to Power Your Home

How does billing change with SDG&E?

The energy from solar first powers your home, in real time. “Excess” solar power produced is generally stored in batteries for nighttime use. Once your household needs are met and your battery is full, additional solar power will flow back to the utility grid. You will receive a small credit from SDG&E for each kWh you send back.

You will continue to pay a monthly bill to SDG&E, but it will be much smaller than before. Depending on the size of the solar and battery system relative to your electricity usage that month, you may just have to pay SDG&E the minimum monthly meter fee.

Sizing a solar and battery system is not as straight-forward as it may seem. The first step is to look at your past electric usage patterns, month-by-month, as well as hour-by-hour. Then it’s important to consider how your electric usage patterns may change in the near future.

Many of our customers plan to use more air conditioning when they get solar, to add a pool or a hot tub, or to get an electric vehicle (EV). Others plan to upgrade their kitchen or their hot water heating from gas to electric. Still others want to plan for their upcoming retirement, for their adult children moving out, for their elderly parents moving in, or even for an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).

All of these factors, and many more, must be properly accounted for when designing the best system for your home. Our expert consultants will guide you through the system design process, based on your actual site conditions (e.g. roof orientation and shading, main electric panel condition, etc.), to arrive at a system that is configured for your specific family’s long-term needs.

Solar panels have no moving parts, can withstand extreme weather, and require virtually no maintenance throughout their entire lifespan. According to a UCSD study, it’s generally not necessary to even clean your solar panels.

That being said, at some point your solar inverter and battery will reach their end-of-life. The good news is that every system we install comes with online monitoring, so that any problems can be easily identified and resolved. Through the monitoring app, you’re able to see exactly how much electricity your solar is producing, as well as how much electricity your household is using.

A common misconception is that San Diego coastal homes do not benefit from solar power because the marine layer will compromise performance. We have installed thousands of solar panels near the ocean with excellent results – they actually perform best in bright but cool conditions. To estimate production, we account for the historical weather data in your specific area, whether that be coastal Encinitas or La Jolla, Escondido or La Mesa, Clairemont or Carlsbad. You will produce less solar when it’s cloudy, but each kWh you produce will be offsetting some of the most expensive electricity costs in the country.