175-amp main under a 20.8 kW array, on its own electrical permit after the utility's service fee; panel final passed and the generation meter set on 16 August 2023.
The utility said the array was too big for the house.
The same 20.8 kW array, sized against the house's usage plus 4,375 kWh a year for each registered electric vehicle and approved by the utility with two meter spots.
Steps in Glendale
- Check. Panel label, busbar, main breaker, the meter and a load calculation against the array, battery or charger.
- GWP application with the shading report where the system is above 10 kW AC, and the service spot for the new panel.
- City permits: the solar permit once GWP has approved the interconnection, and the electrical permit once the service fee is paid.
- Installation under our C-10 electrical license.
- Finals on the solar and the panel, then GWP's release and the generation meter.
Nearby. Main panel upgrades in Burbank · North Hollywood · Sun Valley · All our Glendale projects
Panel upgrade questions for Glendale
Does Cali Energy do main panel upgrades in Glendale?
Yes. Cali Energy has rebuilt main service panels on Glendale houses, to 200 and to 225 amps, with Glendale Water & Power's service spot, the city's electrical permit and both finals, under its C-10 electrical license. CSLB #1032379, based in Northridge; call +1-323-844-7777.
Who approves a panel upgrade in Glendale?
Two bodies. Glendale Water & Power issues the service spot and collects its service fee; the City of Glendale issues the electrical permit and inspects the work. GWP sets the generation meter once both the solar and the panel have their releases.
What if an old permit is open at my address?
It has to be cleared before a new one for the same work can be issued. On our 2021 Glendale project we paid the open balance and refiled as contractor of record, and the city issued the permit the same day.
Will Glendale Water & Power put in a second meter?
On our Glendale projects GWP set a separate generation meter beside the house meter, with its own meter spot on the plans, and permission to operate came when it was installed.
Read next
Find out what your Glendale panel can take
Send a photo of your main panel's label and a recent Glendale Water & Power bill. We will tell you whether the panel can take what you are adding, and what the service spot, the fee and the permits involve.
Get a Glendale panel quote Call +1-323-844-7777
Cali Energy · Northridge, CA · cali-energy.com