Base Services Charge in California: What Solar Homes Pay

At a glance

The Base Services Charge is a fixed daily charge on every residential bill at California's three big utilities. It isn't an extra fee, the utilities say: costs that used to be built into the price per kWh were moved to their own line, and the price per kWh came down, by about 10% according to SCE and SDG&E, roughly 5 cents at SDG&E. Low users can end up paying a bit more and high users a bit less, SCE says.

June 2022AB 205 passesThe Legislature orders a restructured residential bill.
October 2025SDG&EFirst bills with the charge.
November 2025SCEReplaces SCE's Basic Charge.
March 2026PG&EReplaces the Minimum Electric Charge.

How much it is

Who	Per month	Per day
Most customers	About $24	About 79¢
FERA, or deed-restricted affordable housing	About $12	About 40¢
CARE	About $6	About 20¢

The same at PG&E, SCE and SDG&E. Billed per day, so a month's total shifts a little with the length of the billing period; SCE lists $24.15, $12.08 and $6.00. Sources: PG&E, SCE and SDG&E Base Services Charge pages.

CARE and FERA households get the lower amount automatically and keep their usage discounts too. There's no way to opt out, SCE says, and SDG&E says Medical Baseline customers don't get a discount on it because Medical Baseline isn't an income-qualified program.

Why it exists

Assembly Bill 205, passed in June 2022, required the CPUC and the big utilities to restructure residential bills, and the CPUC set one statewide charge. PG&E says it covers the cost of connecting your home to the grid, metering and part of billing and customer service, public purpose programs such as CARE and energy efficiency, and a charge that funds system reliability. The stated aim is to make electricity cheaper per kWh, so switching to electric cars and appliances costs less.

Solar homes and the charge

You pay it every month. All three utilities bill solar homes the same charge, and SCE says it's due monthly even on net metering or the Solar Billing Plan.
Solar credits can't pay it. PG&E, SCE and SDG&E all say export or generation credits can't offset it. At SCE, a leftover Net Surplus Compensation credit or the Solar Billing Plan's bonus credits can.
On net metering. At PG&E it replaced the Minimum Electric Charge and runs about $10 more. SDG&E lets net metering customers pay it monthly or wait until the true-up. SCE notes that because the kWh price dropped, monthly net metering credits dropped with it.
On the Solar Billing Plan. SDG&E lists it as a non-nettable charge, alongside non-bypassable charges.

What solar can and can't cut

The charge sets a floor under a solar home's bill. Here's a typical home's monthly bill in its first year of solar, split three ways:

Base Services Charge: solar can't cut itPower you still buySaved by solar

PG&E$233 a month before solar

$24$116$93

SCE$214 a month before solar

$24$111$79

SDG&E$279 a month before solar

$24$146$109

A home using 7,000 kWh a year with a system sized to 85% of its use, no battery, first year, from our calculator with each utility's 2026 rates and export credits. Base Services Charge at the full $24.13 a month.

Solar cuts a big share of the power part of the bill, but the $24 stays. It's also why the CPUC lists "You will never pay an electricity bill ever again" among the false claims solar sellers make. The lower kWh price also means each kWh your panels make saves a little less than it would have before the change; our estimates use the new prices.

Close-up of a modern two-way electric meter and solar disconnect box mounted on a stucco wall

Next step

What a free quote call gets you

One verified local installer
The installed price for your roof
Your payback years from that price
Free, with no obligation

See what solar could save you

About a minute, and no phone number needed. If the number looks good, a free quote call gets you the exact price.

Check my savings →

Common questions

How much is the Base Services Charge in California?

About $24 a month for most customers of PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, $12 for FERA customers and deed-restricted affordable housing, and $6 for CARE customers. It's billed per day, so the monthly total varies slightly.

Do solar customers pay the Base Services Charge?

Yes. PG&E, SCE and SDG&E all bill it to solar homes, and export or generation credits can't pay it. At SCE, a leftover Net Surplus Compensation credit or Solar Billing Plan bonus credits can.

When did the Base Services Charge start?

SDG&E in October 2025, SCE in November 2025 and PG&E in March 2026, under Assembly Bill 205 of 2022.

Is the Base Services Charge a new fee?

The utilities say no: it moves costs that were already in the price per kWh to their own line, and the kWh price fell by about 10%. Low-use homes may pay a little more and high-use homes a little less.

Did the Base Services Charge replace PG&E's minimum charge?

Yes. For PG&E solar customers on net metering it replaced the monthly Minimum Electric Charge in March 2026, and PG&E says it's about $10 more.

Utilities and the CPUC can change the charge; amounts here are as of October 2026. Calculator figures are estimates for a typical home. Sources: PG&E: Base Services Charge · PG&E: solar bill · SCE: Base Services Charge · SDG&E: Base Services Charge · SDG&E: Understanding Your Solar Bill. Reviewed October 2026.

Next guideWhy is my PG&E bill so high? →