705.12

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jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Well, I would say at this point the 120% rule has withstood real world testing pretty well. ;)

Why don't we just increase the allowance 5% every code cycle and see when panelboards start getting damaged? :lol:
 
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SolarPro

Senior Member
Location
Austin, TX
jaggedben said:
Yup. Over $3000 around here for 200A.
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So it's probably $0.50–$1.00/watt tax. That hurts. I know the economics of solar are better in California than most places, but that's a serious hit considering the average cost of residential systems these days.

I am curious why center-fed panels are so much more common in California than other places. Does it have something to do with the configuration/construction of meter-main combos? It might be my imagination, but it seems like these are also more common in California than elsewhere.
 
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Zee

Senior Member
Location
CA
SolarPro said:
So it's probably $0.50–$1.00/watt tax. That hurts. I know the economics of solar are better in California than most places, but that's a serious hit considering the average cost of residential systems these days.

I am curious why center-fed panels are so much more common in California than other places. Does it have something to do with the configuration/construction of meter-main combos? It might be my imagination, but it seems like these are also more common in California than elsewhere.
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Yes it is a serious hit. I often ease the pain by saying..."you'll probably need a new service anyways when you get an EV or hot tub or want more lights etc."
Then add: "do it now and you'll get basically a grand back with the 30% tax credit."

I have no idea why more center fed panels exist in California.
 
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jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
Zee said:
What drives me nuts is when I see a nice new 200A service panel, MBO! :(:(
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For sure.

I guess habits with service equipment are regional. I'm sure in some details is has to do with utility requirements, which are often based more in tradition than anything else. I can see why the vertically divided meter main caught on if utilities didn't have aome issue with it, since it's versatile for overhead and underground services. Once you've got that, as I mentioned above, the centerfed thing was an economical design ... until solar came along. Why it caught on more in California I can't say. Lots of new development here in the last few decades though, so maybe it's just at the age of the houses.
 
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ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
Zee said:
What drives me nuts is when I see a nice new 200A service panel, MBO! :(:(
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What is MBO? We see a lot of MLO (main lug only) service panels here, which are a pain to deal with for installing PV, especially in a jurisdiction which does not allow line side IPC's or landing PV in a panel without a main breaker. Some of these panels are convertible (can add a main breaker) but many are not.
 
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jaggedben

Senior Member
Location
Northern California
Occupation
Solar and Energy Storage Installer
ggunn said:
What is MBO? We see a lot of MLO (main lug only) service panels here, which are a pain to deal with for installing PV, especially in a jurisdiction which does not allow line side IPC's or landing PV in a panel without a main breaker. Some of these panels are convertible (can add a main breaker) but many are not.
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Main Breaker Only. I think.
 
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