Solar Panel Installation in Burbank CA: A Step-by-Step Guide
Solar panel installation in Burbank, CA follows a clear, structured process that begins with evaluating your energy needs and ends with your system going live on the grid. Whether you are a homeowner in the Magnolia Park neighborhood or a business owner near the Media District, this guide walks you through every step so you know exactly what to expect before, during, and after installation.
Why Burbank Is One of California’s Best Cities for Solar
Before getting into the steps, it helps to understand why going solar in Burbank makes such strong financial and practical sense right now.
Burbank sits in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and enjoys a Mediterranean climate with generous sunshine throughout the year and very little rainfall. That consistent sun exposure is the foundation of a productive solar energy system. More sunlight hours mean more kilowatt hours generated, which translates directly into lower electricity bills.
Beyond the weather, the average Burbank homeowner needs approximately a 12.11 kW solar panel system to fully cover their electric bills, and the average price per watt of solar in Burbank stands at around $2.39. That is a meaningful investment, but one that pays off substantially over time when you factor in local incentives and energy savings.
Burbank Water and Power (BWP) serves as the municipal utility for the city, and its policies around solar interconnection, net metering, and billing directly shape how you will interact with the grid after your system is installed.
Understanding Burbank Water and Power’s Solar Net Billing Program
One of the most important things to know before starting your solar journey in Burbank is how BWP compensates you for excess electricity your panels produce.
The Burbank City Council approved the Solar Net Billing program on January 14, 2025, and the new program began on January 1, 2026. Customers who applied for permits after January 1, 2026 are enrolled in the new Solar Net Billing program, while those who applied before that date were grandfathered into the existing Net Energy Metering (NEM) program.
Under the new Solar Net Billing structure, whenever your solar system generates more electricity than what you consume on site, BWP compensates you at its avoided cost of energy (ACOE) at that time. The updated program also allows customers to oversize their solar systems and sell any extra energy back to BWP as a bill offset, which helps future proof your property for things like electric vehicle charging.
This is worth understanding upfront because it affects how your installer will size your system and how you will structure the financial return on your investment.
Step 1: Assess Your Energy Consumption
The first step in any successful solar installation is understanding how much electricity your household or business actually uses.
Pull up your last 12 months of BWP electricity bills and note your total kilowatt hour consumption. California law requires that solar systems be sized to provide an amount of energy less than or equal to the annual kilowatt hour use of the building on which they are installed. You can access your previous bills through your online BWP account to figure out your annual usage.
Under the new net billing rules, the program allows customers to size systems up to 150% of their historical energy use, which gives homeowners more flexibility to generate enough electricity to cover current needs and future upgrades like EV chargers or battery storage systems.
Key factors that influence the right system size for your Burbank home include your current monthly utility bill, the number of people in your household, existing or planned electric vehicle ownership, and whether you intend to add a battery storage system. Getting this right at the start prevents the costly mistake of installing a system that is either too small to make a meaningful dent in your bills or too large to be financially efficient.
Step 2: Get a BWP Confirmation of Electric Service
Before any installer can pull a permit in Burbank, your system must be sized and confirmed through Burbank Water and Power. This is a step that catches many first time solar buyers off guard because it happens before the formal permitting process, not during it.
You start by contacting the BWP Electrical Division to obtain a Solar Confirmation Number and get your solar system sized. You can reach them by emailing eres@burbankca.gov to get started.
You will also need to download and complete two signed original copies of the Interconnection and Net Metering Agreement and email the completed documents to BWP Service Planning at ERES@burbankca.gov. BWP staff will reply with a meter spot and confirmation number to use when applying for a permit.
Hold onto this confirmation number carefully. You will need it in the next step when you go through the city’s online permitting portal.
Step 3: Choose the Right Solar Installer in Burbank
With your energy assessment complete and your BWP confirmation in hand, the next step is selecting a qualified solar contractor. This decision matters more than most homeowners realize.
A reputable installer in Burbank should be licensed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB), carry general liability and workers compensation insurance, and have specific experience with Burbank Water and Power’s interconnection requirements. Ask for references from local installations and verify that they are familiar with the Burbank Online Permits (BOP) portal and the BWP plan submission process.
When collecting quotes, compare not just the price per watt but also the quality of the solar panels being proposed. Equipment from manufacturers like LG, SunPower, Panasonic, REC Group, and Silfab varies meaningfully in terms of efficiency ratings, degradation rates, and warranty terms. A slightly higher upfront cost for premium panels often means significantly more energy production over a 25 year system lifetime.
Also ask potential installers about inverter options. String inverters are cost effective for simple roof layouts, while microinverters or power optimizers from brands like Enphase and SolarEdge work better for roofs with shading from trees, chimneys, or neighboring structures, which is common in older Burbank neighborhoods.
If you are also considering solar for a property in a neighboring city, our Solar Panel Installation in Los Angeles, CA guide covers the specific steps and regulations for LA homeowners.
Step 4: Design Your Solar System
Once you have selected your installer, they will visit your property to conduct a site survey. This is where the system design takes shape.
The site survey evaluates your roof’s age, material, pitch, and orientation. South facing roofs in Burbank receive the most direct sunlight throughout the day, but west and east facing orientations also perform well and can sometimes be strategically advantageous depending on your utility rate schedule. Your installer will use satellite imagery and on site measurements to model your system’s expected annual energy production using tools like PVWatts or Aurora Solar.
The design phase also determines where the inverter will be mounted, how the AC disconnect and conduit will be routed, and whether any structural upgrades are needed before racking is installed. Most Burbank homes built after 1980 have no structural issues, but older properties may need a structural engineer’s sign off as part of the permit application.
This is also the right time to discuss battery storage. Systems that include a home battery like the Tesla Powerwall or Enphase IQ Battery offer resilience during outages, which has become increasingly valuable given California’s history of Public Safety Power Shutoffs during high wind events.
Step 5: Apply for Your City of Burbank Solar Permit
The City of Burbank has expanded its online permitting feature, allowing residents to apply for and obtain instant solar and battery storage system permits for single family residential installations through a partnership with Symbium Corp. The streamlined process lets residents check project eligibility, create a Burbank Online Permits account, apply for an instant solar permit, and schedule inspections. Symbium’s automated system verifies code compliance and prepares ready to use permits for roof mounted single family residential installations up to 38.4 kW.
Here is how the permit process works in practice:
You will need a Burbank Online Permits (BOP) portal account to receive your permit. With your BOP account you can pay for permit and plan check fees, schedule inspections, and obtain simple online permits known as Tier 1 permits. When using Symbium, permit applications are issued in real time. You start by entering the project address and will need the same email address used to register on BOP along with the Solar Confirmation Number granted by BWP.
For larger or more complex systems, a Tier 2 permit application with a plan check is required. Once you have your BWP meter spot, you contact the Building and Safety Division by email for access to the online review portal named Projectdox. It is important to pay close attention to labeling requirements for solar equipment to avoid additional inspection costs and delays in installation completion.
Your installer will typically handle the permit application on your behalf, but knowing the process protects you from unexpected delays.
Step 6: The Physical Installation
With permits approved, your installation crew can begin work on your roof. A solar panel installation in Burbank typically takes one to three days. Installation day includes preparing your roof with racking hardware, setting up wiring, placing panels and inverters, and connecting everything together.
During this phase, your installer will:
Attach rail mounts or ballasted racking to your roof structure, taking care to properly flash and seal every penetration point to prevent any future leaks. Mount the solar panels onto the racking in the layout determined during the design phase. Run conduit from the roof to the inverter location, which is typically on an exterior wall near your main electrical panel. Install the inverter, AC disconnect switch, and any monitoring equipment. Connect the system to your home’s main service panel.
Solar panels convert energy from the sun into direct current (DC) electricity. That DC electricity is sent to an inverter that converts it to alternating current (AC) electricity, which then flows through your meter and into your property to provide power.
A well executed installation is clean, code compliant, and leaves your roof in the same or better condition than it was before work began. If your installer leaves exposed wires, skips flashing, or rushes through conduit routing, those are red flags.
Step 7: Inspection and Utility Interconnection
After physical installation is complete, your system cannot be turned on until it passes both a city inspection and a BWP utility inspection.
Once installation is complete, you need to schedule your inspection one day in advance by logging into the Burbank Online Permits portal. For questions the Building Division can be reached by email at building@burbankca.gov.
When the building inspection has been completed, BWP is notified by the Building Division Inspector. BWP will then provide and schedule an on site field visit to install the performance meter and perform various safety tests on your solar system.
After the solar system is connected to the grid, BWP will leave a door hanger on the home or business owner’s door letting them know that their system is up and running. They will also receive a copy of the Solar Net Metering and Interconnection Agreement along with an Assembly Bill 920 election form in the mail.
From the moment BWP gives that final approval, your system is live. The panels start generating electricity, your meter begins tracking production and consumption, and your utility bills start dropping.
Step 8: Monitor Your System Performance
Most modern solar installations come with a monitoring app or web portal that shows your real time and historical energy production. Enphase Enlighten, SolarEdge monitoring, and Tesla’s app all provide panel level or system level data that lets you track output, spot underperforming panels, and verify that your system is generating as projected.
In the first few months after installation, check your monitoring data against your installer’s production estimates. If your system is consistently producing significantly less than projected, something may be wrong with the installation, with shading that was not properly accounted for, or with the equipment itself. Catching this early ensures you address it while warranty coverage is fully active.
You should also schedule a professional inspection every three to five years to check mounting hardware, wiring connections, and inverter performance. Burbank’s dry climate is generally gentle on solar equipment, but dust accumulation on panels during dry stretches can reduce output, so periodic cleaning is worthwhile.
Financial Incentives Available to Burbank Solar Customers in 2026
Understanding the financial landscape is just as important as understanding the installation process.
Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC): As passed by Congress on July 4, 2025 as part of the Big Beautiful Bill Act, taxpayer eligibility for the federal Investment Tax Credit is now based on a Begin Construction or Placed in Service date. If a project begins construction before July 4, 2026, it will be eligible for the Investment Tax Credit. This makes acting quickly a real financial priority for Burbank homeowners.
California Property Tax Exclusion: California law provides a 100% property tax exclusion for the value added to a home by a solar energy system. This means that while solar panels increase your home’s value, your annual property tax bill will not go up as a result, which is a significant long term benefit that saves hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the life of your system.
Prepaid Lease Option: For homeowners who do not have sufficient federal tax liability to benefit directly from the ITC, going through a prepaid lease arrangement allows the third party owner to claim the commercial credit and pass that equivalent 30% discount to you at the point of sale, with no personal tax liability needed.
PACE Financing: Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing allows eligible solar products to be financed for up to 25 years depending on the useful life of the eligible product. This option allows homeowners to spread the cost of installation over a long period and repay through their property tax bill, though it is worth evaluating carefully alongside other financing options.
For a deeper look at how these incentives affect total system costs, visit our detailed breakdown of how much solar panel installation costs in Los Angeles, CA, which covers pricing structures applicable across the greater LA area including Burbank.
Common Questions About Solar Installation in Burbank
How long does the full process take from start to finish?
Most Burbank solar projects take between four and ten weeks from initial consultation to the moment your system is turned on. The physical installation is just one to three days, but permitting, inspections, and BWP interconnection steps take up the majority of the timeline.
Do I need a new roof before installing solar panels?
Not necessarily, but your roof should have at least 10 to 15 years of remaining life. If your roof needs replacement within the next several years, it is almost always more cost effective to replace it before solar installation to avoid the labor cost of removing and reinstalling your panels later.
What happens during a power outage?
A standard grid tied solar system without battery storage automatically shuts down during a grid outage for safety reasons. If you want backup power during outages, you need a battery storage system paired with your solar installation. This is an increasingly popular choice for Burbank homeowners given California’s history of utility related outages.
Can I install solar on a rental property?
Yes, property owners can install solar on rental properties and benefit from reduced operating costs or increased property value. Tenants cannot install solar without the property owner’s consent, but tenant focused programs through CPUC are expanding access to community solar and virtual net metering options.
Choosing a Solar Installer You Can Trust in Burbank
The installer you choose determines not just the quality of your equipment but also whether your system is properly designed for your specific roof, correctly permitted, and fully compliant with BWP interconnection requirements. Look for companies with a proven local track record, transparent pricing, strong warranty terms on both equipment and workmanship, and clear communication throughout the process.
Ask every prospective installer to walk you through the full permit process, explain how they handle BWP interconnection, and provide a production estimate with their methodology clearly explained. A trustworthy installer welcomes these questions rather than deflecting them.
Going solar in Burbank is one of the smartest long term investments a property owner can make in the current energy landscape. The combination of strong year round sun, BWP’s revised net billing program, available financing structures, and the potential window for federal tax incentives before July 2026 all point to the same conclusion: the best time to move forward is now.