Southern California Edison
Going solar on SCE in 2026
New Edison solar homes land on one specific rate plan with a 4 to 9 p.m. summer weekday peak. Knowing that plan is most of what you need to judge a proposal.
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By the Golden Hour Energy editorial team. How we research and check our guides
If you add solar on SCE in 2026, you'll be billed on the Solar Billing Plan and the TOU-D-PRIME rate, where the most expensive hours are 4 to 9 p.m. on summer weekdays. SCE says plainly that “Solar Billing Plan customers are required to be on the TOU-D-PRIME rate” (SCE rate plans). So the question for an Edison home isn't only how much sun your roof gets. It's how much of your use falls in that evening window, and what you can do to cover it.
Who SCE serves
Southern California Edison delivers power to about 15 million people across 50,000 square miles of central, coastal and Southern California, in more than 180 incorporated cities and 15 counties (SCE). In the south that covers much of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Some cities inside that area run their own city utilities, and the City of Los Angeles is served by LADWP. Your bill's logo is the only reliable test. If it says LADWP, read our LADWP page instead.
SCE's three time-of-use plans
SCE offers three residential time-of-use plans (SCE). Older solar customers on NEM 2.0 must be on one of them. New solar customers don't get to choose: they go on TOU-D-PRIME.
| Topic | On-peak hours | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| TOU-D-PRIME | 4 to 9 p.m., summer weekdays | Required for new solar (Solar Billing Plan) |
| TOU-D-4-9PM | 4 to 9 p.m., summer weekdays | Any residential customer, including NEM 2.0 |
| TOU-D-5-8PM | 5 to 8 p.m., summer weekdays | Any residential customer, including NEM 2.0 |
Summer on SCE means June through September. On-peak pricing applies only on summer weekdays. Weekends and the October to May winter months have a mid-peak period in the same evening hours instead, with no on-peak (SCE). Here's what TOU-D-PRIME looks like across a day:
- Summer weekdays (June to September)Lower-priced hours: 0:00 to 16:00; On-peak: 16:00 to 21:00; Lower-priced hours: 21:00 to 24:00
- Summer weekendsLower-priced hours: 0:00 to 16:00; Mid-peak: 16:00 to 21:00; Lower-priced hours: 21:00 to 24:00
- Winter, every day (October to May)Lower-priced hours: 0:00 to 16:00; Mid-peak: 16:00 to 21:00; Lower-priced hours: 21:00 to 24:00
Panels make most of their power before 4 p.m. On a summer weekday, the window that costs the most starts just as production fades. That's the core reason most SCE proposals now include a battery. How exports are valued under NEM 3.0 is covered in our NEM 3.0 guide, and battery sizing and cost are in the battery guide.
How SCE's bill changed in 2025 and 2026
Three changes in the last year matter for anyone sizing a system on Edison:
- A new fixed charge. In November 2025, SCE restructured residential bills with a Base Services Charge of $24.15 a month for most customers ($12.08 for FERA, $6.00 for CARE). At the same time it cut the price of each kWh by about 10% (SCE). Solar offsets kWh, not the fixed charge, so a savings estimate that ignores it will look too rosy.
- A small dip in the average rate. On June 1, 2026, SCE's system average residential rate went from 34.5¢ to 34.4¢ per kWh, or 33.2¢ counting the Climate Credit. SCE called it the net result of its 2026 Wildfire Liability Self-Insurance revenue increase (SCE rate advisory).
- A moved Climate Credit. The CPUC shifted the California Climate Credit into high-bill months. In 2026 SCE customers get $36.00 in August and $36.00 in September (CPUC).
Outages and backup on Edison
Parts of SCE's territory see Public Safety Power Shutoffs, when SCE cuts power during high wildfire risk. For homes in those areas, battery backup is a practical concern, not just a savings question. SCE's Critical Care Backup Battery program provides batteries to eligible Medical Baseline customers in areas affected by PSPS (SCE PSPS fact sheet). If you're in a PSPS-prone area, tell your installer, and ask how much of the battery will be held in reserve for outages.
Getting connected to SCE
Before your system can run, your installer submits an interconnection request to SCE, and you sign the CPUC's Solar Consumer Protection Guide, which SCE customers must sign to connect (CPUC guide). Don't switch the system on until SCE approves it. Your export values are then fixed for years: SCE says they are “locked in for nine years based on the year you began using solar with SCE” ( SCE Solar Billing Plan). That makes the start date worth asking about if your project is near the end of a year.
Before you sign anything, our page on claims to walk away from covers your cancellation rights and how to check a license. Whether to buy or lease is in the lease vs buy guide, and what's left of the tax credits is in the 2026 tax credit guide.
Questions to ask an installer on SCE
- Did you model my savings on TOU-D-PRIME, including the Base Services Charge?
- How much of my 4 to 9 p.m. summer weekday use will the battery cover?
- Which year's export values does your estimate assume?
- If I'm in a PSPS area, how much battery is reserved for backup?