Plain-English answers to the questions I hear most.

For many homes, yes — but the math changed. NEM 3.0 lowered what PG&E pays you for power you send back to the grid, which makes using your own power matter more than exporting it. That's why pairing panels with a battery has become the smarter setup for a lot of PG&E homes. SMUD plays by different rules, so the answer depends on your utility and your usage. Send me your address and a recent bill and I'll show you the real numbers for your home.

It depends on your roof, your usage, and whether you add a battery, so anyone quoting a flat price before seeing your home is guessing. What I can tell you: most homeowners go in with $0 down through a prepaid lease, the 30% federal tax benefit is built in as a discount, and payback typically lands in the range of 6–8 years. I'll run your actual bill and show you the numbers before you decide anything.

If SMUD serves your home, you may qualify for up to $10,000 per household through SMUD's My Energy Optimizer Partner+ program (about $5,400 for one Tesla Powerwall), paid directly to you as long as you enroll within 90 days of getting Permission to Operate. Tesla owners also receive about $440 a year per Powerwall in ongoing payments while enrolled in SMUD's virtual power plant. You can qualify with a battery whether or not you add solar. Amounts depend on your battery and SMUD's current funding and are confirmed at your proposal — I'll help you check what applies.

Not always — it depends on your goals. If you want backup power when the grid goes down, or you're on PG&E under NEM 3.0 where stored power beats exported power, a battery usually earns its place. SMUD customers have an added reason: the battery incentive. If you're chasing pure savings with no outage concern, panels alone may pencil out fine. I'll walk you through both so you only pay for what helps you.

A lot. PG&E is the investor-owned utility, now under NEM 3.0, with higher rates and lower export credit — which tends to favor adding a battery. SMUD is Sacramento's municipal utility with its own rate structure and its own battery incentive, and it isn't under NEM 3.0 at all. Roseville Electric is different again. The right setup changes depending on which one serves your address, and I'll tell you which side of the line you're on.

A licensed California solar contractor I've vetted and partnered with — A+ rated by the BBB, 5.0 stars across 42 Google reviews, with a 25-year all-inclusive parts-and-labor warranty. I introduce you to them directly once we've confirmed solar makes sense for your home, and I stay involved through the process so you're never handed off and forgotten.

Two big ones for Sacramento. First, the 30% federal tax credit, now delivered through a prepaid lease as an upfront discount on your system (the direct-purchase version ended in 2025, but the prepaid-lease path keeps the 30% available). Second, for SMUD customers, a battery incentive of up to $10,000 per household, paid to you. Exact amounts depend on your utility, battery, and property — see the SMUD Battery Guide and Incentives pages, and I'll confirm what applies to you. This is general information, not tax advice.