Free bill analysis - bring a power bill, get the production math for your actual roof, panel brands like Qcells and REC compared side by side
If the pitch starts at your door and ends with "sign tonight for the special," sleep on it. The sun will still be there tomorrow; so will we.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Solar Battery Storage & Backup Across Tujunga
Solar battery storage in Tujunga runs $9,500 to $18,500 for most whole-home setups, with a Tesla Powerwall 3 install typically landing between $12,000 and $16,000 before incentives. Lead time is usually 2 to 6 weeks once LADWP approves your interconnection, though the utility queue can stretch that to 8 weeks in busy months. We’ve been working Tujunga rooftops long enough to know which 1960s ranch panels LADWP will reject on sight. If you’re tired of watching the lights flicker every time a Santa Ana gust hits the canyon, call us at (877) 550-6892 and we’ll come take a look.
Why Gus’s Solar Is Tujunga’s Preferred Solar Battery Storage & Backup Company
Gus Petrakis started this company in 2011 and still answers his own phone. That matters in Tujunga, where plenty of folks have been burned by a door-knocker who quoted one number at the curb and a different one in the contract. We publish our address, our license number, and our owner’s name. If something isn’t right, Gus comes back. That’s the whole promise.
Tujunga customers call us because we understand the LADWP interconnection process, not just the hardware side. A battery that never gets approved because the panel is under-rated is a paperweight. We flag that before you spend a dime. Our Solar Battery Storage & Backup team quotes real numbers off your actual utility bill and the year-25 output, not the day-one brochure figure. Take two weeks. Think about it. The price will be the same.
The 90-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every job: if it’s not right, we make it right. One call brings Gus back. No ticketing portal, no call center three states away. A live person answers 24/7, and that person lives in the same county as you.
Our Solar Battery Storage & Backup Services in Tujunga
Tesla Powerwall Installation
A Tesla Powerwall 3 installation in Tujunga typically runs $12,000 to $16,000 before the 30% federal tax credit, depending on whether you need one or two units and what your existing electrical panel can handle. We’ve done enough Powerwall installs on Foothill Boulevard and up in the Hillhaven area to know that the battery performs best here when the LADWP interconnection is filed correctly the first time. We handle the paperwork, the panel coordination, and the physical mount. The Powerwall 3 is a strong fit for Tujunga because its integrated inverter simplifies retrofits on older homes.
Enphase IQ Battery Installation
Enphase IQ Battery 5P units run about $7,500 to $10,500 installed in Tujunga, and they work especially well on homes with existing Enphase microinverters. The modular design means you can start with one 5 kWh unit and add capacity later, which suits smaller Tujunga homes that don’t have a huge electrical load. We configure the Enphase system for Time-of-Use optimization so the battery charges during off-peak rates and discharges during LADWP’s 4 to 9 pm peak window.
Whole-Home Backup Power
Whole-home backup in Tujunga requires sizing the battery bank to your actual outage profile, not a generic square-footage chart. On a 1,200 sq ft ranch with a fridge, a gas furnace blower, a couple of circuits for lights and outlets, and the router, one Powerwall 3 will carry you through most blackouts. Two Powerwalls cover air conditioning during a summer heat event. We map your subpanel, identify the essential loads, and build the transfer setup so the switchover happens fast enough that your clocks don’t even blink.
Battery Retrofit for Existing Solar
This is the most common battery job we do in Tujunga, and the one where local knowledge saves people real money. If you already have a solar array on a 1960s ranch roof, adding a battery usually requires an AC-coupled system (if your existing inverter works) or a full inverter swap. Because Tujunga sits inside LADWP’s slower interconnection queue and the City of LA’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, a battery retrofit on an older home often requires a 100-amp or 200-amp panel upgrade plus compliance with 3-foot roof setback rules before LADWP will approve the system. We coordinate all of it: the panel permits, the LADWP meter spot, the VHFHSZ roof-clearance verification, and the final inspection. You don’t chase the city. We do.
We also handle battery replacement and expansion, Time-of-Use & NEM 3.0 optimization, and EV charger integration on the same panel. If your existing battery is degraded or you want to add capacity, we’ll tell you honestly whether an expansion makes sense or whether your money is better spent on a newer unit.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Tujunga
We install and service FranklinWH, Tesla, Enphase, and SolarEdge equipment. That’s not a logo wall; it’s what we actually stock and support in Tujunga. If your Enphase battery throws a grid-forming fault during a Santa Ana wind event, we carry the replacement relays and comms boards locally, so we’re not waiting a week on a distributor. If you have an older SolarEdge inverter paired with a battery that keeps tripping, we can usually diagnose it in one visit. Bring me a bill, I’ll bring you the math, on whatever brand you’re running or considering.
Common Solar Battery Storage & Backup Problems We See in Tujunga Homes
- LADWP interconnection rejected because the panel is under-rated. Homes with original 60-amp or 100-amp service panels can’t pass the utility’s load rating for a battery with a 5 kW continuous output. We see this on roughly half the pre-1960 homes in the 91042 and 91043 ZIP codes. A panel upgrade to 200 amps usually runs $3,500 to $6,000 in Tujunga, and we fold that into your quote up front, not after the permits are filed.
- Santa Ana wind gusts loosen older racking and trip arc-fault alarms. Tujunga sits at the mouth of Big Tujunga Canyon, where Santa Ana winds are channeled and amplified. A gust that shakes an older composition-shingle roof can cause panel racking on the hip ridge to shift just enough to create an arc-fault trip. The result is a battery that drains at night feeding a fault. We check the racking torque before we touch the battery.
- Morning ridge shading starves east-facing arrays. The San Gabriel Mountain ridge directly north of Tujunga blocks early sun on east-facing roof sections. A battery bank sized from a generic production estimate can fall short by 20 to 30 percent in winter, when Time-of-Use windows matter most. Our sizing math starts with a shade analysis, not a satellite photo.
- VHFHSZ roof setbacks shrink usable panel area, which caps battery sizing. LA’s fire-code-mandated 3-foot clear roof pathways eat into usable space on small post-WWII ranch roofs. A homeowner expecting an 8 kW array may end up capped at 3 to 4 kW, which changes what a battery can realistically charge. We tell you the capped number before you sign anything, not after the plan review comes back.
Pricing for Solar Battery Storage & Backup in Tujunga, CA
What does a solar battery actually cost in Tujunga? Here’s the honest range. A single Enphase IQ Battery 5P runs roughly $7,500 to $10,500 installed. A Tesla Powerwall 3 typically lands between $12,000 and $16,000 installed. Whole-home backup with two Powerwalls on a larger hillside home runs $22,000 to $28,000. A retrofit onto an existing solar array usually adds $800 to $1,500 in wiring and reconfiguration time. If you need a panel upgrade from 100-amp to 200-amp to pass LADWP interconnection, budget $3,500 to $6,000. The 30% federal tax credit applies to the battery and the electrical work. Call (877) 550-6892 for an exact number based on your utility bill and your roof. Estimates are free, and the price you’re quoted is the price charged.
We Also Serve Cities Near Tujunga
Our crew works throughout the foothill corridor, including Sunland, La Crescenta-Montrose, Shadow Hills, and Burbank. The LADWP versus SCE service boundary runs right through this area, so we’re tuned to the different interconnection timelines. For a closer look at what we do here in town, see our Tujunga page.
Serving Tujunga, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Tujunga area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Solar Battery Storage & Backup in Tujunga
Expect 4 to 8 weeks for LADWP interconnection in Tujunga, versus 2 to 4 weeks on SCE’s process across the line in Burbank. LADWP’s queue is slower and their net-metering rules differ from SCE’s, so a system designed for SCE won’t automatically pass LADWP review. We file the paperwork the same week you sign, and we follow the application until it’s approved. Call (877) 550-6892 and we’ll give you an honest timeline based on where your address falls in the queue right now.
Most of the time, yes, but only if the system is sized correctly. The San Gabriel ridge north of Tujunga causes measurable morning shading on east-facing sections, which cuts winter production by 20 to 30 percent. That doesn’t kill a battery retrofit; it just means the battery bank has to match the actual charge window, not the brochure number. We run a shade-and-setback analysis before quoting so you don’t end up with a battery that never reaches full charge during LADWP’s winter TOU windows.
Usually not. LADWP interconnection requires that the panel carry the combined load of the solar system and the battery’s continuous output rating. A 100-amp panel on a 1950s ranch typically can’t clear that bar, especially if you also run an EV charger. A 200-amp panel upgrade in Tujunga runs about $3,500 to $6,000, and we include it in the quote up front. We don’t hide it and surprise you later. Call (877) 550-6892 for a free panel assessment.
The battery itself keeps working. What fails during a Santa Ana wind event is usually the racking or the inverter comms. Big Tujunga Canyon channels wind gusts that shake older composition-shingle roofs, and if the panel racking on the hip ridge loosens, the arc-fault detection can trip and drain the battery at night. We torque-check the racking before the battery job and recommend racking rated for canyon wind loads on any new array in the 91042 and 91043 ZIP codes.
Not directly. The VHFHSZ 3-foot clear roof pathway rule limits where panels can go, which affects how much solar you have to charge the battery, but the battery itself is wall-mounted or floor-mounted, typically in the garage or on an exterior wall away from vents and gas lines. The practical effect in Tujunga is that a small ranch roof with setbacks may only support 3 to 4 kW of panels, which changes your realistic battery size. We’ll tell you that number before you sign anything.
If you’ve been running quotes from out-of-state installers who don’t know LADWP from SCE, stop. Call Gus at (877) 550-6892. Bring me a bill, I’ll bring you the math. Free estimate, no signature wanted tonight, and the price will be the same in two weeks.
Written by Gus Petrakis, Owner at Gus’s Solar, serving Tujunga since 2011.