The statewide CPUC rules behind midday ACC export rates and 4–9 PM peak billing.
2026 CPUC Net Billing Tariff · No Email Required
California NEM 3.0 Solar + Battery Calculator
Model your 2026 solar + battery system size, installed cost, 4–9 PM peak-shaving savings, and payback under SCE, SDG&E, and PG&E NEM 3.0 rates — instantly, with no email or phone required.
Estimate your solar + battery savings
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$250/mo
$50$2,000
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Estimates use published California averages and assume a solar-plus-battery system sized to your usage under NEM 3.0. They are not a quote.
Your estimate
Your utility bill today
$250/mo
With $0-down solar you keep about $90/mo
Est. $0-down solar payment
$160/mo
$0-down solar payment ≈ the system's monthly production × ~$0.23/kWh. Estimate, not a quote.
Recommended system
~5.0 kW
solar + battery
Estimated installed cost
$14,000–$19,000
before financing · §25D expired, not assumed
Estimated bill savings
$185–$230/mo
~$2,220–$2,760/yr
Rough payback
~5.1–8.6 yrs
cash purchase
$0 down · PPA
~$160/mo
Estimated monthly payment at about $0.23/kWh the system produces, $0 down — you pay only for the solar it makes, instead of your utility's higher retail rate. The federal §48E value is captured by the financier and passed through as that lower rate — it is not your tax credit. Estimate, not a quote.
Illustrative estimate only — your real numbers depend on your roof, exact usage, rate plan, equipment, and financing. We'll build you a precise, itemized proposal at no cost. (Incentives current as of June 2026; the federal residential credit, IRC §25D, expired 12/31/2025 and is never assumed here — only $0-down lease/PPA plans capture the surviving §48E value, passed through by the financier as a lower payment.)
Get my exact, itemized proposal →Want to see panels mapped directly to your roof pitch and azimuth? Launch our Instant 3D Roof Visualizer ↗
Why NEM 3.0 requires storage
Solar-Only vs. Solar + Battery Under 2026 NEM 3.0 Rates
Under CPUC Decision 22-12-056 (Net Billing Tariff), exporting unstored midday solar back to SCE, SDG&E, or PG&E pays wholesale avoided-cost rates. Storing that power for 4–9 PM is what drives 2026 payback.
| 2026 NEM 3.0 Billing Factor | Solar Panels Only (No Battery) | Solar + Battery Storage (Powerwall 3 / Enphase 5P) |
|---|---|---|
| Midday solar export credit (10 AM – 3 PM) | ~$0.04–$0.08/kWh (CPUC Avoided Cost Calculator) | Stored in 13.5–27 kWh battery instead of exported cheap |
| Evening peak electricity rate (4 PM – 9 PM) | Buy back from SCE / SDG&E / PG&E at ~$0.54–$0.68/kWh | Discharged from battery at $0 utility peak import |
| September evening grid-stress export adder | Minimal solar production left after 6 PM | Eligible for ACC peak export credits during 6–8 PM window |
| Typical bill offset & simple payback | ~40–55% bill offset · ~9–12+ year payback | ~80–95% bill offset · ~5.5–7.5 year typical payback |
Savings and ROI figures are owner-provided projections that assume average utility rates escalating ~5% annually. Estimates only — individual results vary; not a guarantee.
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Enter your California address to model panel placement on your actual roof facets, compare cash/loan ownership against $0-down lease/PPA & Prepaid Solar Plans (with ~30% §48E commercial tax-credit savings passed through), and see your exact 4–9 PM battery self-consumption offset.
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2026 NEM 3.0 FAQ
Questions about California NEM 3.0 payback & battery sizing
Under the CPUC Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0), Southern California Edison (SCE), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), and PG&E credit midday exported solar at wholesale Avoided Cost Calculator (ACC) rates (~$0.04–$0.08/kWh during most sunny hours) while charging ~$0.54–$0.68/kWh during the 4–9 PM Time-of-Use peak. Our calculator pairs your solar array with battery storage (such as Tesla Powerwall 3 or Enphase IQ Battery 5P) so your daytime solar shifts directly into the 4–9 PM peak window instead of exporting for pennies.
Even though a battery adds upfront hardware cost, it increases the value of every stored kilowatt-hour by roughly 6x to 10x (~$0.55+/kWh avoided evening import vs. ~$0.05/kWh midday export). For most SCE TOU-D-PRIME and SDG&E EV-TOU-5 households, solar + battery delivers an 80–95% electric bill offset and a ~5.5–7.5 year simple payback, plus whole-home backup during outages.
No — municipal utilities like LADWP, Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), Imperial Irrigation District (IID), and Anaheim Public Utilities are not governed by CPUC NEM 3.0. However, their Time-of-Use evening peak spreads still reward battery self-consumption. Select your exact utility or enter your street address below for utility-specific rate modeling.
The 30% residential solar & battery tax credit (IRC §25D) for customer-owned cash and loan purchases expired December 31, 2025, so our cash/loan estimates do not assume a federal residential tax credit. However, on $0-down Solar Lease, PPA, and Prepaid Solar Plan options, the commercial financing provider remains eligible for the ~30% commercial clean-energy credit (IRC §48E) and passes those savings through as a lower monthly payment or prepaid cost.
Most Southern California homes with a $220–$380/month electric bill need one 13.5 kWh battery (such as a single Tesla Powerwall 3 with 11.5 kW continuous output) to cover the 4–9 PM peak window. Larger homes running central air conditioning, pool pumps, and EV chargers with $400–$700+/month bills typically model best with 20–27 kWh of storage (one Powerwall 3 + Expansion unit, or dual Powerwall 3s).
Keep researching
2026 California NEM 3.0 & battery reading
How SCE, SDG&E, and PG&E Net Billing export rates work, why battery storage drives 2026 payback, and current California incentives.
Side-by-side peak rates, export credits, and battery sizing across the three IOUs.
Post-2025 incentive guide: ~30% §48E lease/prepaid pass-through, SGIP, and property-tax exclusion.
Compare general solar + battery system sizing alongside our TOU bill-shift and battery runtime tools.
Ready to see your exact 2026 NEM 3.0 proposal?
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