Solar in Los Angeles, California · 2026
In LA, your utility decides your solar math.
City of LA homes usually start with LADWP net metering. Much of LA County starts with SCE, the Net Billing Tariff, and a battery. Solar.com prices both paths from current installer pricing and models the bill impact before you talk to anyone.
Enter your address and we detect your utility, model your tariff, and show current local bids.
The boundary that decides everything
LADWP and SCE produce different solar math.
The same roof can need a different design depending on the utility. When you run an address, Solar.com resolves the provider first, then prices the system design around that tariff.
LADWP is outside CPUC NEM 3.0 and still runs its own net metering. Exports can offset retail electricity, so the first system to test is usually solar-only, with storage added for backup or time-of-use control.
A 6.4 kW LA system produces about 10,861 kWh a year. At the LADWP effective rate, that is about $3,052 of year-one utility spend available to offset.
SCE homes are on the Net Billing Tariff. Exported solar is worth far less than retail power, so the winning design stores afternoon production and uses it during the 4 to 9pm peak window.
The same 100% annual usage-offset model represents about $4,040 of current annual electric spend before escalation. Battery dispatch is what protects that value.
Nearby Pasadena and Glendale are separate municipal utilities with their own rules. The address model handles that automatically; this page focuses on the two LA paths most homeowners hit.
Rate escalation · EIA-861 history applied forward
Waiting turns today's bill into a much bigger liability.
We take the representative LA usage model, apply each utility's current effective rate, then let the bill grow at that utility's historical escalation rate. The point is not precision; it is the scale of the exposure solar is competing against.
LADWP · City of LA municipal net metering
$254
average monthly electric spend today, $0.281/kWh effective rate
~5.0% historical annual escalation, based on average bundled residential rate growth from 2015 to 2024.
SCE · LA County Net Billing Tariff
$337
average monthly electric spend today, $0.372/kWh effective rate
~7.8% historical annual escalation, based on average bundled residential rate growth from 2015 to 2024.
Modeled estimate. The bill model uses 10,861 kWh of annual usage, matching a 6.4 kW LA production model at 100% annual offset. Fixed charges, minimum bills, and household usage changes still apply.
Current LA installer pricing
What solar is priced at in LA right now.
These numbers model a representative LA system from current installer pricing, including LA County regional pricing, and are labeled as modeled estimates until your address is run.
Solar only
The LADWP baseline
$2.54/W
about $16,300 for a representative 6.4 kW LA system
Solar + battery
The SCE default
$28K-$33K
modeled installed range for 6.4 kW plus one standard battery
Pricing source: current installer network pricing as of August 17, 2026. Your live quote can move with panel choice, roof complexity, electrical work, battery count, utility, and financing path.
Battery-included savings model
The savings story is the bill you avoid.
This model starts with macro utility rates instead of project-sample first-year cuts. It offsets 100% of annual usage, includes a battery where LA tariffs call for one, and reports gross utility spend addressed before your roof-specific net savings calculation.
Year 1
$3.1K-$4.0K
modeled utility spend solar can address
Bill reduction
~85%-95%
after unavoidable utility charges and import timing
10-year pressure
$56K-$60K
modeled utility spend before solar if rates keep rising
25-year exposure
$145K-$288K
lifetime bill pool solar is competing against
Modeled estimate. Gross avoided utility spend is not the same as net savings after system price, financing, service charges, and usage changes. The address-level model names those assumptions.
Four ways to pay · one modeled comparison
Cash vs loan vs Prepaid TPO vs lease.
Purchased systems no longer carry a federal tax credit. Prepaid TPO and lease products are third-party owned, so the owner can claim the credit and reflect that value in your upfront price or monthly rate.
| Cashyou buy it outright | Loanyou own it, financed | Prepaid TPOupfront discount pathprepaid lease, third-party owned | Monthly leasetraditional TPO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | About $16,300 in the representative LA model | $0 down, monthly payment varies by approved terms | Pay once; credit value is passed through as an upfront discount | $0 down; monthly payment set by provider |
| Who owns it | You | You | Third-party owner, with purchase options at term milestones | Third-party owner |
| Federal tax credit | None for purchased systems | None for purchased systems | Owner claims it and applies value as an upfront discount | Owner claims it and reflects value in the monthly rate |
| Maintenance | You manage service, equipment warranties still apply | You manage service, equipment warranties still apply | Owner monitors, maintains, and insures the system | Owner monitors, maintains, and insures the system |
| Best for | Ownership with no finance payment | Ownership without writing a full check upfront | Lowest upfront power cost path when TPO is available | Lowest entry cost and no ownership responsibility |
Prepaid TPO availability varies by state and provider. In LA, it is shown because California is an active Prepaid TPO market; your actual quote confirms whether it is available for the address.
Where we are quoting
Tap an LA area to see the utility context.
Choose a market and the map highlights how the utility split shows up across greater Los Angeles. Your address check still determines the exact provider and tariff.
Area boundaries are approximate and shown for orientation only.
Tap a neighborhood to see which utility serves it. Your utility decides your solar math, and we detect it automatically from your address.
Equipment installers are quoting now
The LA equipment stack is premium and battery-ready.
The equipment notes come from what installers in our network actively quote. Your bid will show exact models, warranties, and substitutions for your roof.
REC, Qcells, Hyundai class panels
premium black modules frequently priced in LA books
LA roofs need strong hot-weather output and clean aesthetics. Installers here favor modern high-wattage modules rather than bargain-bin panels.
Enphase IQ microinverters
well suited to complex basin and hillside roofs
Panel-level electronics help with shade, mixed roof planes, and per-panel monitoring. That matters in neighborhoods with palms, hillsides, and older roof geometry.
Enphase IQ Battery or Tesla Powerwall 3
the standard SCE self-consumption pairing
In SCE territory, storage is the economic engine. The model assumes a battery that can shift afternoon production into evening usage, not just backup power during an outage.
Equipment shown is representative. The actual bid packet names the installer, exact equipment, workmanship warranty, manufacturer warranty, and any roof or electrical adders.
PVWatts v8 · south-facing model
LA produces about 1,697 kWh per kW each year.
A representative 6.4 kW system produces about 10,861 kWh annually. Valley roofs can run hotter; coastal and basin roofs can see marine-layer dips in May and June.
2026 incentive reality check
What is still real for LA solar.
Federal tax credit
Cash and loan purchases do not receive a federal tax credit anymore. For Prepaid TPO and lease plans, the third-party owner claims the credit and can pass the value through as an upfront discount or lower monthly rate.
LADWP net metering
Retail-value export credit is the economic incentive. It turns exported solar into a direct bill offset, which is why LADWP homes can often start with a simpler solar-only design.
California property tax exclusion
Adding solar does not raise your assessed property taxes under California's active solar energy system exclusion, currently set to sunset on January 1, 2027.
SGIP battery rebate
General-market residential storage budgets are largely closed. Remaining funds focus on income-qualified, medical-baseline, or outage-risk households in eligible territories. The address model screens for this automatically.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions.
How much do solar panels cost in Los Angeles?
Current installer pricing puts a representative 6.4 kW Los Angeles solar-only system at about $2.54 per watt, or about $16,300 before roof-specific adders. Adding a standard battery typically adds about $12,000 to $16,000, depending on the equipment and installer.
Does LADWP still have net metering in 2026?
Yes. LADWP is a municipal utility outside CPUC jurisdiction and still credits residential solar exports at or near retail value under its own net metering structure.
Is Los Angeles on NEM 3.0?
Only partly. City of LA addresses served by LADWP are on municipal net metering. Much of LA County served by SCE is on the Net Billing Tariff, where exports earn avoided-cost credits and batteries drive the savings case.
Do I need a battery in Los Angeles?
In SCE territory, yes for a competitive savings model. The battery stores afternoon solar and discharges into evening usage instead of exporting at low avoided-cost rates. On LADWP, a battery is optional for outage backup and time-of-use control, but the solar economics can work without it.
How much can an LA electric bill grow if rates keep escalating?
Using EIA-861 historical escalation from 2015 to 2024, a representative LADWP bill model grows from about $254 per month today to about $413 per month in year 10 and $850 per month in year 25. The SCE model grows from about $337 per month today to about $714 per month in year 10 and about $2,200 per month in year 25.
Is it cheaper to lease or buy solar in Los Angeles?
It depends on how you define cheaper. Cash and loan purchases are ownership paths, but there is no federal tax credit for purchased systems anymore. Prepaid TPO is third-party owned, so the owner claims the credit and can pass the value through as an upfront discount. A monthly lease lowers entry cost, but you do not own the system.
Your roof, your tariff, your bid set
See the modeled price for your actual address.
We detect LADWP, SCE, or a nearby municipal utility, design around your roof, include the battery when the tariff calls for it, and show current local installer pricing.
Pricing: modeled from current installer pricing for LA County at 6.4 kW. Bill impact: macro utility-rate model using 10,861 kWh of annual usage, 100% annual usage offset, and battery dispatch where required. All savings are modeled estimates; your live quote names roof, tariff, equipment, financing, and utility assumptions.