California solar utility guide

SCE solar billing and net metering

New solar systems generally use the Net Billing Tariff, also called the Solar Billing Plan. Consumption follows the applicable time-of-use tariff while exports receive time-dependent avoided-cost credits.

Service territory: Southern and Central California service areas | Policy source checked 2026-10-07

Author profile: Marcus Vance. Verify the linked tariff before relying on a savings estimate.

Exact tariff effective date must be confirmed in the account document. Expiration has not been established for this account; confirm the current source document.

What has actually been checked?

Review attempt: 2026-10-11. Status: partial.

Official PRIME page confirms rounded summer weekday 61/26 cents, weekend 39/26 cents and winter 45/30/24 cents per kWh, plus a listed $0.79/day base-services charge.

Not verified: These are rounded bundled-service prices, not billing-precision tariff rates. The tariff effective date, discounts, CCA generation and export compensation must be checked separately.

Source-checked billing details

Published plan information; exact numeric tariff effective date must be checked in the tariff book. Policy source checked 2026-10-07; next review due 2026-11-06. This is not a numeric account-tariff import.

Eligibility: TOU-D-PRIME requires a qualifying EV, battery or heat-pump technology. Check bundled SCE versus CCA generation and NEM versus net billing.

Schedule: Summer June-September; winter October-May. The 4-9 PM period differs between summer weekdays and weekends; winter also has an 8 AM-4 PM super-off-peak period.

Published rounded PRIME summer energy prices are $0.61/kWh weekday peak, $0.39 weekend mid-peak and $0.26 off-peak.
Winter published rounded prices are $0.45 mid-peak, $0.30 off-peak and $0.24 super-off-peak. These are not an imported billing-precision tariff.

Worked billing example and limitations

Using the published rounded summer weekday prices, shifting 100 kWh from $0.61 to $0.26 reduces energy charges by $35. Export credits, base charges and account-specific generation rates still need separate verification.

Official policy / plan source Official tariff and rate schedules Analyze timestamped readings

Current planning model

Net Billing Tariff / Solar Billing Plan

Do not convert this label into a single permanent cents-per-kWh assumption. Open the official source below and verify the tariff that applies to the account and interconnection date.

What to verify before using a savings calculator

CHECK 1
Identify whether the system qualifies for NEM 1.0, NEM 2.0, or the current billing plan.
CHECK 2
Confirm the required time-of-use rate and current export-credit schedule.
CHECK 3
Include the base services charge and charges that solar credits cannot offset.
CHECK 4
Check annual settlement, surplus compensation, and battery operating assumptions.

Turn SCE billing rules into a better solar estimate

Start with your last 12 months of kWh usage, then compare the quote's production against that load. Next, separate energy used in the home from energy exported to Southern California Edison. Export value should follow the account's tariff, service date, and rate schedule, not a generic retail-rate assumption.

Estimate production Model export value Check a proposal

Verify against the primary source

Utility rules change. Wattcrunch records the review date and links to the source rather than presenting this page as a substitute for the tariff.

Open SCE NBT / NEM Handbook

Model import and export rates Calculate solar savings