City of Santa Clara and solar
City of Santa Clara is a municipal utility serving about 54,000 homes in California. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is not worth it.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 18.8¢43% below California average
- Typical bill
- $75398 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~21%Net billing (reduced export credit)
- Typical payback
- 18.6 yrs3 kW, cash
Export rules for City of Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara home
| System | 3 kW (104% of 398 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $10,700 |
| First-year savings | $507 |
| Payback | 18.6 years |
| 25-year net | $5,512 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 1,233
- Share of customers
- 2.3%
- Residential solar capacity
- 7 MW
- Residential customers
- 54,000
EIA-861, 2025.
Cities served
Questions about City of Santa Clara and solar
Does City of Santa Clara have net metering?
City of Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara?
Residential customers paid an average of 17.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 18.8¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 398 kWh a month, a bill of about $75.
Is solar worth it with City of Santa Clara?
For a typical customer, solar is not worth it: a 3 kW system costing about $10,700 pays back in about 18.6 years, with $5,512 net over 25 years.
How many City of Santa Clara customers have solar?
About 1,233 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 2.3% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: City of Santa Clara - (CA) (EIA ID 16655). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.