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What solar costs in California, what it saves under net billing, and how to pay for it.
Is solar worth it in California?
Payback by utility under NEM 3.0, what systems cost in 2026 and what decides your number.
NEM 3.0 in California: how net billing works
Hourly export credits at PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, the rate you must move to, the nine-year lock and your true-up.
What solar panels cost in California
What homes actually paid in 2026 from state interconnection data: price per watt, cost by size and utility.
Paying for solar in California
Cash, loans, PACE or a lease: the $1,000 down payment cap, liens, PACE rules and your right to cancel.
California solar incentives in 2026
What is left after the federal credit: the property tax exclusion, battery rebates and local programs.
Solar batteries in California
Whether you need one under net billing, what a stored kWh is worth at each utility, costs and open rebates.
Solar and property tax in California
What the exclusion covers, why a 2026 system must be finished by December 31, new homes and selling.
The average electric bill in California
What California homes pay each month, how it changed since 2019, and the averages by utility.
The Base Services Charge and your solar
The new $24 monthly charge at PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, who pays what, and why solar credits can't pay it.
Before you sign
How to check a California solar company
The CSLB license and salesperson number, the forms you must get, and the sales claims to walk away from.
How to cancel a solar contract in California
Three business days, five if you're 65 or older, a deadline calculator and a notice to send.
Free solar panels in California?
What the CPUC says about "free" solar, the no-cost programs for income-qualified homes, and what $0 down means.
Solar leases and PPAs in California
Who owns the panels, escalators, what happens when you sell, and how many new systems are leased.
California solar laws
The Solar Rights Act, the disclosure document, your right to cancel, permit fee caps and new-home solar.
HOA solar rules in California
The $1,000 and 10% limits, the 45-day approval clock, shared condo roofs and what a roof direction costs.
Solar permits in California
The $450 fee cap, one inspection for small systems and which cities issue permits online, instantly.
How long solar takes in California
Each step's legal clock, and how long PG&E, SCE and SDG&E took to approve home solar in 2026.
The solar mandate for new homes
How the 2025 Energy Code sizes a new home's system, the exceptions and the battery option.
Already have solar
Your solar true-up bill, explained
How the yearly true-up works under NEM and the Solar Billing Plan, why it can be big and net surplus pay.
NEM 2.0 vs. NEM 3.0
How export credits, rate plans and billing differ, how long NEM 2.0 lasts, and selling or adding panels.
The NEM 3.0 lawsuit
What the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal decided, why net billing stands and what it means for you.
Solar panel cleaning in California
How much output dust takes in California, what that costs on your bill and how to wash panels safely.
If your solar company went out of business
Who still covers your panels, the $25,000 license bond, solar loans, liens and what to do first.
Other ways to go solar
Community solar in California
The 20% DAC-GT discount, what is left of CSGT, the Green Tariff and the new program still waiting for funding.
Plug-in solar in California
What SB 868 allows: kits up to 1,200 watts, no utility approval or fees, the certification catch and what a kit makes.
DIY solar in California
The owner-builder law, your own permit and utility application, what self-installers paid and the risks.
Your electric bill
Why is my PG&E bill so high?
A price per kWh that nearly doubled since 2019, the baseline allowance, 4 to 9 p.m. prices and fixed charges.
Why is my SCE bill so high?
Summer 4 to 9 p.m. prices, baseline allowances by climate zone and the fixed charges on an SCE bill.
Why is my SDG&E bill so high?
The highest price per kWh of the big three, the 4 to 9 p.m. peak and the 130% baseline step.
By utility
How each California utility bills a solar home and pays for the power you send back.
Solar for PG&E customers
What the Solar Billing Plan pays by hour, the E-ELEC rate, the true-up and payback for a typical home.
Solar for SCE customers
What SCE pays for solar you send back, the TOU-D-PRIME rate, the annual bill and payback.
Solar for SDG&E customers
The EV-TOU-5 rate, export credits by month and hour, the true-up and payback.
Solar for LADWP customers
How LADWP still nets solar against your use, what it pays for extra power and payback.
Solar for SMUD customers
The Solar and Storage Rate's 9.6-cent export rate, what solar saves by the hour and the battery incentive.
Solar for IID customers
Net Billing's 6.98-cent credit against a 22.30-cent price, the monthly rules and payback.
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