[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":289},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-\u002Futilities\u002Fsdge":3,"author-mike":239,"ssc-status":276},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bare":7,"body":8,"dateModified":217,"datePublished":217,"description":218,"extension":219,"howToSteps":220,"kits":220,"layout":221,"meta":222,"navigation":223,"path":224,"schemaType":225,"seo":226,"sources":227,"stem":231,"targetKeywords":232,"titleTag":237,"translationOf":220,"__hash__":238},"content\u002Futilities\u002Fsdge.md","Plug-in solar on San Diego Gas & Electric","mike",false,{"type":9,"value":10},"minimark",[11,18,22,25,30,72,78,81,85,147,158,161,165,178,181,185,188,191,195,198,201,214],[12,13,14],"answer-box",{},[15,16,17],"p",{},"SDG&E customers get more out of the same panel than anyone else in California, because they pay more for electricity than almost anyone in the country — around 45.7 cents a kilowatt-hour as of January 2026. A 1,200-watt system that saves an SCE customer about $376 a year saves an SDG&E customer about $520.",[19,20],"stat-grid",{":stats":21},"[{\"value\":\"45.7¢\",\"label\":\"Per kWh, January 2026\",\"note\":\"Roughly a third higher than SCE, and more than double the US average.\"},{\"value\":\"$652\",\"label\":\"1,200W, south, tilted, someone home\",\"note\":\"A year. The same kit earns $474 on SCE.\"},{\"value\":\"4–9pm\",\"label\":\"When it costs most\",\"note\":\"62–80¢ depending on plan and season.\"},{\"value\":\"\u003C3 yrs\",\"label\":\"Payback on a good 800W kit\",\"note\":\"Often closer to two.\"}]",[23,24],"status-strip",{},[26,27,29],"h2",{"id":28},"the-rates","The rates",[31,32,33,44],"table",{},[34,35,36],"thead",{},[37,38,39,42],"tr",{},[40,41],"th",{},[40,43],{},[45,46,47,56,64],"tbody",{},[37,48,49,53],{},[50,51,52],"td",{},"Average residential rate",[50,54,55],{},"~45.7¢\u002FkWh (January 2026)",[37,57,58,61],{},[50,59,60],{},"Peak period",[50,62,63],{},"4pm–9pm",[37,65,66,69],{},[50,67,68],{},"Peak rates",[50,70,71],{},"roughly 62–80¢\u002FkWh depending on plan and season",[15,73,74],{},[75,76,77],"em",{},"Rates change. Check your bill — this is orientation, not a quote.",[15,79,80],{},"That average rate is roughly a third higher than SCE's and more than double the US average. It's the single most important fact about solar economics in San Diego County and south Orange County: every kilowatt-hour you don't buy is worth substantially more here.",[26,82,84],{"id":83},"what-a-kit-saves-on-sdge","What a kit saves on SDG&E",[31,86,87,97],{},[34,88,89],{},[37,90,91,94],{},[40,92,93],{},"Setup",[40,95,96],{},"Estimated annual saving",[45,98,99,107,115,123,131,139],{},[37,100,101,104],{},[50,102,103],{},"360W, west, vertical on a railing, someone home",[50,105,106],{},"$100",[37,108,109,112],{},[50,110,111],{},"360W, west, tilted, someone home",[50,113,114],{},"$162",[37,116,117,120],{},[50,118,119],{},"800W, west, tilted, someone home",[50,121,122],{},"$361",[37,124,125,128],{},[50,126,127],{},"800W, west, tilted, empty by day",[50,129,130],{},"$217",[37,132,133,136],{},[50,134,135],{},"1,200W, south, tilted, someone home",[50,137,138],{},"$652",[37,140,141,144],{},[50,142,143],{},"1,200W, south, tilted, with battery",[50,145,146],{},"$783",[15,148,149],{},[75,150,151,152,157],{},"Estimated using NREL irradiance data for coastal southern California and a 45.7-cent blended rate. ",[153,154,156],"a",{"href":155},"\u002Fmethodology","Full working",".",[15,159,160],{},"Payback on a well-placed 800-watt kit here is comfortably under three years, and often closer to two.",[26,162,164],{"id":163},"where-sdges-territory-is","Where SDG&E's territory is",[15,166,167,168,172,173,177],{},"All of San Diego County, plus ",[169,170,171],"strong",{},"south Orange County",": San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, and parts of Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Laguna Hills. The boundary with ",[153,174,176],{"href":175},"\u002Futilities\u002Fsce","SCE"," runs roughly along La Paz Road, Laguna Hills Drive and Crown Valley Parkway, and it follows historic service territory rather than city limits — so check the bill rather than the map if you're near it.",[15,179,180],{},"Some customers also see a Community Choice Aggregator on the bill, such as San Diego Community Power or the Clean Energy Alliance. That changes the generation charge, not the mechanics.",[26,182,184],{"id":183},"sdges-position","SDG&E's position",[15,186,187],{},"SDG&E opposed SB 868, alongside SCE and other utilities. Once the bill is in force it will be barred from charging fees or requiring approval, and may only require simple registration.",[15,189,190],{},"SDG&E had published no registration process or customer guidance as of 1 September 2026.",[26,192,194],{"id":193},"the-coastal-caveat","The coastal caveat",[15,196,197],{},"Coastal San Diego and south Orange County get marine layer through late spring and early summer — the local name for it is May Gray and June Gloom, and it's not a joke about the weather, it's a measurable production loss. Morning cloud burns off by early afternoon on many days in those months.",[15,199,200],{},"Practically: a west-facing panel handles this better than an east-facing one, because it's producing after the layer clears. Our model uses typical meteorological year data, which already includes it, but if you're within a mile or two of the water, treat our figures as slightly optimistic.",[15,202,203,207,208,207,210],{},[153,204,206],{"href":205},"\u002Fwizard","Work out your savings →"," · ",[153,209,176],{"href":175},[153,211,213],{"href":212},"\u002Futilities\u002Fpge","PG&E",[215,216],"sources-block",{},"2026-09-01","SDG&E's residential rates are among the highest in the country at around 45.7¢\u002FkWh, which makes a plug-in panel worth about 38% more than on SCE.","md",null,"data",{},true,"\u002Futilities\u002Fsdge","Article",{"title":5,"description":218},[228],{"title":229,"url":230,"accessed":217},"SDG&E residential pricing plans","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sdge.com\u002Fresidential\u002Fpricing-plans","utilities\u002Fsdge",[233,234,235,236],"SDG&E plug in solar","SDGE balcony solar","SDG&E solar savings","south Orange County solar","Balcony Solar with SDG&E | The Highest Rates in the US","YXuSqogEmpE__ko5DjPoLcf4eFOhwp7DLIrbd_zalUM",{"id":240,"title":241,"body":242,"description":267,"email":266,"extension":219,"location":268,"meta":269,"name":248,"navigation":223,"path":270,"photo":271,"role":272,"sameAs":220,"seo":273,"stem":274,"__hash__":275},"authors\u002Fauthors\u002Fmike.md","Mike",{"type":9,"value":243},[244,250,253,257,260],[15,245,246,249],{},[169,247,248],{},"Mike Yu"," started SmallSolarCo after working out that a plug-in panel was the only kind of solar available to him — he rents in Irvine with a west-facing balcony and no roof of his own. He is not an electrician, a solar installer, or a lawyer, and the site says so wherever it matters. He has a background building web products, and built the savings model here himself, using NREL irradiance data and Southern California Edison's published rates.",[15,251,252],{},"Since September 2026 he has been running a plug-in kit on that balcony and logging what it actually produces. Every measured figure on this site comes from that kit. Everything else is labelled as an estimate.",[26,254,256],{"id":255},"editorial-independence","Editorial independence",[15,258,259],{},"We don't accept review units on terms that involve anyone approving the review first. If a manufacturer sends us a kit, we say so on the review, and we keep the right to publish a bad one.",[15,261,262,263,157],{},"Reach him at ",[153,264,266],{"href":265},"mailto:hello@smallsolarco.com","hello@smallsolarco.com","Mike Yu started SmallSolarCo after working out that a plug-in panel was the only kind of solar available to him — he rents in Irvine with a west-facing balcony and no roof of his own. He is not an electrician, a solar installer, or a lawyer, and the site says so wherever it matters. He has a background building web products, and built the savings model here himself, using NREL irradiance data and Southern California Edison's published rates.","Irvine, California",{},"\u002Fauthors\u002Fmike","\u002Fimages\u002Fauthors\u002Fmike.jpg","Founder",{"description":267},"authors\u002Fmike","kb0uodhMlGk_YV3nMOIXdr6bpZgtB5zNoRxdGxsXMQ8",{"id":277,"asOf":217,"deadline":278,"effectiveIfSigned":279,"extension":280,"linkHref":281,"linkText":282,"long":283,"meta":284,"short":285,"stage":286,"stem":287,"__hash__":288},"status\u002Fstatus.yml","2026-09-30","2027-01-01","yml","\u002Fis-it-legal","Follow the bill","As of 1 September 2026, SB 868 has passed both houses of the California Legislature and was enrolled on 28 August 2026. Governor Newsom has until 30 September 2026 to sign or veto it. If he signs, it takes effect 1 January 2027.",{},"Not yet law. Passed the Legislature, waiting on the Governor.","awaiting-governor","status","y1EcgNvLaSQD00RchAw3MGw06s9kMOhBN4NDIrjgUSs",1788387859271]