Which utility serves my address in California?

California is served by Southern California Edison, PG&E. Your bill names your utility at the top. Service maps do not follow county or town lines, so if your bill does not match what you expect, call (832) 263-8055 and we will check your exact address.

What is an all-in electricity rate?

The all-in rate is your total bill divided by the kilowatt-hours you used. It includes supply, delivery and riders, not the supply rate alone. It is the number that matters when comparing against solar, because solar offsets everything you would otherwise buy.

Can I still claim the 30% federal solar tax credit in California?

The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Homeowners buying with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it. Section 48E still applies to third-party-owned systems such as leases and power purchase agreements, where the system owner claims it.

Why do California electricity rates keep rising?

Utilities buy wholesale power through a regional grid operator. When capacity and energy prices rise there, they land across the state at roughly the same time rather than utility by utility. Demand from data centers is arriving faster than new generation is being built, and that gap shows up on the delivery side of the bill.

Home › California Electric Rates

California · Updated August 2026

California electric rates in 2026

What every California utility actually charges, where the number comes from, and what it means for your bill.

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Estimate what solar does against your California electric bill

Enter your bill and we’ll size the array that would cover it, and show the gross value of that production at your rate. It does not net off the customer charge, taxes or what you would still draw at night — for that, use the bill savings calculator. Nothing is sent anywhere; this runs in your browser.

Your monthly bill

Your rate (¢/kWh)

Sun hours where you live

Shading

You use about—

System size to cover it—

Panels, roughly—

Roof area needed—

Your current annual electricity spend—

See what your roof actually produces →

An estimate from your own numbers, not a quote, and not a savings figure. It assumes 400 W panels, an 80% system derate and no roof constraints. Your real number depends on orientation, roof area and your utility’s export credit. Savings are not guaranteed.

Work it out further

Bill forecast · What your bill becomes in 25 yearsPayback period · When a purchase pays for itselfSystem size · How many panels your roof needsBattery backup · What a battery actually runs

Every utility, side by side

What California homeowners pay

Utility	All-in rate	Full breakdown
Southern California Edison	~34.4¢	Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura, S… →
PG&E	~33¢+	San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, Bake… →

Figures as published August 2026. Each utility resets on its own schedule — check your bill for the rate on your account.

How California works

Why the number is what it is

California re-regulated after the 2000–01 energy crisis, so your utility is determined by your address. Rates are set through CPUC proceedings rather than wholesale auctions.

California residential rates average 33.25 cents, roughly 80% above the national average. Under NEM 3.0 net billing, exported power earns considerably less than retail — which makes storage matter more here than anywhere else.

The honest cost picture

Two ways to pay for solar

If you buy the system you own the equipment, keep any renewable credits, and carry maintenance. If you use a PPA it is $0 upfront — we install and own the system, you buy the power it produces, and you only pay for what it actually generates.

The residential federal tax credit (25D) ended for property placed in service after December 31, 2025.

You will still see ads promising a 30% credit that “ends December 31.” Read the date on them. What remains applies to the owner of the system — which, under a PPA, is us. SolarAmerica does not provide tax advice; talk to your tax professional.

Who you would be working with

SolarAmerica

#1Ranked by Solar Power World

20,000+Installations completed

16+States with installations

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Sources

Where these numbers come from

Every figure on this page is drawn from a public filing or a published rate schedule. We update it when the utility resets.

California Public Utilities Commission — Decision 24-05-028 and rate case filings
U.S. Energy Information Administration — Electric Power Monthly
Utility advice letters and rate change notices

Last updated August 2026.

See what your roof and your utility add up to

About 60 seconds. No cost, no obligation, and we will tell you if solar does not make sense for your home.

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Local detail

Solar by county in California

Every California county has its own page with local towns, ZIP codes, peak sun hours and production math against the rate above. 58 in total.