Electrician in West Hills

West Hills stayed ranch land until 1961. Woodlake and Pinelake Estates were subdivided in the 1960s and new streets kept climbing into the Simi Hills through the 1970s, so most houses here belong to one generation, with electrical systems now fifty to sixty-five years old.

The other West Hills question is where the city ends, because the permit office and the utility change at the county line. We work on both sides of it; the estimate is on site, and the price is in writing.

What we do in West Hills

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

Panel upgrades in West Hills

Replacing first-generation panels on the LADWP side of the line, and working with Edison and Ventura County instead when the address turns out to be Bell Canyon.

More on panel upgradesCall (844) 430-7681

EV charger installation in West Hills

Chargers for West Hills garages, after a load calculation on the original service and a check for aluminum on any circuit the work touches.

More on EV charger installationCall (844) 430-7681

Electrical repair & troubleshooting in West Hills

Tracking down overheating aluminum connections behind warm switch plates and outlets in 1960s–70s houses.

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

Rewiring in West Hills

Repairing aluminum branch circuits with the methods the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends, or replacing them with copper.

More on rewiringCall (844) 430-7681

Lighting & ceiling fans in West Hills

Gate, path and landscape lighting on the larger lots toward the Simi Hills, on circuits sized for the long runs.

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

Commercial electrical in West Hills

Tenant improvements, lighting, meter banks, dedicated circuits and service upgrades for shops, offices, warehouses and multi-unit buildings.

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 West Hills homes

West Hills houses went up in one twenty-year stretch and have aged together, which makes their weak points predictable.

• First-generation services. A panel from the first owner is now past fifty. Anything added since, from central air and a pool pump to an induction range or a charger, has to fit on it, so a load calculation comes before the next addition.
• Aluminum branch wiring. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says cable installed in new homes between 1965 and the mid-1970s may be aluminum rather than copper. Its connections can overheat without warning; warm cover plates, flickering lights and dead circuits are the signs to act on.
• Bigger lots up the slopes. Toward the Simi Hills the lots grow larger and more irregular, and the runs to gates, pumps and outbuildings grow with them. Wire for those runs is sized for voltage drop over the distance as well as for the load.
• The open-space edge. Parts of West Hills are in the city's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, and the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which started on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory property to the northwest, forced evacuations here. Exterior wiring on these lots belongs in weather-rated boxes and conduit, clear of the brush that has to be cut back.

Permits and power in West Hills

Inside its own boundaries West Hills (91304, 91307) is City of Los Angeles throughout, so the citywide steps below apply. The ZIP code doesn't prove that, though. Bell Canyon, the gated community at the west end, also uses 91307, and it is unincorporated Ventura County: its permits come from the County of Ventura Division of Building and Safety and its power from Southern California Edison. The quickest check is a tax or power bill. Los Angeles County and LADWP mean the steps below; Ventura County and SCE mean a different permit office and a different utility schedule.

Permits come from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). A new circuit, an EV charger, a sub-panel or a panel replacement is permitted work, and LADBS will not send an inspector until the permit is issued. We pull it under our license and meet the inspector at the end.

Power comes from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), not Southern California Edison. For repairs, lighting, new outlets and a charger that fits on the existing panel, LADWP is not involved. For a panel or service upgrade it is: the job starts with LADWP's free meter spot, where an Electric Service Representative visits within five to fifteen business days, confirms where the new equipment may go and leaves a sketch at the job (single-family services up to 320 amps can be requested online). When only the meter needs setting, LADWP says that generally happens within ten working days. If the existing LADWP service can carry the new load there are generally no LADWP charges; work in the street, on a transformer or on the lines can add cost and time, and we find that out before you commit.

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

Around West Hills

Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, Chatsworth and Winnetka are City of Los Angeles neighborhoods like West Hills. Hidden Hills and Calabasas are separate cities on Southern California Edison; Hidden Hills runs on a single SCE circuit, and the city tells residents that SCE may switch it off in high winds as a wildfire precaution. Across the Simi Hills, Simi Valley is a Ventura County city with its own Building and Safety Division, also on Edison.

• Canoga Park
• Woodland Hills
• Chatsworth
• Winnetka
• Hidden Hills
• Calabasas
• Simi Valley

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