Solar Energy in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County has 88 incorporated cities and four different electric utilities, and what solar is worth here depends almost entirely on which one serves your address. LADWP customers pay roughly 22¢ per kWh. A few miles away in SCE territory the rate is about 34.5¢. Same county, same sunshine, very different math.
Check your utility before you believe any quote
LADWP, Glendale Water & Power and Pasadena Water & Power are publicly owned. They set their own rates and their own net-metering terms, and they are not governed by the CPUC's NEM 3.0 decision. If a salesperson is quoting you SCE rates, or telling an LADWP customer that a NEM 3.0 deadline is about to cost them money, the numbers in front of you are for a different household. Ask which utility the estimate was built on.
Four utilities
LADWP serves the City of LA. SCE serves most of the county. Glendale and Pasadena run their own municipal utilities.
Homeowners only
These programs need an owner-occupied home. LA County's high renter share means this rules a lot of households out.
Next step
Find your city below, confirm the utility matches your bill, then check eligibility.
Solar by city in Los Angeles County
We cover 6 of Los Angeles County's 88 incorporated cities today, and we are adding more. If yours is not here, the statewide guide covers the rules that apply everywhere in California.
See what solar is worth at your address
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Check My EligibilityPrimary trusted sources
Government, research, and standards bodies we routinely cite. We link out so readers can verify our claims at the source.
- California Contractors State License Board (CSLB)Public license records for every contractor in California. Used to verify C-46 solar license status, bond filings, disciplinary actions.
- CSLB License LookupDirect license search; confirms active status, bond, classification, and any disciplinary actions on file.
- California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)NEM 3 / Net Billing Tariff documents, IOU rate filings, solar interconnection rules.
- CPUC Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3)Authoritative source for NEM 3 / NBT compensation rules and updates.
- DSIRE — Database of State IncentivesComprehensive database of federal, state, and utility incentives for renewable energy. Maintained by NC Clean Energy Technology Center.
- IRS — Residential Clean Energy Credit (Form 5695)Authoritative IRS guidance on the 30% federal solar tax credit (residential clean energy credit).
- NREL — National Renewable Energy LaboratoryUS Department of Energy lab. Source of solar resource maps, panel efficiency data, and benchmark solar cost reports.