In short: San Francisco has about 827,500 people and sits in San Francisco County. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and City & County of San Francisco serves different parts of San Francisco County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 24.05¢ to 39.62¢ per kWh (EIA). FEMA rates San Francisco County earthquakes “very high”. Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,280 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is good for solar.
This page covers what is local to San Francisco: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our California energy guide.
San Francisco at a glance
- Place: San Francisco, San Francisco County, California; about 827,526 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 39.62¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 276 minutes of power on normal days and 509 counting major storms, with 1.8 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just San Francisco).
- Utility: City & County of San Francisco (city-owned). Homes paid an average 24.05¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861) (utility-wide, not just San Francisco).
- Sun: 4.37 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 2.05 in December to 6.85 in June (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,280 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 0 cooling degree-days and 3,550 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating and cooling both matter.
- Top hazards in San Francisco County: earthquakes “very high”, river and heavy-rain flooding “relatively high” and landslides “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “very high”).
- Public charging: 1,418 ports at 570 locations in San Francisco, 229 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is an investor-owned utility and served about 1,856,780 home customers in 2024; its 39.62¢ average was above the 33.61¢ statewide average for July 2026. City & County of San Francisco is a city-owned utility and served about 2,618 home customers in 2024; its 24.05¢ average was below the 33.61¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. reported 276 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 158 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the California guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in San Francisco
- Earthquakes (very high): Earthquake risk is mainly about secure mounting and gas shut-off for generators; ask the installer to follow local seismic requirements.
- River and heavy-rain flooding (relatively high): Heavy rain can flood basements and take out power. Put sump pumps on backup power and keep equipment above the flood line.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in San Francisco
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,280 kWh a year in San Francisco (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s 2024 average of 39.62¢, that is about $507 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: June is the sunniest month at 6.85 and December the dimmest at 2.05, a 3.4-to-1 gap, so a battery or a bigger system helps in winter.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. San Francisco has 1,418 public charging ports in the federal station list including 229 DC fast, but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in San Francisco: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the San Francisco building or permitting department, or from San Francisco County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for San Francisco, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the California guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Oakland, or the whole California energy guide.
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San Francisco energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in San Francisco?
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and City & County of San Francisco both serve parts of San Francisco County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (Pacific Gas & Electric Co. 39.62¢, City & County of San Francisco 24.05¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in San Francisco?
About 1,280 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 7,680 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in San Francisco?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.