Why do I need a battery as an SCE customer under NEM 3.0?

Under NEM 3.0 (net billing), SCE pays you far less for the solar energy you export than it charges you to buy power back in the evening. Sending excess daytime solar to the grid for pennies and then buying it back at peak rates no longer pencils out. A battery lets you store your own midday solar and use it during the 4–9 PM peak instead, so you self-consume the energy at its full value rather than exporting it cheaply.

Does OC Solar handle the SCE interconnection and Permission to Operate?

Yes. We manage the entire SCE process end-to-end: the interconnection application, the net-billing tariff paperwork, coordination with your city's permitting and inspection, and the final Permission to Operate (PTO) that lets your system legally turn on. You sign once, and we report on the timeline so you always know where your project stands.

How big a system and battery do I need on SCE?

It depends on your usage and your roof — there is no one-size answer, and any number before a site review is just an estimate. As a rule of thumb on SCE, you want enough panels to cover your daytime production plus charge a battery, and enough battery capacity to carry your home through the 4–9 PM peak. We'll model your actual SCE usage and size the right solar-plus-battery combination for your home.

Southern California Edison

Solar & battery for Southern California Edison customers

SCE rates average about $0.36/kWh, and NEM 3.0 net billing pays little for the solar you export. That makes a battery — not just panels — the key to real savings, because SCE charges the most during the 4–9 PM peak.

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How SCE bills you in 2026

The bill is built around the 4–9 PM peak

To understand why a battery beats panels-only on SCE, start with how Southern California Edison actually prices your power. Three forces are working against an export-first solar system.

Time-of-use pricing

SCE puts almost every residential account on a time-of-use plan. Power costs the most during the 4–9 PM peak and far less midday — so when you use energy matters as much as how much.

NEM 3.0 export devaluation

Under net billing, the credit SCE gives you for exported solar is a fraction of the retail rate you pay at night. Exporting your daytime surplus to the grid simply no longer pays the way it once did.

Rates that keep climbing

SCE residential rates average roughly $0.36/kWh — an approximate blended average that has trended up year after year. Locking in your own generation hedges against the next increase.

$0.36/kWh is cited as an approximate average residential rate; your exact SCE rate depends on your tariff and time-of-use tier.

Why a battery is the play

Store cheap daytime solar for the expensive peak

On SCE, the goal is no longer to sell power back to the grid — it's to stop buying it during the hours it costs the most.

Self-consume, don't export. Your panels make more than you use midday. A battery banks that surplus instead of exporting it for the low NEM 3.0 rate.
Power the 4–9 PM peak yourself. When SCE's rates spike in the evening, your home runs on stored solar — the single biggest lever on your bill.
Backup when the grid drops. A Tesla Powerwall 3 delivers 13.5 kWh usable and 11.5 kW continuous output, with native solar integration managed in the Tesla app and a roughly 10-year warranty.

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Tesla Powerwall battery installed at a Southern California Edison customer's home

What we handle

SCE interconnection and PTO, end-to-end

The paperwork with Southern California Edison is where most projects bog down. We own it from the application to the day your system legally turns on.

SCE interconnection application

We prepare and submit the interconnection and net-billing paperwork to Southern California Edison and track it through approval.

Permitting & inspection

We pull the city permit, coordinate the build to code, and schedule the inspection — the steps that stall most DIY and out-of-area installers.

Permission to Operate (PTO)

We see your project all the way to PTO — the final SCE sign-off that lets your system legally switch on — and keep you posted on the timeline throughout.

Licensed C-46 solar contractor — CSLB #1023627. Verify our license anytime, or call 949-427-8817.

See your numbers

Estimate your SCE solar-plus-battery savings

Enter your address and roughly what you pay SCE each month for an instant, no-obligation estimate. It's a starting point — we confirm everything with a real site review.

SCE customer FAQ

Common questions from Edison customers

SCE residential rates average roughly $0.36 per kWh (an approximate blended average — your exact rate depends on your tariff and time-of-use tier). Their time-of-use plans push the highest prices into the 4–9 PM peak window, which is exactly when most homes use the most power and when solar panels are winding down for the day. That gap between cheap daytime solar and expensive evening grid power is the whole reason a battery matters on SCE.

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