What NBT changed

California's Net Billing Tariff replaced the old net metering rules, and the core change is simple: electricity you send back to the grid is now credited at far lower rates than before, while electricity you use yourself avoids buying expensive retail power. The result flips the old logic — under NBT, a kilowatt-hour used at home is worth much more than a kilowatt-hour exported.

Size for self-consumption first

Electrical guide illustrationIllustrative photo

This changes how a system should be designed. Instead of maximizing panel count, the smart first step is matching solar production to your actual daytime usage: pool pumps, air conditioning, EV charging scheduled midday, laundry shifted to sunny hours. Panel orientation matters more than it used to — west-facing arrays that produce into the expensive late-afternoon hours can be worth more than south-facing arrays that peak at noon when nobody is home.

Where a battery fits — and where it does not

A battery stores midday surplus and releases it during the expensive evening peak window (roughly 4–9pm on time-of-use rates). For households with heavy evening usage, that can be the difference between a system that merely offsets the bill and one that reshapes it. But batteries are a significant investment, and whether one makes sense depends on your rate plan, your usage pattern, and how much surplus your roof actually produces. We do not promise payback timelines or savings figures — any honest answer requires your real numbers, not a brochure.

The decision order

First: size the solar for self-consumption. Second: measure what surplus remains after a few months of real operation. Third: decide on the battery with data, not with hope. A monitoring system on the solar inverter gives you that data for free — most modern inverters include it, so there is no extra hardware to buy for step two. Skipping straight to the biggest system plus the biggest battery is how people overbuy.

Want an honest read on your situation? Send us a redacted copy of your electricity bill (cover your personal details) plus your roof direction. We will assess your self-consumption picture — free, no payback promises, just the math.