PG&E solar calculator: how to use it, and how to check a real quote

What PG&E’s calculator does

PG&E describes the Clean Energy Calculator as a way to compare “heat pump water heaters and HVAC systems, induction stoves, solar, battery storage, and EV chargers.” It uses “your household’s past 12 months of energy usage” and returns “product and installation costs, break even points, available incentives,” how your bill could change, and “rate plan and next step recommendations” (PG&E, checked September 23, 2026).

PG&E’s own description of its solar calculator says it lets you “estimate savings and explore how battery storage can provide back-up power and add to your savings,” and that “this tool is only available for residential customers” (PG&E Currents, July 15, 2024).

How to open it

1. Sign in to your PG&E online account on a computer or phone.
2. Open the “Usage and rates” menu and choose the Clean Energy Calculator.
3. Pick solar, or solar with a battery, and review the assumptions it shows.
4. Save or screenshot the result so you can compare it with a real proposal.

PG&E says there is no cost to use it. You need an active residential account, because the estimate is built from your own usage.

What the calculator cannot tell you

• Your installer’s price. PG&E says “product and installation estimates come from a publicly available U.S. Department of Energy database.” That is a general price, not the price in front of you.
• Your roof. Shade, orientation, roof condition and panel layout come from a site visit and the installer’s production model.
• Your contract. A lease or PPA adds a monthly payment and often an escalator. The comparison of those structures is in lease, PPA, loan or cash in California.
• Whether an incentive is actually open. A listed incentive is not a reservation. Check the program’s own status, as below.

How PG&E bills you after solar, and why that matters for the estimate

A solar estimate is really an estimate of your future PG&E bill. PG&E says that “every month you receive a Net Energy Metering (NEM) Electric Statement” tracking you toward the True-Up, and that “after 12 months, your monthly net energy charges and credits are reconciled in an annual True-Up statement. Any remaining charges must be paid and any excess surpluses are typically reset to zero.” The monthly Base Services Charge, about $24 for most customers from March 2026, “is not eligible to be offset by monthly generation credits” (PG&E, checked September 23, 2026).

New PG&E solar customers take service on the Net Billing Tariff, which credits exports at values the CPUC says are “usually lower than the retail rate” (CPUC). So the more of your solar you use at home, the more it is worth. For context, PG&E’s residential average rate was $0.337 per kWh in June 2026 (CPUC Public Advocates Office). What the True-Up bill looks like is in the California true-up bill explained, and PG&E’s plans are in PG&E time-of-use rates for 2026.

Checking a real quote against PG&E’s estimate

1. Price per watt. Divide the quote’s solar-only cash price by the system size in watts. Compare it with the cost range in the California cost guide.
2. Remaining bill. The state disclosure documents include a one-year bill savings estimate. Put the quote’s remaining PG&E bill next to the bill PG&E’s tool expects. A large gap needs an explanation.
3. Payback. Divide the cash price by the yearly bill difference for a quick screen, then read what that leaves out in the solar payback period in California.

The California solar cost calculator on this site does steps 1 to 3 with the numbers from your bill and quote, and asks for no contact details.

PG&E incentives the calculator may list

PG&E does not pay a rebate on rooftop solar panels. Its Generator and Battery Rebate Program covers portable generators and portable batteries (290 Wh to 1,000 Wh), not home battery systems: up to $300 per account, plus up to $200 more for CARE or FERA customers, for customers in Tier 2 or 3 High Fire-Threat Districts, a High Fire Risk Area or on an Enhanced Power Safety Settings circuit. Applications are due within 12 months of purchase or by December 31, 2026, whichever is sooner (PG&E). Home battery incentives run through SGIP, and on September 23, 2026 the SGIP tracker showed most residential categories closed in PG&E’s territory. The full list is in solar rebates by California utility.

A referral request is optional and separate

California Rate Relief is a referral service. We are not a licensed contractor. We are not affiliated with PG&E, and a referral request does not produce a PG&E estimate or approve an incentive.