More California homeowners are "electrifying" — swapping gas appliances for efficient electric ones and powering it all with solar. It's cleaner, often cheaper to run, and future-proofs your home. But it works best when you plan it in the right order, starting with your electrical panel.
What electrification actually means
It's the shift from fossil-fuel appliances to electric equivalents: heat-pump HVAC in place of a gas furnace, a heat-pump water heater in place of a gas tank, an induction range instead of a gas cooktop, and an EV instead of a gas car. Modern heat pumps are remarkably efficient, and induction cooking is faster and cleaner than gas.
Your electrical panel is the hub
Every one of those upgrades draws power through your electrical panel. Add several to an older 100- or 125-amp panel and you can run out of capacity fast. That's why electrification projects usually start with a load calculation and, often, a panel upgrade to 200 amps — so there's room to add appliances safely over time instead of hitting a wall halfway through.
Pair it with solar and storage
Electrifying increases your electricity usage — which is exactly why pairing it with solar makes sense. Generating your own power keeps operating costs low even as you move more of your home onto electricity, and a battery covers the evening hours when rates peak.
Do it in the right order
The smart sequence is usually: assess the panel, upgrade if needed, then add solar and storage sized for your new, higher usage, then bring on the electric appliances. Doing it in that order avoids paying twice or discovering capacity problems mid-project.
Paxton Energy handles the electrical and the solar in-house, so we can plan the whole path with you — panel, solar, storage, and the circuits your new appliances need. Start with a free assessment.