Solar for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Customers: Net Metering and Export Credits
How your utility credits the solar power you send back to the grid has a big effect on what solar is worth to you. Here's what official sources say for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) customers. Rules change, so confirm current terms with the utility before you sign.
About Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's Form EIA-861 data for 2024 lists 5,047,461 residential customers for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (California), ranking #2 among U.S. utilities in our tally of bundled plus delivery-only residential customers. Source: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
How Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) credits home solar
- PG&E's Solar Billing Plan (Net Billing Tariff) automatically enrolls residential customers in the Electric Home time-of-use rate plan. You get monthly statements plus an annual True-Up statement. Source: https://www.pge.com/en/clean-energy/solar/getting-started-with-solar/solar-billing-plan.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Energy Export Credits vary by time of day, day of the week, and season, using CPUC-provided values. PG&E lists Energy Export Bonus Credits for customers who adopt solar and start on the Solar Billing Plan before 2028; the credit value is set when your system receives permission to operate. Source: https://www.pge.com/en/clean-energy/solar/getting-started-with-solar/solar-billing-plan.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
A note on the federal tax credit
The federal residential clean energy credit (25D) doesn't apply to expenditures made after December 31, 2025. The IRS treats an expenditure as made when installation is completed. Source: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-for-modification-of-sections-25c-25d-25e-30c-30d-45l-45w-and-179d-under-public-law-119-21-139-stat-72-july-4-2025-commonly-known-as-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-obbb (accessed 2026-10-20). This page isn't tax advice.
What this means for your quote
Savings depend on how much of your solar you use on site versus export, your rate plan, and your system size. We can't give a typical savings figure; it varies, and your quote should show the assumptions behind any estimate.
Questions for your installer
- Which hourly export credit values does your estimate use, and does it include Energy Export Bonus Credits?
- Does your estimate assume a battery, and how does it charge and discharge?
- Will you handle the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) interconnection application?
Sources
- https://www.pge.com/en/clean-energy/solar/getting-started-with-solar/solar-billing-plan.html (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (2024 data) — https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/ (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
- IRS, "FAQs for modification of sections 25C, 25D, 25E, 30C, 30D, 45L, 45W, and 179D under Public Law 119-21 (OBBB)" — https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-for-modification-of-sections-25c-25d-25e-30c-30d-45l-45w-and-179d-under-public-law-119-21-139-stat-72-july-4-2025-commonly-known-as-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-obbb (accessed Oct 20, 2026)
SolarMatchup is a free service: you submit one request and we match you with one installer. Their proposal is an estimate, not a guarantee — use this guide to read it carefully and ask questions before you sign. Savings, if any, depend on your usage, utility rates, and local rules.
Last reviewed 2026-10-20.
More for California homeowners: state guide with utility rules, prices and city pages.
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