Solar production
Match system size to your roof, usage, rates, and realistic future needs—not a generic offset target.
Plan the system →Independent guidance for California homeowners
Understand your energy options before the sales pitch.
Clear guides to solar, battery backup, incentives, and EV charging—so you can compare proposals with confidence.
No savings promises. No high-pressure sales. Just the questions worth asking.
01 — Start with the bill
California solar changed. Your questions should too.
Under California’s current Net Billing Tariff—often called the Solar Billing Plan or NEM 3—energy used at home and energy exported to the grid are valued differently. That makes your usage pattern, battery strategy, and rate plan central to the decision.
Instead of asking only “How many panels?”, start with when you use electricity, whether you want outage backup, and what you may add later—like an EV.
See the six questions to answer first →02 — Build the right plan
Four decisions. One connected system.
Battery strategy
Decide whether your priority is evening use, outage backup, or both. Those goals affect sizing and equipment.
Explore incentives →EV charging
Account for an EV, electrical panel capacity, charging speed, utility rates, and future upgrades.
Plan EV charging →Quote clarity
Compare equipment, warranties, financing, dealer fees, roof work, and outage behavior line by line.
Use the checklist →The 15-minute quote check
“What happens at 8 p.m. and what stays on during an outage?”
If a proposal cannot answer those two questions plainly, it is not ready to sign.
Open the complete quote checklist03 — Choose qualified help
Education first. Licensed professionals for the work.
SolarKitWorks helps you understand options and may connect you with independent licensed professionals. Installation and electrical work should be completed by properly licensed professionals.
- Verify license status and scope
- Read every financing disclosure
- Confirm permits and interconnection
- Keep copies of the final contract