Main panel upgrade in Northridge, CA
Cali Energy replaces main electrical panels in Northridge, from our office in Northridge, for new solar and for systems that already exist. On one Northridge house the old service was replaced with a 200-amp bus and main under a new array on S-tile; behind a system another company had installed, we fitted a new main panel and a 200-amp sub-panel and carried it to permission to operate.
Two things decide whether a Northridge roof can take an array: the structure under the covering and the electrical service it connects to. On our 2022 S-tile project the roof was fine and the service was not, so the service was replaced as part of the job, and the interconnection ran from request to permission to operate in four weeks. In Los Angeles that panel work is permitted by LADBS and connected by LADWP, the same route as a new installation.
The service decides the array
- The 120% rule. The code caps the main breaker plus the solar breaker at 120% of the busbar rating. When the planned array pushes past it, the main breaker comes down or the service is replaced. Derate, new panel or service upgrade
- The houses. Northridge's single-family homes have a median build year of 1958; 90.1% of the 10,887 were built before 1978.
- One route for the work. A new service goes through the same LADBS permit and LADWP interconnection route as a new installation, with the utility's meter spot set before the equipment is placed.
A new service under an S-tile array
On our 2022 Northridge project we put two equipment packages in front of the owner before anything was drawn, then designed twenty-six REC modules with a microinverter each for an S-profile concrete tile roof on 2×4 rafters at 24 inches. The roof could carry it; the service could not, so it was replaced with new gear on a 200-amp bus and a 200-amp main breaker. The plans were issued and the interconnection request filed on 12 January 2022, and LADWP granted permission to operate on 8 February.
A new panel behind someone else's array
When a system does not work as it should, the array is not the only place to look. On a Northridge house with an array another company had installed, our scope was the service behind it: a new main panel to carry the existing array and the house, a new 200-amp sub-panel for the array, the wiring between them redone to the plans the city had already approved, and conduit relocated or replaced where it could not take its conductors. We answered LADWP's hold notice the day it arrived, and the system reached permission to operate at 10.87 kW AC-CEC. Solar repair in Northridge
Northridge services we have replaced
S-tile on the roof, and a new service on the wall.
The old service replaced with new gear on a 200-amp bus and main breaker under twenty-six modules on S-tile; permission to operate on 8 February 2022, four weeks after the request.
The array was already there. The service was the problem.
A main panel replaced to carry an existing array and the house, a new 200-amp sub-panel and the wiring redone to the approved plans; permission to operate on 13 August 2024.
Steps in Northridge
- Check. Panel label, busbar, main breaker and a load calculation, or on an existing system, the plans the city approved.
- Options in front of you before anything is drawn.
- LADBS permits and LADWP's interconnection request, with the meter spot.
- Installation under our C-10 electrical license.
- Final, release and meter: LADWP sets the net meter and grants permission to operate.
Nearby. Main panel upgrades in Granada Hills · Porter Ranch · Canoga Park · All our Northridge projects
Panel upgrade questions for Northridge
Does Cali Energy do main panel upgrades in Northridge?
Yes. Cali Energy is based in Northridge and replaces main panels and services here under its C-10 electrical license, with LADBS permits and LADWP's interconnection. CSLB #1032379, 19201 Parthenia St, Northridge; call +1-323-844-7777.
Can you fix the panel behind a system someone else installed?
Yes. On a Northridge house we replaced the main panel, added a 200-amp sub-panel and redid the wiring behind an existing array, working to the plans the city had approved, and carried it to permission to operate.
How long does a new service take in Northridge?
On our 2022 Northridge project the service was replaced with the solar, and LADWP granted permission to operate four weeks after the interconnection request.
Do you price more than one option?
Yes. On our 2022 Northridge project two equipment packages were put in front of the owner before anything was drawn, and the design followed the one chosen.
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Find out what your Northridge panel can take
Send a photo of your main panel's label and a recent LADWP bill. We will tell you whether the panel can take what you are adding, or what a new service involves, and how the permit and LADWP's side run.
Get a Northridge panel quote Call +1-323-844-7777
Cali Energy · Northridge, CA · cali-energy.com