Main panel upgrade in Tarzana, CA
Cali Energy derates and replaces main electrical panels in Tarzana for solar. Under a 13.3 kW array of thirty-nine modules the existing panel stayed, with the main breaker derated to 175 amps and a load calculation proving the house could live on it; under a 23 kW array of fifty-seven modules on a rebuilt roof, a new 200-amp solar-ready panel went in at the same location.
In Tarzana, as elsewhere in Los Angeles, the code caps the main breaker plus the solar breaker at 120% of the busbar rating. On our 2021 Tarzana project we redesigned the connection so the existing panel could stay: the main derated to 175 amps, labeled on the cover, with the service load calculation LADBS asked for. On our 2022 project, with fifty-seven modules on a rebuilt roof, the original meter panel was replaced with a new 200-amp solar-ready main panel. Both projects reached permission to operate within three months of the application.
How a panel decision runs in Tarzana
- Keep the panel where the numbers allow. A derate lowers the main breaker so the solar breaker fits under the 120% rule; LADBS asks for a service load calculation showing the house can live on it. Derate, new panel or service upgrade
- Replace it when the array outgrows it. A large array, or an old meter panel, is the case for a new solar-ready panel with its own section for the solar.
- LADWP's fast track. On our 2021 Tarzana project the meter panel photographs met the utility's specification, so the application stayed on the fast-track path with no meter panel change.
- The houses. Tarzana's single-family homes have a median build year of 1963; 78.2% of the 5,733 were built before 1978.
A derate that kept the panel
On our 2021 Tarzana project thirty-nine modules on microinverters came to 13.3 kW AC. We designed the connection so the existing service panel could stay, with the main breaker derated to 175 amps and the derate labeled on the cover. Plan check asked for a service load calculation and the 75 °C lug terminations; we provided both, and the set with the derated main was stamped the same day it went in. The array went on in December, and LADWP granted permission to operate on 14 January 2022, 85 days after the application.
A new panel under a new roof
On our 2022 Tarzana project an earlier array and its two string inverters came off and were retired, the low-slope built-up roof was rebuilt on new solid sheathing under our C-39 license, and fifty-seven REC modules went on, forty-six on the low-slope planes and eleven on the concrete S-tile section, with an 18-inch fire access path along the top. The original meter panel was replaced at the same location with a new 200-amp solar-ready main panel with a 100-amp section for the array. The interconnection and the plan check were filed the same day, and permission to operate came 79 days later, on 13 August 2022. Roof replacement
Tarzana panels we have derated or replaced
The panel was full. The fix was a smaller main breaker.
Thirty-nine modules on the existing panel, the main breaker derated to 175 amps with a load calculation behind it; permission to operate on 14 January 2022.
The old array came off with the roof. What went back was twice the system.
The original meter panel replaced with a new 200-amp solar-ready main panel at the same location, under fifty-seven modules; permission to operate on 13 August 2022.
Steps in Tarzana
- Check. Panel label, busbar, main breaker and a load calculation against the array.
- Derate or new panel, with the service load calculation for plan check.
- LADBS permits and the LADWP application, filed together, with meter panel photographs to the utility's specification.
- Installation under our C-10 electrical license.
- Final and LADWP release, then the net meter and permission to operate.
Nearby. Main panel upgrades in Encino · Woodland Hills · Canoga Park · All our Tarzana projects
Panel upgrade questions for Tarzana
Does Cali Energy do main panel upgrades in Tarzana?
Yes. Cali Energy derates and replaces main panels in Tarzana under its C-10 electrical license, with LADBS permits and LADWP's review. CSLB #1032379, based in Northridge; call +1-323-844-7777.
Can I keep my existing panel for a large array?
Sometimes. On our 2021 Tarzana project a 13.3 kW array connected to the existing panel with the main breaker derated to 175 amps, backed by the service load calculation plan check asked for.
When is a new panel the better answer?
When the array outgrows the service or the meter panel is old. On our 2022 Tarzana project the original meter panel was replaced with a 200-amp solar-ready panel under a 23 kW array.
How long does a Tarzana panel project take?
Our two Tarzana projects reached permission to operate 85 and 79 days after the application.
Read next
Find out what your Tarzana panel can take
Send a photo of your main panel's label and a recent LADWP bill. We will tell you whether a derate keeps your panel or a new one is the better answer, and how the permit and LADWP's review run.
Get a Tarzana panel quote Call +1-323-844-7777
Cali Energy · Northridge, CA · cali-energy.com