Solar in Brea, CA
With Southern California Edison (SCE)'s electricity at about 33.8¢ per kWh and 1,682 kWh of sun per kW, solar is worth it for a typical Brea home today: about a 10.6-year payback.
- Payback, typical home
- 10.6 yrsCalifornia: 10.9 yrs
- 25-year net
- $22,858after paying $10,700
- Sun
- 1,682kWh per kW per year
- Electricity
- 33.8¢88% above U.S. average
A typical Brea home, by the numbers
| Utility | Southern California Edison (SCE) |
|---|---|
| Electricity use | 468 kWh a month |
| Best-value system | 3 kW, about 7 panels, 5,046 kWh a year (90% of use) |
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $933 |
| Payback | 10.6 years |
| Exported power | 4.6¢/kWh (Southern California Edison (SCE)) |
Cash purchase, no federal credit, 4.0% yearly rate increases. Run it with your own numbers.
Homes in Brea
- Owner-occupied homes
- 60%
- Single-family detached
- 54%
- Median home value
- $922k
- Median year built
- 1978
- Population
- 47,469
- Solar installs, last 3 years*
- 676
- Roofs suitable for solar†
- 96%
Census ACS 2020–2024. *Installations in public records for this area's ZIP codes. †Share of 12,517 buildings Google Project Sunroof rated technically suitable (2019 snapshot).
Installers working in Brea
Companies with the most installations in Brea's ZIP codes over the last 3 years, from public records. We don't take payment for placement.
- Sunrun 111 installs
- Tesla Energy 71 installs
- SunPower 28 installs
- Orange County Contracting Services 23 installs
- Freedom Forever 22 installs
- SOLAR OPTIMUM DESIGN & ELECTRICAL 22 installs
- Powur PBC Which Will DO Business IN California AS Powur Home 18 installs
- Better Earth Electric 16 installs
- Bright OPS 16 installs
- Energy Service Partners INC DBA ESP Contracting 16 installs
Always verify the license and get at least three quotes. Compare quotes side by side.
Questions about solar in Brea
Is solar worth it in Brea, CA?
For a typical home in Brea, solar is worth it at 2026 prices: a 3 kW system costs about $10,700 after state incentives, saves about $933 in year one and pays back in about 10.6 years. Enter your address for an estimate based on your roof and bill.
How much solar power does a system produce in Brea?
About 1,682 kWh per year for each kW of panels on a south-facing roof, based on PVWatts and local weather. That's 1% more than the California average. East- or west-facing roofs produce roughly 10–20% less.
Who is the electric utility in Brea?
Most homes in Brea are served by Southern California Edison (SCE), at about 33.8¢ per kWh on average.
How much do solar panels cost in Brea?
A fair cash price is around $2.90 per watt before incentives, so about $10,700 for a 3 kW system. There's no federal tax credit for homeowners who buy in 2026.
Nearby
- Placentia 10.6 yrs
- Rowland Heights 10.6 yrs
- Fullerton 10.6 yrs
- La Habra 10.6 yrs
- Yorba Linda 10.6 yrs
- Diamond Bar 10.6 yrs
- Anaheim 15.8 yrs
- Walnut 10.6 yrs
- All of California
Data: PVWatts (National Laboratory of the Rockies), EIA-861 2025 adjusted to 2026, U.S. Census ACS, LBNL Tracking the Sun, state policy research as of October 2026.