Instead, the property owner will need to hire a general contractor or an electrician.4 Modifying the panel in any way also means that the building owner must ask the utility for a service modification, triggering a utility inspection and requiring the owner to bring the electric service up to code. [...] It is also borne by utilities and ratepayers in the form of upstream investments in the local distribution grid— the part of the grid that delivers electricity to homes and businesses—to meet the new demand for electricity. [...] The Building Standards Commission, in collaboration with the state agencies that propose and adopt changes to Electrical Code Article 220, has authority to adopt sections of the NEC early or to amend the NEC when adopting the California Electrical Code. [...] SPUR and a coalition of five nongovernmental partners have called for the CPUC to direct utilities to gather information from the initial implementation of timelines and reporting requirements and to use that information to consider new processes and rule changes needed to further streamline energization projects.26 Pathway to change: The CPUC should adopt target and maximum energization timelines. [...] When a service upgrade from the utility is unavoidable, the customer pays the cost of the upgrade in excess of the standard utility allowance.
- Pages
- 39
- Published in
- United States of America
Table of Contents
- The problem with panels Why panel and service upgrades stand in the way of Californias climate goals 4
- Electrical panel and service upsizing is often the most expensive step in electrification retrofits. 4
- When modifying the electric panel triggers service upsizing the process can take months to years. 7
- Paving the way for building electrification with panel optimization and an updated National Electrical Code 10
- Panel optimization strategies also known as watt dieting can help homeowners avoid service and panel upsizing. 12
- Updating the National Electrical Code would advance building electrification. 14
- Recommendations to avoid and streamline panel and electrical service upsizing 18
- Avoiding panel and service upsizing 18
- Streamlining panel and service upsizing 24
- Filling knowledge gaps 26
- Plan of Action 28
- Comments Submitted to the National Fire Protection Association Committee on the 2026 National Electrical Code by Brennan Less of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 30
- National Electrical Code Sections Discussed in This Brief 32
- 2022 California Electrical Code 33
- Responses to Information Requests From California State Senator Wiener 37
- Calculations Showing Aggregate Cost for Households If 50 of California Dwellings Upsize Their Panels and Service 38
