How much a plug-in solar kit saves on SCE

On SCE's average residential rate of 34.4¢/kWh,^[source] the example kit (800 W, $1,000) saves about $272 a year and pays for itself in about 3.7 years, assuming typical placement and that you use most of its power at home.

Estimated savings on SCE

Plan	Rate used	Savings per year	Payback
Standard rate, no discount	34.4¢/kWh	$272	3.7 years
Standard rate, CARE	23.22¢/kWh	$184	5.4 years
Standard rate, FERA	28.21¢/kWh	$223	4.5 years

Click a row to open it in the savings calculator.

Time-of-use

We don't have SCE time-of-use rates in our data yet. In the calculator, choose SCE and "Time-of-use", then enter the off-peak rate from your bill.

More in time-of-use rates and plug-in solar.

CARE and FERA

SCE says CARE takes 32.5% off your electric bill and FERA takes 18%.^[source] We haven't checked these against SCE's tariff. Each kWh then costs you less, so a kit saves a little less and takes longer to pay back. Our estimates use these figures.

More in CARE and FERA discounts and plug-in solar.

What a kit can't change

Standard customers pay a fixed charge of about $24.15/month (CARE about $6, FERA about $12) that solar cannot remove.^[source] A plug-in kit only reduces the per-kWh part of your bill.

How we estimate

• Production: watts × a yield for your placement (typical: 1.1 kWh per watt per year).^[source]
• Power sent back to the grid is valued at $0.
• Rates checked Oct 18, 2026. Savings estimates ignore future rate changes.

Not financial advice. Join the waitlist to hear when certified kits ship.