Main panel upgrade in Sun Valley, CA
Cali Energy upgrades main electrical panels in Sun Valley for solar. On three Sun Valley houses: a panel upgraded to 200 amps in the same job as the array, with the final passed nine days after installation; a new 225-amp panel on an overhead service, with permission to operate 54 days after the application; and a 2018 panel permit someone else had left open, closed by relocating the service.
Sun Valley's houses date from around 1950: the median single-family home was built in 1950, and 82.5% of the 7,291 before 1960. A panel upgrade here is LADBS electrical work, and where it qualifies it goes as an express permit with no plan check. The building department finals the solar only when every permit on the same service is closed, and LADWP grants permission to operate only on a finaled permit, so we check what is open at the address first.
How a panel upgrade runs in Sun Valley
- Express where it qualifies. LADBS issues qualifying solar and panel work as an express permit with no plan check; on our 2022 Sun Valley project the permit was issued in January and the panel upgraded in the same job as the array.
- Every permit on the service counts. The solar permit cannot be finaled while an earlier permit on the same service is still open, and LADWP does not grant permission to operate without a finaled permit. How an old permit can block permission to operate
- The meter spot. LADWP's meter spot decides where the service panel sits, and it can move it.
- The houses. Median build year 1950; 94.4% of Sun Valley's single-family homes were built before 1978.
An old permit, closed
On a Sun Valley house the solar passed its inspection in March 2022 and still could not be finaled: the main service panel had been replaced in 2018, by someone outside the solar project, under a permit that was opened and never finaled. The building department required one final covering the panel and the solar, and LADWP's meter spot placed the panel in a new location. In January 2023 the service was relocated and the house wiring rerun to the new position, so the open record could be closed. Before a Sun Valley job is signed, we ask what has been permitted at the address and whether it was finaled.
Two panels, two timelines
- Nine days to a final. On our March 2022 Sun Valley project sixteen modules went on composition shingle and the main panel was upgraded to 200 amps in the same job, under an express permit. Installed on 14 March, final passed on 23 March.
- 54 days to permission to operate. On our August 2022 project the panel was replaced with a 225-amp busbar and 200-amp breaker on an overhead service, under thirty-three modules. We filed the interconnection the day the plan set came back, cleared a plan-check payment hold the afternoon we traced it, and LADWP granted permission to operate on 31 August.
Sun Valley panels we have upgraded
Nine days from install to a passed final.
The main service panel upgraded to 200 amps in the same job as sixteen modules, on an express permit; final passed on 23 March 2022, nine days after installation.
Sun Valley: plan set to permission to operate in 54 days.
A new 225-amp panel on an overhead service under a 13.2 kW array; a plan-check payment hold cleared the same afternoon, permission to operate on 31 August 2022.
How an old electrical permit can block solar PTO
A 2018 panel permit left open by someone else, closed by relocating the service to LADWP's meter spot and rerunning the house wiring, so one final could cover the panel and the solar.
Steps in Sun Valley
- Check. Panel label, busbar, main breaker, a load calculation, and the permit history at the address.
- Permits with LADBS: express where the work qualifies, with the panel on its own scope.
- LADWP application filed early, and the meter spot.
- Installation under our C-10 electrical license.
- Final, then LADWP's meter and permission to operate.
Nearby. Main panel upgrades in North Hollywood · Burbank · Glendale · All our Sun Valley projects
Panel upgrade questions for Sun Valley
Does Cali Energy do main panel upgrades in Sun Valley?
Yes. Cali Energy upgrades and replaces main panels in Sun Valley under its C-10 electrical license, with LADBS permits and LADWP's meter work. CSLB #1032379, based in Northridge; call +1-323-844-7777.
Can an old permit stop my solar from being switched on?
Yes. A permit opened for earlier work and never finaled blocks the final on the solar, and LADWP needs a finaled permit. On a Sun Valley house a 2018 panel permit was closed by relocating the service to LADWP's meter spot.
How fast can a Sun Valley panel upgrade be finaled?
On our March 2022 Sun Valley project, with an express permit, the final passed nine days after installation.
Can the panel be upgraded in the same job as the solar?
Yes. On both of our 2022 Sun Valley panel projects the panel was upgraded or replaced in the same job as the array.
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Find out what your Sun Valley 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, check what is already permitted at the address, and tell you how the permit runs.
Get a Sun Valley panel quote Call +1-323-844-7777
Cali Energy · Northridge, CA · cali-energy.com