PG&E's own E-1 rate sheets, January 2014 and today. These numbers are history, not projections.
Here's what that meant for the same Tri-Valley home, using the same 400 kWh a month:
PG&E: 310 kWh at the baseline price plus 90 kWh just above it ($0.13230 and $0.15040 per kWh in January 2014; $0.32561 and $0.40702 today, plus the base services charge of up to $24.15). Lease: $0.15 per kWh with a 2.9% yearly escalator, typical in 2014, now $84.55, plus today's base services charge. In 2014, solar homes also paid PG&E a minimum charge of about $4.50 a month, which counted toward the annual true-up.
Who would you rather pay: PG&E, or your family?
If your bill is $200 a month or more, we can usually start your solar payment at about what you pay PG&E today, often with a battery included for backup power when the grid goes down. With a loan, your payment then stays flat while PG&E keeps climbing. Enter your bill and decide how fast you think PG&E will rise. Plan with caution, plan with history, or anywhere in between. It's your call.
This tool is built for homes with an east, west, or south-facing roof and minimal shade. Have trees or shading around your house? Get a free quote and your shade report comes with it.
These numbers are based on historical facts, not a guarantee. We can't promise any savings until an official consultation and a site survey confirm that your main electric panel and your roof pass inspection.
| Total paid over | Stay with PG&E | Solar loan | Solar lease |
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Get a free quote and your roof's shade report comes with it automatically, so you get a ballpark figure for your home without booking a visit.
For homes with an east, west, or south-facing roof and minimal shade, these should be fairly conservative numbers. If your roof faces north or you have shading, get a free quote, which includes a shade report for your home. The rest is up to you: set the rate increase to the 4% regulators cite, or to the roughly 8% a year PG&E's E-1 prices have actually risen since 2014. For perspective, since Bill Gurgol started as a solar energy consultant in January 2014, PG&E's baseline E-1 price has gone from $0.1323 to $0.3256 per kWh, about 2.5 times higher.
The base services charge shown assumes the highest income tier ($24.15/mo); it is lower for some households. The loan payment is fixed and ends after 20 years. The lease starts lower but rises 3.5% a year, roughly in line with long-run U.S. inflation, and runs 25 years, today's standard lease term. Some leases offer lower yearly escalators, sometimes as low as 2.9%. The 30-year figure is shown for the loan only, since a lease ends after 25 years. The PG&E line starts at your bill today and grows at the rate you choose. California regulators cite roughly 4% as the historical average, which is where the slider starts. By PG&E's own rate sheets, E-1 Tier 1 and Tier 2 prices have risen roughly 7% to 8% a year since January 2014. Because PG&E also restructured its tiers during that time, households using much more than 400 kWh a month saw a different rate of increase. Verify it yourself at pge.com/tariffs.
Everything shown is based on historical facts and is not a guarantee. Actual savings are confirmed only after an official consultation and a site survey verifying that your main electric panel and roof pass inspection. Your actual loan payment depends on your credit, system size, and financing terms, so it may land above or below your current bill. This assumes your solar system is sized to cover your usage. Any annual true-up is not included, and the base services charge is shown flat though PG&E may raise it. Everything here is a projection, not a guarantee. Future PG&E rates could run higher or lower.