City of Riverside and solar
City of Riverside is a municipal utility serving about 101,042 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.)
- 23.1¢30% below California average
- Typical bill
- $142616 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~17%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 12.4 yrs3 kW, cash
Export rules for City of Riverside 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 Riverside home
| System | 3 kW (70% of 616 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $780 |
| Payback | 12.4 years |
| 25-year net | $17,046 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 7,975
- Share of customers
- 7.9%
- Residential solar capacity
- 49 MW
- Residential customers
- 101,042
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about City of Riverside and solar
Does City of Riverside have net metering?
City of Riverside 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 Riverside?
Residential customers paid an average of 21.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 23.1¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 616 kWh a month, a bill of about $142.
Is solar worth it with City of Riverside?
For a typical customer, solar is worth it: a 3 kW system costing about $10,700 pays back in about 12.4 years, with $17,046 net over 25 years.
How many City of Riverside customers have solar?
About 7,975 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 7.9% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: City of Riverside - (CA) (EIA ID 16088). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.