LADWP vs SCE vs Burbank vs Glendale — solar rules side by side
These four utilities serve much of our core Los Angeles-area territory, and each one writes its own solar rules: how exports are credited, how large a system you may install, which rate plan you land on and whether a battery earns its place. This page puts all four in one table, sourced from the utilities’ own published materials — then shows what each difference means when the system is designed.
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Every row below comes from the utility’s own published materials, checked August 31, 2026. Programs change on their schedule — verify before you sign anything.
| LADWP | SCE | Burbank (BWP) | Glendale (GWP) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Municipal | Investor-owned (CPUC-regulated) | Municipal | Municipal |
| Solar program | Own net metering rules — not NEM 3.0 | Solar Billing Plan (NEM 3.0 net billing) | Net billing — own rules | Net energy metering retained |
| How exports are credited | More favorably than the investor-owned net billing tariff; exact value from LADWP’s schedule | Hourly export values, generally well below retail | Varies by time of day and season — worth most in summer peak | Bill credit for excess generation, applied to the account |
| Billing cycle | Roughly every 60 days (bi-monthly) | Monthly, with an annual True-Up in your system’s anniversary month | Monthly | Monthly or bi-monthly at the utility’s option; residential solar customers still receive a bi-monthly bill |
| Rate plan with solar | R-1A tiered or optional R-1B time-of-use | TOU-D-PRIME — required for Solar Billing Plan customers | BWP’s own residential schedule | GWP’s own residential schedule |
| System size limits | Per LADWP’s interconnection rules | Per CPUC and SCE tariff rules | 150% of past 12 months (permit applications submitted on or after Jan 1, 2026); ≤10 kW exempt from sizing review | 110% of past 12 months; ≤10 kW CEC-AC exempt with self-certification |
| Incentives | See LADWP solar programs | Export bonus credit for those enrolling before 2028: about 4¢/kWh residential, 9¢/kWh income-qualified | Battery storage rebate | No solar incentives currently offered |
| Grandfathering | Per LADWP’s current guidelines | NEM 2.0 customers keep terms for a defined period from their original PTO | Permit applied for before Jan 1, 2026 → NEM 1.0 terms through Jan 1, 2046. Adding storage does not end it; adding panels to increase capacity does | Per GWP’s current rules |
| Interconnection | Application to LADWP, then their field work and PTO | Rule 21 interconnection | Application through BWP; generation appears once their field crews connect and test the system | PowerClerk; paired storage rides along in the PV application, standalone retrofits file separately |
| Where a battery usually earns its place | Backup and peak control — often optional | Frequently central, because exports are worth less than retail power | More often than on LADWP, because export value is time-based | Backup and outage cover — often optional |
Sources per row: LADWP rates · SCE Solar Billing Plan · BWP Solar FAQs · GWP NEM program. Checked August 31, 2026.
Why your neighbour’s solar saves more than yours
It is the most common question we get, and the answer is usually not the panels. Two houses can run identical hardware and land in different places on the bill, because three things sit outside the equipment entirely:
- What an exported kilowatt-hour is worth. On a municipal utility that credits exports generously, sending power to the grid at noon and buying it back at seven costs you little. Under a net billing tariff like SCE’s, that same round trip is where the money leaks — which is why the same array performs differently on paper across a city line.
- Which rate plan you land on. SCE moves Solar Billing Plan customers to TOU-D-PRIME, so going solar changes how you are charged for the power you still buy. On LADWP, tiered R-1A and time-of-use R-1B behave differently for the same household.
- How big a system you were allowed to build. Burbank caps at 150% of past usage, Glendale at 110% with a 10 kW exemption. A neighbour who installed before a rule changed may simply have a larger system than you can now put up.
What this means when you design a system
Solar-only may still be cost-effective
Where exports are credited well, a straightforward array without storage can offset a large share of the bill — though whether it pays depends on your rate, usage profile, system price and expected production. Batteries here are usually bought for backup during outages, or for control of peak hours on a time-of-use plan — not because the export math demands them.
Self-consumption carries the value
When exports earn less than the power you buy back, the value moves to what you use directly and what you store for the evening. That changes panel orientation, system size and whether a battery belongs in the first quote at all.
Usage history sets the ceiling
Two of these four utilities — Burbank and Glendale — cap system size against your past twelve months, and LADWP and SCE review size under their own interconnection rules. Twelve months of bills is therefore the first thing we ask for — it is not paperwork, it is the number that decides how big a system you are allowed to install.
Our project records in each utility zone
Counted from our own project archive — the same snapshot published on each utility page.
How we count: one record per job folder tied to a service address. Utility is assigned by the city of the property, not verified per address from a bill or interconnection record — addresses near a boundary can be served by a neighbouring utility. A few addresses carry more than one record, where we came back for separate work. Snapshot taken August 31, 2026.
Go deeper on your utility
Solar with LADWP
Bi-monthly billing, R-1A vs R-1B, the interconnection steps we file, and 356 project records across 16 LADWP cities.
Read the LADWP page › Investor-ownedSolar with SCE
The Solar Billing Plan line by line, TOU-D-PRIME, the export bonus credit, Rule 21 and why storage carries more weight.
Read the SCE page › MunicipalSolar with BWP
Net billing, the 150% sizing cap, the 10 kW exemption, grandfathering through 2046 and the battery rebate.
Read the Burbank page › MunicipalSolar with GWP
Net metering retained, the 110% cap with its 10 kW exemption, PowerClerk applications, and paired storage in the PV application — standalone retrofits filed separately.
Read the Glendale page ›Frequently asked
Is LADWP or SCE better for solar?
Your address decides — you cannot choose. On the numbers, LADWP is municipal and credits exports more favorably than SCE’s Solar Billing Plan, where exports are valued hourly and generally below retail. That usually means a solar-only system offsets more of an LADWP bill, while an SCE system leans harder on self-consumption and storage. Neither is “better” in the abstract; they call for different designs.
Which LA-area utilities are still on net metering?
Of the four utilities compared here: Glendale Water & Power has kept a net energy metering program, LADWP runs its own municipal net metering rules, Burbank Water & Power has moved to net billing, and SCE connects new systems under the state’s Solar Billing Plan — NEM 3.0. Municipal utilities are not bound by the CPUC decision that created NEM 3.0.
How big a solar system am I allowed to install?
It depends on the utility, and it is usually tied to your own past usage. Burbank caps permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 at 150% of your previous twelve months, with systems of 10 kW CEC-AC and under exempt from sizing review. Glendale uses a 110% cap, also with a 10 kW CEC-AC exemption on self-certification. That is why twelve months of usage history is the first thing we ask for.
Do I need a battery?
It depends far more on your utility than on your roof. On SCE, where exports are credited below retail and evening power is the most expensive, storage is frequently central to making the numbers work. On LADWP and Glendale, where exports are credited more favorably, batteries are usually bought for backup during outages or for peak control — and a solar-only system can still be the better buy. We model both.
Why does my neighbour’s solar save more than mine?
Usually not the panels. Three things sit outside the hardware: what an exported kilowatt-hour is worth on your utility, which rate plan you were moved to when you went solar, and how large a system the rules let you build — someone who installed before a rule changed may simply have a bigger array than you can put up now.
Do you work with all four utilities?
Yes. We file interconnections with LADWP, SCE, Burbank Water & Power and Glendale Water & Power, and we publish our project record counts in each zone, with the city-by-city breakdown available as CSV.
Related reading
Sources
Every row in the comparison table comes from the relevant utility’s own published materials, checked August 31, 2026. Programs, rates and interconnection rules belong to the utilities and change on their schedule.
Not sure which utility serves you?
The name is on your electric bill, and utility boundaries do not always follow city limits. Send us the address and a recent bill — we confirm the utility, model the system under that utility’s rules, and tell you plainly whether storage belongs in your quote.
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Prepared by Cali Energy, August 31, 2026. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Every utility sets and changes its own rates, credit rules, size limits and interconnection requirements; confirm current terms with your utility. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · +1 (323) 844-7777 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)