Electrician in Simi Valley

Most of Simi Valley was built in one long boom that started with the first tracts in 1957 and 1958, and those houses are still the backbone of the city. When one of them still has its original service, central air or an electric car is usually the first thing to find its limit, which is why a load check comes first.

The setting adds the rest: the Santa Susana Mountains to the north, the Simi Hills to the east and south, hot summers, and Santa Ana winds that have brought both wildfires and SCE power shutoffs. The price comes in writing after we've seen the job.

What we do in Simi Valley

Everything we do in Simi Valley, with what each job usually involves here. The photos are from our own jobs.

Panel upgrades in Simi Valley

Replacing original 1960s panels in tract homes, with the city permit and SCE's approval and reconnect.

More on panel upgradesCall (844) 430-7681

EV charger installation in Simi Valley

Level 2 chargers in garages and driveways, with a load calculation first on 1960s services that already run central air.

More on EV charger installationCall (844) 430-7681

Electrical repair & troubleshooting in Simi Valley

Circuits that fail after Santa Ana winds or an SCE shutoff, and faults in decades-old additions and patio wiring.

More on electrical repair & troubleshootingCall (844) 430-7681

Rewiring in Simi Valley

Rewiring the valley's earliest tract houses in stages around remodels, and correcting additions and garage conversions wired without a permit.

More on rewiringCall (844) 430-7681

Lighting & ceiling fans in Simi Valley

Recessed lighting for remodeled 1960s kitchens and living rooms, and exterior and security lighting for lots against the hills.

More on lighting & ceiling fansCall (844) 430-7681

Outlets, GFCI & new circuits in Simi Valley

GFCI protection for kitchens, baths, garages and yards that predate the requirement, and 240-volt circuits for heat pumps, spas and shop tools.

More on outlets, GFCI & new circuitsCall (844) 430-7681

Generator hookups & battery backup in Simi Valley

Transfer switches and interlocks for portable generators, and battery backup wiring, for homes that go dark in SCE shutoffs, when rooftop solar without a battery goes off too.

More on generator hookups & battery backupCall (844) 430-7681

Commercial electrical in Simi Valley

Three-phase and equipment circuits, lighting and service work for the machinery and metalworking shops that are the city's largest industries, planned around production hours.

More on commercial electricalCall (844) 430-7681

Also: subpanels, dedicated circuits, 240-volt outlets for dryers and ranges, exterior and security lighting, hard-wired smoke alarms, and small repairs of every kind.

What's common in Simi Valley homes

Simi Valley is a city of owner-occupied single-family homes, nearly three in four, most built in the decades after the first tracts. What changes between neighborhoods is the age of the service and how close the lot sits to the hills.

• 1960s tracts across the valley floor. Original panels from that decade are often full, and decades of additions, patio covers and converted garages have been wired on top of them. A load calculation comes before any new appliance or charger.
• Wood Ranch. Built around a golf course that opened in 1985, with larger houses, pools and landscape lighting. Newer services usually have more room, but a spa, a second air-conditioning system and an electric car can still fill a panel.
• Streets against the mountains and hills. Neighborhoods that back onto the Santa Susana Mountains or the Simi Hills live with fire weather; the 2019 Easy Fire was pushed toward homes by Santa Ana gusts. Outdoor equipment here should be rated for heat and wind.

Permits and power in Simi Valley

Simi Valley is an independent city in Ventura County (ZIP codes 93062 to 93065). Rocky Peak, at its eastern end, marks the Los Angeles County line; over it, Chatsworth and West Hills are City of Los Angeles, with LADBS and LADWP. Santa Susana Knolls is unincorporated, so Ventura County issues permits there.

Permits come from the City of Simi Valley's Building and Safety Division, part of the Department of Environmental Services, through the city's online Customer Self Service portal. We apply under our license and meet the city inspector.

Power comes from Southern California Edison, which approves the equipment for any service upgrade and schedules the disconnect and reconnect. Simi Valley belongs to Clean Power Alliance, so your bill may show CPA for the electricity itself, but the meter and the service are SCE's.

The permits and utilities guide explains the whole picture for the three counties we serve.

Around Simi Valley

Moorpark, to the west, and Thousand Oaks, over the hills to the south, are separate Ventura County cities with their own building departments and SCE for power. Oak Park is unincorporated Ventura County, permitted by the County's Resource Management Agency Building and Safety, and also SCE. East over the Santa Susana Pass, Chatsworth, West Hills and Porter Ranch are City of Los Angeles neighborhoods, so permits there come from LADBS and power from LADWP.

• Moorpark
• Thousand Oaks
• Oak Park
• Chatsworth
• West Hills
• Porter Ranch

See the full list of areas we cover across Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.