City of Pasadena and solar
City of Pasadena is a municipal utility serving about 58,602 homes in California. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 26.4¢20% below California average
- Typical bill
- $122460 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~15%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 13.2 yrs3 kW, cash
Export rules for City of Pasadena customers
Net billing (reduced export credit) (California rule).
New customers of PG&E, SCE and SDG&E are on the Net Billing Tariff (often called NEM 3.0): solar you use at home saves the full retail rate, but power you send to the grid is credited at hourly 'avoided cost' values that average only about 4-5 cents/kWh (higher on summer evenings). Batteries greatly improve the economics. Municipal utilities like LADWP and SMUD set their own rules.
Solar for a typical City of Pasadena home
| System | 3 kW (90% of 460 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $727 |
| Payback | 13.2 years |
| 25-year net | $14,711 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 3,121
- Share of customers
- 5.3%
- Residential solar capacity
- 19 MW
- Residential customers
- 58,602
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about City of Pasadena and solar
Does City of Pasadena have net metering?
City of Pasadena follows California's rules: New customers of PG&E, SCE and SDG&E are on the Net Billing Tariff (often called NEM 3.0): solar you use at home saves the full retail rate, but power you send to the grid is credited at hourly 'avoided cost' values that average only about 4-5 cents/kWh (higher on summer evenings). Batteries greatly improve the economics. Municipal utilities like LADWP and SMUD set their own rules.
How much does electricity cost with City of Pasadena?
Residential customers paid an average of 25.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 26.4¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 460 kWh a month, a bill of about $122.
Is solar worth it with City of Pasadena?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 3 kW system costing about $10,700 pays back in about 13.2 years, with $14,711 net over 25 years.
How many City of Pasadena customers have solar?
About 3,121 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 5.3% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: City of Pasadena - (CA) (EIA ID 14534). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.