The story behind
your light switch.
Where electricity came from.
Where it may go next.
What it means for your home.
Your light switch is simple. Your electricity bill and solar options can feel less clear. This guide helps you understand what powers your home, what solar can change, and which questions to ask before making a decision.
Fresno first. California context. The electricity basics travel; utility rates and solar programs do not. Check your own provider and plan before applying an example to your home.
How to read this guide
You’ll find sources below each chapter if you want to dig deeper. Estimates depend on your home, and forecasts can change. Read at your own pace. You don’t need to share your contact details or book a call.
Who built the world behind your light switch?
Before electric service reached homes, people relied on other ways to light rooms and keep food cool. Electricity changed everyday life. Getting it into homes took generations. Inventors, lineworkers and communities built it together. A light switch is the small, familiar end of a much bigger story.
Try this: Look around your home: which everyday activities depend on electricity? Keep that list for the backup power chapter.
What is your home relying on beyond the roof?
The grid connects electricity sources with the places that need power. Transmission lines carry it across long distances. Substations change voltage. Distribution lines bring it into neighborhoods. A grid connected home still uses this shared network, even when it also has solar panels.
Try this: Find the electric service provider and rate plan on your bill. Your ZIP code alone does not tell the whole story.
Does a hotter roof mean more solar power?
Solar panels turn light into electricity. They do not need hot weather; high temperatures can reduce efficiency. Panels produce direct current (DC). An inverter converts it to alternating current (AC) for your home. Shade, roof direction, weather and system design affect production.
Try this: Ask a proposal: how did you account for shade, roof direction and temperature in the production estimate?
Two solar quotes. Are you comparing the same thing?
Kilowatts (kW) tell you how fast electricity is being used or produced. Kilowatt hours (kWh) tell you how much is used over time. These are different measurements. A solar proposal should distinguish the size of the system from its estimated energy production.
Try this: Find both the system size in kW and estimated annual production in kWh. Ask what assumptions explain differences between proposals.
Solar on the roof. Would the lights stay on?
A battery stores energy; it does not make new energy. With suitable equipment and wiring, it can supply selected circuits during an outage. Solar panels alone usually shut down when the grid fails. Backup capability depends on the actual design, battery charge and the appliances you want to run.
Try this: List the appliances you would want during an outage. Ask which are actually supported and what the runtime estimate assumes.
Why might a solar home still get an electric bill?
If your Fresno home receives PG&E electric service, check your current rate and solar program. Under its Solar Billing Plan, you still receive monthly bills: electricity bought from the grid has charges, and exports earn applicable credits. Using solar at home and exporting it have different billing effects. Older solar customers may follow different rules.
Try this: Ask for a breakdown of the utility charges expected to remain alongside any solar payment. What changes if your usage changes?
Why might a solar home still get an electric bill?
An APS bill still has a Basic Service Charge. On TOU-E, open to solar customers, that charge is $0.458 per day, effective March 8, 2024 (Source: APS TOU-E, Decision No. 79293, effective Mar 8, 2024). SRP bills a monthly service charge of $20, $30, or $40, by dwelling type and service amps, since the November 2025 billing cycle (Source: SRP E-13, effective Nov 2025). E-27 and E-15 also bill demand (Source: SRP E-15 and E-27 ratebooks). Check the plan name on your bill.
Same amount of electricity.
A different price.
Compare the 2023 annual average with the June 2026, Aug 26 release. The periods differ: this shows two reference points, not a full year 2026 increase.
Illustrative comparison: usage × each published average price. This is not a bill estimate, a PG&E tariff or a savings forecast. These averages reflect revenue divided by electricity sold, including the mix of customer charges.
Compare three major California utilities.
SDG&E and PG&E are June 2026 residential averages. Southern California Edison is the October 1, 2026 average residential rate. Highest first within this group. These are not a statewide top three ranking or a list of providers you can freely switch between.
| Utility | Published average | At your selected usage |
|---|---|---|
| SDG&E | 45.5¢ / kWh | $273.00 |
| Southern California Edison | 34.5¢ / kWh | $207.00 |
| PG&E | 33.7¢ / kWh | $202.20 |
Source: SDG&E and PG&E, Public Advocates Office Q2 2026 report, page 8. Averages exclude the California Climate Credit. Southern California Edison: SCE Rates Advisory (Oct 1 average residential). Multiplication illustrates the averages, not a tariff calculation. These utility averages use a different basis from EIA’s statewide figures above.
Read the SDG&E and PG&E source → SCE Rates Advisory (Oct 1 average residential) →What if my provider is different?
California also has municipal utilities and community choice providers. Your address determines the applicable service territory. Check your bill for both delivery and generation providers. A utility name alone does not establish a rate plan or solar program eligibility.
Find California utility and community choice comparisons →
This tool does not yet calculate LADWP, SMUD, other municipal utilities, community choice plans or individual tariffs. VVE professional availability is confirmed separately from education coverage.
2023 source: EIA annual Table 2.10. 2023 is an annual average; June 2026 is a preliminary monthly average. Seasonality and customer mix can affect the comparison. Nominal prices, not adjusted for inflation. Not today’s tariff. Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Released August 26, 2026. Checked September 22, 2026. Next EIA release scheduled September 24, 2026.
Same amount of electricity.
2017 to 2026, one utility at a time.
Pick APS or SRP. Each shows one published energy price for one plan, from 2017 to 2026. APS prices are set by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC). SRP prices are set by the SRP Board of Directors. APS and SRP numbers include different charges and should not be compared with each other.
APS: R-1 Fixed Energy Charge Plan, medium tier
Published price for households averaging 601 to 999 kWh a month. Prices set by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC).
Effective August 2017; most residential customers moved onto the new 2017 rate plans from February to May 2018.
In between, the December 2021 tariff sheet set 12.282¢ per kWh for the same tier (Decision No. 78317).
The tariff sheet (Rate Schedule R-1, A.C.C. No. 6148, Revision No. 1) prints an effective date of Mar 8, 2024.
Real APS bills also include a daily Basic Service Charge, adjustor charges (such as the Power Supply Adjustment), and taxes, which are not shown.
Households averaging 600 kWh or less, or 1,000 kWh or more, are billed at a different tier price.
APS has a rate case pending at the ACC (Docket E-01345A-25-0105). Nothing from it is used here.
Illustrative comparison: your kWh × each published price. Energy charge only, not a bill. Nominal prices, not adjusted for inflation.
- 12.393¢: APS Rate Schedule R-Basic "Premier Choice", A.C.C. No. 5917 (archived copy (Internet Archive, snapshot 2020-09-24))
- 12.282¢: APS Rate Schedule R-1, A.C.C. No. 6115 (archived copy (Internet Archive, snapshot 2024-02-21))
- 14.052¢: APS Rate Schedule R-1, A.C.C. No. 6148, Revision No. 1
- Feb to May 2018 move: ACC Hearing Division recommended opinion and order, Docket E-01345A-18-0002 (Apr 9, 2019)
SRP: E-23 Basic Price Plan, winter price
Published price for winter bills (November to April billing cycles). Prices set by the SRP Board of Directors.
In effect from the November 2017 billing cycle; January to October 2017 bills carried a temporary lower price.
Current as of the January 2026 billing cycle.
SRP's price includes its fuel and purchased power adjustment. Summer prices are higher.
Real SRP bills also include a monthly service charge and taxes, which are not shown.
Illustrative comparison: your kWh × each published price. Energy charge only, not a bill. Nominal prices, not adjusted for inflation.
- 8.03¢: SRP Basic Price Plan page (archived copy (Internet Archive, snapshot 2017-10-29))
- 8.03¢: SRP ratebook, April 2015 edition (archived 2018-04-13)
- 10.97¢: SRP 2025 Ratebook E-23 with TCA, January 2026 billing cycle
APS and SRP numbers include different charges and should not be compared with each other. Checked September 24, 2026.
The grid is changing. What matters to your home?
The next grid will depend on decisions about wires, generation, storage and controls. Some equipment needs upgrades. New energy sources need connections. Homes may contribute through solar, batteries or shifting when appliances run. What you pay in the future is still uncertain. A proposal should make its assumptions clear.
Try this: Ask which parts of a proposal rely on today’s rules and which rely on forecasts. Request a second scenario with different assumptions.
Before you sign, can you answer these questions?
What does your home use? Who owns the equipment? What costs are included? What happens if you move? Ask for written assumptions, financing terms and warranty details. Read California’s Solar Consumer Protection Guide before signing. You may decide solar is right for you. You may decide to wait. Either way, know what you are agreeing to.
Try this: Keep the written proposal and take time to compare it. What would you want explained before you signed?
Before you sign, can you answer these questions?
- Which utility is named on the bill, and what is the price plan?
- What does that plan credit for energy sent to the grid, and for how long?
- Does the installer's contract give at least three business days to cancel, and does it say that utility rates and rate structures are subject to change (Source: ARS 44-1763, azleg.gov)?
Keep learning. Ask a question.
Take your time.
Vantage Valley Eco starts with homeowner solar education.
Speak with a VVE professional about your questions and options in a 15 minute phone call.
Keep learning. Ask a question. Take your time.
VVE is not APS, SRP, or a government program.
Sources checked September 22, 2026. Confirm current utility rules when comparing a proposal.