I wouldn't have done Solar + Storage if I was an SVP customer, I think. But I also like being self sufficient.
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Main Panel Upgrade After Solar Panel and Powerwall Installation
- Thread starter jshutterbug
- Start date
Yeah but it goes away after a period of time (im not sure what that is). I think the period of time allowed to edit a post depends on whether you are a supporter or not. The reason "i dont know" is because I am a volunteer mod (like most here). I know regulars are aware of that, but just throwing it out there for new people reading along wondering "wtf how come the mod doesnt know what triggers ability to edit posts?"
If you are the thread starter, the edit time is really short, like 5-10 minutes or something. If its a post in a thread, its like 30 minutes to an hour (I think).
Any idea how much PG&E charges to install a new distribution box? Could it be over $10K? As I mentioned, the exiting PG&E box is across the street. PG&E said that in order for my neighbor and I to share a trench, it'd only be allowed if we installed a distribution box on our side of the street. Otherwise we'd need 2 separate trenches running across the street routing to our own respective main panels.
Any particular reason why? Is it to avoid any issues should there be any work done that might accidentally mess with my wiring? We'd each have our own conduits.
In any case, installation of a new distribution box sounds like it can be pretty expensive to do. Plus having to wait for PG&E to complete my neighbor's design will be another ~6 months so timing might not be ideal.
FWIW: 1) I think that joint systems with neighbors have a way of going sideways for reasons unrelated to the joint equipment. 2) I suspect that if you coordinate the trenching, it won't be twice the cost. 3) It is one more piece of equipment to fail in your power supply, 4) Trying to put in a distribution box won't actually save you much, if any money once the dust settles.
Once you establish that your neighbor isn't on your time line, I would just go ahead and do the trenching for your needs.
All the best,
BG
I still don't understand why you need 400A.
Homes built 5 decades ago were built with 100A and they were probably 6x less efficient than even the worst stuff you can buy today. All the lightbulbs in my house being turned on today equal less power draw the lights you would have used to light up a single room back then.
You're telling me you need 200A…for an ADU that's 1/4 the size of my house built 4 decades ago? Why?
I don't really need 400A but since I have to pay to trench and install conduit for my underground powerlines I figured I might as well install the 320A powerline. I'm assuming the cost to install a 320A powerline vs. a 200A powerline isn't that much more. Labor would be the same so I'm just paying for the thicker cable.
The ADU will get 100A, while the main house gets the rest. If/when I get an electric car, I'll probably install a faster charger for the main house.
I actually don't want to upgrade at all but people keep telling me 100A wouldn't be sufficient to power both the main house and ADU. I'm not sure how often both homes would be using the oven and washer/dryer at the same time or central A/C and minisplit system kicking on at the same time when there's a heat wave.
My house was build 5 decades ago and it had installed a 400 amp service since it was all electric. Just the heat pump had a 100 amp breaker to it.
You can trench 400A service but there’s no need to take 400A into the house.
I agree completely that 100A would not be sufficient for both the house and ADU, especially if either is fully electric (no gas). Here’s how I would sequence your construction, assuming you wanted to get this done ASAP:
- upgrade house load center to 200A. Replace its main breaker with a 100A one since your current service is only rated for 100A. Run a sub panel to the ADU.
- install the solar and power wall and tell them to design and install it for 200A service. Make sure that when they do the install, they wire it for 200A service.
- whenever you finally get the new service trenched over, make sure the line from the meter to the house load center is rated for 200A. Put back the original 200A breaker into the load center.
I agree completely that 100A would not be sufficient for both the house and ADU, especially if either is fully electric (no gas). Here’s how I would sequence your construction, assuming you wanted to get this done ASAP:
- upgrade house load center to 200A. Replace its main breaker with a 100A one since your current service is only rated for 100A. Run a sub panel to the ADU.
- install the solar and power wall and tell them to design and install it for 200A service. Make sure that when they do the install, they wire it for 200A service.
- whenever you finally get the new service trenched over, make sure the line from the meter to the house load center is rated for 200A. Put back the original 200A breaker into the load center.
I feel like it could be in that price range. I know that when we remodeled, we undergrounded the utilities from the pole right in front of our house, I was surprised to get a bill from PG&E for $10k just to reconnect our service. Our contractor dug and ran the lateral conduits from our new panel/meter socket across our front yard to the base of the pole, so all PG&E had to do was drop a line straight down the pole instead of diagonally down to our roof. They did cover/insulate the vertical line with a rubbery conduit strip sealed against the pole, and they did put a distribution box at the base even though we were the only one of the three houses served by our pole to have underground service.
Later when the house next door was rebuilt, they also undergrounded their service from the same distribution box. When the third house across the street remodeled, they opted to retain their service from overhead, so only us and the next door home currently use our distribution box.
We possibly did increase to 200A service (I don't recall if we were only 100A before), so part of our $10K bill may have been for upgrading our service line at the time....
When I replaced my old 100A Zinsco panel a few years ago, PG&E said I had replace it with a like for like panel (so another 100A panel). So I'm not sure if I'd be able to install a larger panel when I don't have that service. In my case, I already purchased a 400A panel already but was going to install it when I upgraded my service. I also have to relocate the new panel to be 3ft from my gas. Some electricians mentioned PG&E tells me where the new trench comes in at to feed to new panel (so I can't install the new panel until they tell me)
Is that the trenchless coring? I was told it would cost about the same. What should the price difference be?
