In short: In the Los Angeles area, your utility decides most of the math. LADWP homes paid about 23.8¢ per kWh in 2024 and are not on NEM 3.0; Southern California Edison homes paid about 32.4¢ and are. Pasadena’s city utility pays $0.60 per watt for new solar, and LADWP gives up to $1,000 for a home EV charger.
Los Angeles County has several electric utilities, and a few miles can change your solar credit, your rebates and your rate. This page covers the City of Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach. For statewide rules (NEM 3.0, SGIP, CSLB licensing, the new plug-in solar law), see our California energy guide.
Los Angeles at a glance
- LADWP (City of Los Angeles): about 23.8¢ per kWh for homes in 2024; 111 minutes without power per customer, and 0.66 interruptions, in 2024 (EIA-861).
- Pasadena Water and Power: about 26.0¢ per kWh; 43 minutes without power in 2024.
- Southern California Edison (SCE), including Long Beach: about 32.4¢ per kWh for full-service homes; 158 minutes without power with major events, 100 without (2024, systemwide).
- Sun: about 5.6 kWh per square meter per day in downtown Los Angeles (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,650 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Los Angeles County “very high” for earthquake, inland flooding and wildfire, and “relatively high” for heat waves, landslides, coastal flooding, lightning and tornadoes.
- Public charging: Los Angeles had 8,490 public charging ports, Pasadena 662 and Long Beach 612 (AFDC Station Locator data, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
EIA lists seven electric utilities in Los Angeles County, including LADWP, SCE and the city utilities of Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank. Your bill shows which one serves your address. Many SCE customers also buy their power from a community choice provider such as Clean Power Alliance, while SCE still delivers it.
- LADWP: runs its own net metering, not the state’s NEM 3.0. Under its posted guidelines, what you export is netted against what you use over each billing period, and any extra credit carries forward to later bills (it is lost if you close the account). Batteries connected to the grid need an LADWP review and inspection. LADWP’s program list points homeowners to the state’s SGIP battery incentive and offers Shared Solar for apartment residents.
- Pasadena Water and Power (PWP): pays a solar rebate of $0.60 per watt ($1.00 per watt for customers in its income-qualified bill programs) for new, customer-owned rooftop systems installed from January 1, 2026; leases and power purchase agreements do not qualify. For a limited time, PWP is not charging its plan review and inspection fees for solar and battery systems. Exports are netted, and any surplus at true-up is paid at a rate PWP publishes.
- SCE (Long Beach and much of the county): new solar goes on the state’s Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0), where exports earn far less than the retail price, so a battery and daytime use matter. SCE’s TOU-D-PRIME rate is for homes with an EV, a home battery or a heat pump.
Backup power in Los Angeles
Ordinary outages are short here: LADWP customers averaged 111 minutes in 2024 and Pasadena’s 43. The bigger risks are wildfire and earthquake, both rated “very high” by FEMA. In hot, dry, windy weather, SCE can switch off lines in high fire-threat areas (a Public Safety Power Shutoff); the CPUC lists SCE shutoff reports every year from 2024 to 2026, most recently for August 25, 2026. Canyon and foothill homes are the most exposed, not the whole basin.
SCE offers rebates of up to $200 on qualifying portable power stations and up to $800 on generators for customers in areas affected by shutoffs; check SCE’s backup power page for eligibility. For an earthquake kit, a portable power station covers phones, lights and a small fridge for a while; a home battery or generator covers longer outages. Compare them in our backup power guide, size them with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing calculator, and run any generator outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house (CPSC). See generator installation.
Solar in Los Angeles
Each kW of panels in Los Angeles might make about 1,650 kWh a year by our rough estimate. Used in your own home, that is worth roughly $390 a year at LADWP’s 2024 average price, $430 in Pasadena and $530 at SCE’s. Exports are where the utilities differ: LADWP and Pasadena still net exports against use, while SCE credits them at much lower Net Billing values. So in SCE territory, size the system to your use and consider a battery; in LADWP territory, netting makes a simple solar-only system easier to justify.
These are estimates, not promises. Shade, roof direction and your rate plan decide the result. Check your roof with the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, and read how solar installation works and our net metering guide.
Batteries
For SCE customers, a battery stores midday solar for the expensive evening hours and keeps essentials running during a shutoff. The state’s SGIP battery incentive is open to “electric and/or gas customers” of PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas and SDG&E (CPUC), so an LADWP or Pasadena home that gets its gas from SoCalGas may also qualify, which is why LADWP lists SGIP among its programs. Most remaining SGIP funds go to income-qualified and vulnerable households; check the program page. See home battery installation and battery costs.
EV charging
LADWP gives up to $1,000 for a qualifying Level 2 home charger, plus $500 for customers on its Lifeline or EZ-SAVE programs, and $250 more if you add a dedicated EV meter, which also earns a 2.5¢ per kWh discount on off-peak charging. LADWP asks you to request a service assessment before you install. Pasadena pays $600 for a Wi-Fi-enabled Level 2 charger or $200 for a standard one, with a city permit and inspection sign-off.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Los Angeles: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Using about 30 kWh per 100 miles, home charging costs roughly $7 per 100 miles at LADWP’s 2024 average and $10 at SCE’s (our estimate, before any EV rate discount). See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Permits and inspections
- City of Los Angeles: the Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) issues building and electrical permits; simpler jobs that need no plan review can get an Express Permit online, as LADWP’s EV charger installation page explains. LADWP then inspects and sets the meter.
- Long Beach: apply online through the city’s solar permit page; rooftop systems that meet its Information Bulletin IB-023 checklist skip detailed plan review.
- Pasadena: the Planning & Community Development permit center takes online applications; PWP approves the interconnection.
- Unincorporated areas: LA County Public Works, Building and Safety.
- Statewide: under SB 379, cities of 50,000 or more must offer online, automated permits for typical home solar and paired batteries (California Energy Commission). Hire a CSLB-licensed contractor (C-10 or C-46), and check HOA rules.
Cities in this guide
- Los Angeles
- Pasadena
- Long Beach
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Los Angeles energy questions
Does NEM 3.0 apply to LADWP customers?
No. NEM 3.0 is the CPUC’s tariff for PG&E, SCE and SDG&E. LADWP, a city-owned utility, sets its own net metering: exports are netted against your use each billing period and extra credit rolls forward. Pasadena Water and Power also runs its own program. Check your utility’s current rules before you sign.
How much is the LADWP EV charger rebate?
Up to $1,000 for a qualifying Level 2 charger, plus $500 for Lifeline or EZ-SAVE customers and $250 for a dedicated EV meter. You must be the LADWP account holder on a residential rate, and LADWP asks for a service assessment before installation. Program terms can change, so check LADWP’s page.
Is there a solar rebate in Pasadena?
Yes. Pasadena Water and Power pays $0.60 per watt, or $1.00 per watt for income-qualified customers, for new customer-owned rooftop solar installed from January 1, 2026, by a licensed contractor. Apply within 180 days of interconnection; leased systems do not qualify.
Does SCE help pay for backup power?
SCE lists rebates of up to $200 on qualifying portable power stations and up to $800 on generators for customers in areas affected by Public Safety Power Shutoffs, and a backup battery program for customers who rely on medical equipment. Eligibility depends on your address; check SCE’s backup power page.
Sources
Utility prices, service areas and outage minutes: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 2024 data (prices are 2024 averages; SCE is full-service customers). LADWP net metering guidelines, programs list, EV charger rebate and EV pages; Pasadena Water and Power solar rebate, net surplus compensation and EV charger rebate pages; SCE backup power and EV rate pages; CPUC SGIP eligibility and PSPS post-event reports; California Energy Commission (SB 379). City of Long Beach, City of Pasadena and LA County permit pages. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001–2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging ports: AFDC, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 3, 2026. Estimates are ours and labelled as such.