California’s current export-compensation system is formally the Net Billing Tariff (NBT). PG&E calls it the Solar Billing Plan. It generally applies to customers who submitted a qualifying interconnection application after April 14, 2023.

Under the Solar Billing Plan, electricity generated and used onsite avoids retail purchases. Excess generation exported to the grid receives an hourly Energy Export Credit based on its value to the grid. Those export credits are usually lower than retail electricity prices, but they are not a single fixed “pennies per kWh” rate. Values vary by hour and can rise during high-value late-summer evening periods.

The Required PG&E Rate Structure

The California Public Utilities Commission currently identifies E-ELEC as the required Time-of-Use rate for PG&E residential customers on the Net Billing Tariff.

That matters because project economics depend on several different values:

• the retail price avoided when solar serves the home directly
• the hourly credit received when energy is exported
• the retail price paid when the home imports electricity
• the battery’s charging and discharging schedule
• fixed or base service charges that export credits may not offset

PG&E also restructured residential bills in March 2026 by replacing the prior minimum electric charge with a monthly Base Services Charge and reducing per-kWh prices relative to the otherwise applicable rates. Use the customer’s actual current bill and tariff rather than an older rate screenshot.

Why a Battery Can Change the Result

A battery can increase self-consumption by storing midday solar for evening use. It can also make selected exports during higher-value hours possible when the system, tariff, interconnection agreement, and battery controls allow it.

A battery does not automatically produce a shorter payback period. The result depends on:

• hourly household consumption
• solar production profile and shading
• battery capacity, power, efficiency, reserve settings, and degradation
• installed price and financing cost
• current E-ELEC import prices and hourly export-credit values
• backup-power value to the homeowner
• SGIP eligibility and actual approved incentive amount

A Defensible 2026 Evaluation

1. Download at least 12 months of interval usage. Monthly totals are not enough to model hourly imports, exports, and battery dispatch.
2. Use a site-specific solar-production estimate. Include roof orientation, shading, equipment losses, and realistic degradation.
3. Model solar-only and solar-plus-storage separately. Apply the current PG&E rate and hourly export-credit schedule to both cases.
4. Use real installed quotes. Do not substitute a national average for local labor, electrical upgrades, permitting, interconnection, or financing.
5. Separate bill savings from backup value. Outage protection may matter to the buyer, but it is not an electric-bill saving.
6. Check current SGIP availability. A public incentive rate is not the same as an approved reservation. See GridPermit’s current SGIP battery rebate guide for which budget categories are still open in 2026.
7. Run conservative cases. Test lower-than-expected export value, higher financing cost, battery degradation, and future rate changes.

The CPUC’s current Net Billing overview explains the statewide tariff structure. PG&E’s solar-bill guidance explains current billing changes and statement formats.

Federal Tax-Credit Warning for 2026 Installations

Do not automatically deduct a 30% residential federal credit from a 2026 project. The IRS currently states that the Residential Clean Energy Credit is not available for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Check the project’s actual placed-in-service date against the current IRS guidance and obtain tax advice where appropriate.

Looking for city-specific permit requirements rather than tariff analysis? See GridPermit’s verified PG&E city guides.

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This page is an evaluation framework, not a bill calculator, savings guarantee, tax opinion, or live tariff lookup. Confirm the current PG&E rate plan, export-credit schedule, service charges, and project assumptions before making a purchase decision.