Model your annual True-Up bills and battery storage economics under San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) TOU-ELEC (Residential Electric Tariff) with peak import rates ($0.62/kWh) and Avoided Cost export credits.
Calculate annual True-Up bills and battery storage ROI under San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) avoided-cost export rates and peak evening TOU tariffs.
US average is ~28–32 kWh/day (~900 kWh/month)
0 kWh (No Battery) · 13.5 kWh (1 Unit) · 27 kWh (2 Units)
4 PM to 9 PM utility rate (PG&E / SDGE / SCE)
Avoided cost wholesale rate paid for excess day exports
True-Up bill drops from $2,737 (Solar Only) to $1,125 (Solar + Battery).
| Tier / Setup | Solar Array | Storage | Solar Only True-Up | With Battery True-Up | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modest Home / Starter | 6 kW | 10 kWh | $1,380/yr | $290/yr | Apply |
| Suburban Median (1 Battery) | 8 kW | 13.5 kWh | $1,950/yr | $410/yr | Apply |
| High Consumption + EV | 11 kW | 20 kWh | $2,890/yr | $620/yr | Apply |
| All-Electric Home (2 Powerwalls) | 14 kW | 27 kWh | $3,740/yr | $780/yr | Apply |
Residential battery storage systems of 3 kWh or greater qualify for the 30% Federal Residential Clean Energy Credit, even when installed without new solar panels. Under NEM 3.0, programming your battery inverter for "Self-Supply / Arbitrage" rather than pure backup is essential to maximize payback speed.
CPUC Filing Authority: SDG&E Advice Letter 4125-E (Net Billing Tariff Compliance Filing)
SDG&E has the highest electricity rates in the continental US, reaching $0.62/kWh during summer on-peak hours. Solar battery self-consumption provides the highest dollar-for-dollar return in the nation, saving over $2,400 per year on average residential systems.
With on-peak summer rates exceeding $0.60/kWh, every kilowatt-hour of solar energy stored and consumed at home avoids the most expensive residential electricity in the nation.
View side-by-side peak TOU arbitrage economics across PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.