Everything you need to know about solar + battery

It's a planning-grade recommendation based on your actual address, roof data, and energy information, not a generic number applied to a ZIP code. Final engineering still happens during installer review, but what you get is detailed enough to make a real decision before that conversation starts.

Most calculators give you a rough savings range. SunEstimate combines rooftop data, your actual usage, utility rate structures, and battery modeling to produce a specific system recommendation with a financing breakdown and a plain-English explanation of why that setup makes sense for your home.

For most California homeowners with a reasonable electricity bill and a sun-facing roof, yes. The economics look different than before net billing rules changed, though. Payback periods on solar-only systems are longer now, but self-consumption and storage can still make the numbers work well over the system's life.

The main factors are your roof's sun exposure, your electricity bill size, and whether you own the home. A south- or west-facing roof with limited shading and a monthly bill above $150 tends to make solar economics work. Enter your address and we'll tell you within seconds.

Owned solar systems generally add to home value and can be a strong selling point in California. If you're financing, make sure the terms are transferable. Some loans and all leases need to be settled or transferred at sale. Your proposal will note which path keeps your options open.

Not necessarily. Your proposal shows solar-only versus solar-plus-battery side by side for your specific usage. Battery makes more sense if you have high evening usage, care about backup power, or plan to add an EV. It makes less sense if your main goal is a simple bill reduction.

California's net billing rules pay far less for power exported to the grid than you pay to import it. Storing that midday solar and using it yourself in the evening, instead of selling it cheap and buying it back expensive, is now the smarter play for most homeowners.

Yes, when set up for backup. Most home batteries automatically switch to backup power during an outage. How long it lasts depends on the battery's size and which circuits are wired to it. We factor your backup goals into the sizing recommendation.

New PG&E solar customers are on the Net Billing Tariff (commonly called NEM 3.0). PG&E pays an avoided-cost rate for exports, typically far less than what you pay to import power. That gap is why self-consumption and battery storage now drive the economics more than selling power back.

Not if you were interconnected before April 15, 2023. Existing NEM 1.0 and NEM 2.0 customers keep their original terms for 20 years from their interconnection date. Only new applications or certain system upgrades move to the new billing plan.

Share My Data lets you securely share your actual PG&E usage history with us to sharpen your recommendation. It's optional. You can also enter your bill manually and still get a meaningful plan.

SCE customers who went solar after April 2023 are also on the Net Billing Tariff. Like PG&E, SCE pays avoided-cost rates for exports rather than retail. The gap between import and export rates is what makes self-consumption and storage central to the economics.

No. If you were interconnected before April 15, 2023, you stay on your original NEM terms for 20 years from your interconnection date. Only new applications or certain system upgrades trigger the move to net billing.

Net billing customers are required to be on a time-of-use plan, since your export value depends on when you send power to the grid. We factor your rate plan into your savings estimate rather than assuming a flat rate.

SDG&E has some of the highest retail electricity rates in California, which means avoiding grid imports is especially valuable. Even under net billing, the economics of solar in SDG&E territory tend to be strong compared to other utilities.

No. Customers interconnected before April 15, 2023 keep their original NEM terms for 20 years. Only new applications or qualifying system upgrades move to the current net billing plan.

SDG&E supports Green Button Connect, which lets you securely share your usage history directly. It sharpens your recommendation, but entering your bill manually works too if you'd rather not connect.

Not for cash or loan purchases. Congress ended the residential credit (Section 25D) for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. If you're considering a lease or PPA, the company that owns the system may still claim a commercial credit and pass some value through as a lower rate.

Yes. California's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) offers per-kilowatt-hour rebates for home battery storage, with substantially higher rebates for income-qualified households and those in high fire-risk areas. Funding and waitlists vary by utility territory.

Each trades upfront cost against long-term savings differently. Cash maximizes savings but ties up capital. A loan spreads cost while you own the system. A lease or PPA means little upfront but smaller savings since you don't own the system. Your proposal compares all three for your numbers.

Buying (cash or loan) gives you ownership and higher long-term savings. Leasing means little upfront cost but smaller savings since you don't own the system, and some lease terms complicate home sales. Your proposal shows both scenarios for your specific numbers, not generic averages.

String inverters convert all panels' DC power centrally. They're efficient and lower cost, but a shaded panel can reduce output for the whole string. Microinverters work panel by panel, so shade or a fault only affects that one panel. For roofs with complex layouts or shading, microinverters tend to outperform.

Look at system size, panel brand and efficiency, inverter type, warranty terms, and financing separately, not just the total price. A cheaper quote with a smaller system or weaker warranty often costs more over time. Your SunEstimate proposal gives you a baseline so you know what a reasonable quote looks like for your home.

Installer partners pay us when we connect them with a qualified, well-matched homeowner project. The more accurate and useful your recommendation is, the better the match for everyone. We don't charge you, and we don't adjust recommendations based on which installer pays more.

Your address and energy data are used to build your proposal. Personal contact details (name, phone, email) are only shared with an installer after you choose to move forward with a match. We don't sell your information to unrelated third parties.

Installer partners pay a fee when we deliver a qualified lead: a homeowner with a real project that matches what that installer does. What makes SunEstimate different is that the recommendation comes first and is built around your home, not around which installer has the highest budget for leads.