California homeowners: timing changed everything. Same house. Same panels. Same system — but if y...California homeowners: timing changed everything. Same house. Same panels. Same system — but if y...
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Tinashe Nedi
• Mar 21
California homeowners: timing changed everything.
Same house. Same panels. Same system — but if you installed solar before April 2023, you’re ahead by about $8,400 over 25 years.
Here’s why: When California Public Utilities Commission switched from NEM 2.0 to NEM 3.0, export credits dropped from $0.28/kWh to ~$0.08/kWh.
Real impact:
5.5 kW system exports ~2,096 kWh/year
Old rate: ~$587/year back
New rate: ~$174/year
Loss: $413/year → ~$8.4K over time
The catch? Many quotes still use outdated assumptions — overstating returns by 30–40%.
Solar still works. But the strategy changed: 👉 Batteries > exporting to the grid 👉 Self-consumption is now where the value is
If your installer is still quoting high export credits, they’re probably using old math.
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