PlugPayback

Plug-in solar in California: is it worth it for you?

Payback, savings and what is allowed in California. With your own power price, no email and no sign-up.

What applies in California

Allowed with limits
  • Up to 1,200 W inverter output
  • Takes effect January 1, 2027
  • Plug type: NEMA 5-15 (standard 120 V outlet)

Registration steps

  1. Buy a device certified as a plug-in PV system by UL (UL 3700 programme) or an equivalent NRTL, with a certified grid-outage isolation feature, meeting the NEC and California Electrical Code. ↗
  2. Plug into a single standard outlet; max 1,200 W aggregated AC output to the building. ↗
  3. If your utility (IOU or POU) requires it, register the address and size on its free online form. ↗
  • Plug and Play Solar Act (SB 868, Wiener), signed 2026-09-30, effective 2027-01-01.
  • Interconnection exemption sunsets 2030-01-01 unless extended.
  • Certified UL 3700 kits may need a dedicated circuit and electrician under UL's framework; no compliant kits on sale as of late 2026.
  • No export credit; devices must offset on-site use.

Rules checked November 5, 2026. Sources

Find the right size for your home

1. Where is the kit going?
2. How many people live in your home?

Typical for this household in California: 9,000 kWh a year.

kWh
3. Is someone home during the day?

A balcony railing is near-vertical; a flat roof or garden can be tilted.

$ / kWh

From your bill. Leave blank to use the California average of $0.30 per kWh.

How much power?

Suggested for your home 1,150 W (2 panels)

Going bigger pays off up to this size, where you would use about 82% of the power yourself. The next size up (1,200 W) costs $1,799 more and would need more than 25 years to earn that back, because most of its extra power would go to the grid unpaid. Based on a typical 9,000 kWh a year.

Used at homeSent to the grid

1,150 W · from $899

Cheapest kit we found with at least 1,150 W: US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit, 2 panels, 1,180 W. Mount and delivery are extra.

Saves about $332 a year and pays for itself in 2.5–3 years.

Nothing you enter is stored. Results are estimates, shown as a range.

Typical payback by mounting spot

Standard kit (2 panels), about $2,160 at the average California power price of $0.30 per kWh, with someone home part of the day.

Mounting spotGenerated per yearSaved per yearPayback
Balcony railing, facing south 1,077 kWh $275 7–9 years
Balcony railing, facing east 893 kWh $235 8–10 years
Balcony railing, facing west 893 kWh $235 8–10 years
Tilted, facing south 1,539 kWh $366 5–7 years
Tilted, facing east 1,308 kWh $322 6–7 years
Tilted, facing west 1,308 kWh $322 6–7 years
Flat (roof or garden) 1,385 kWh $337 6–7 years

Kits allowed in California

Filtered by the local limit, not by commission. We earn a fee on affiliate links; your price does not change.

EcoFlow STREAM Ultra

1,600 W / 1,200 W · 1.92 kWh battery · 10 y

$1,399

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 180 W

180 W / 360 W · 12 y

$328

View offer

Bright Saver Balcony Solar Kit 360 W

360 W / 360 W · 12 y

$461

View offer

Craftstrom 800 Watt Plug&Play Solar

800 W / 800 W · 10 y

$2,158

View offer

US Solar Supplier 1180 W Plug-In Solar Kit

1,180 W / 900 W · 10 y

$899

View offer

Mango Power S Plug-In Solar Kit

1,200 W / 1,120 W

$2,698

View offer

Common questions

Tenants and flat owners

SB 868 does not add landlord/tenant or HOA rights; lease and HOA rules still apply.

Grid operator

Utility may require notification via a simple online registration form (address and size); it may not require approval, fees or extra equipment.

Still being confirmed

Still being confirmed

We could not yet confirm the following from an official source. Treat them as provisional.

  • registration: Chaptered text on leginfo blocked; definition taken from the Senate floor analysis of the April 2026 version, later amendments not checked.
  • effectiveDate: 2027-01-01 from Solar.com and Bright Saver, not the chaptered act.
  • notes: 2030 sunset reported by Solar Power World and Solar.com only.

Sources