Changes Proposed by Southern California Edison, SDG&E and PG&E Could Halt Rooftop Solar Progress in the State

California has been a leader in making rooftop solar affordable as compared to the rest of the United States. The average payback of a rooftop solar system in California is about 5 years. As reported in this news article, things could be changing soon if a new NEM (Net Energy Metering) program is passed. Southern California Edison, SDG&E and PG&E are proposing changes to the current NEM program to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Under the current program, solar customers can offset most, or even all of their electricity bills. The new proposal would change that for new solar customers (existing customers would be grandfathered in). Instead of being able to offset their whole bill, new solar customers would still be responsible for paying for infrastructure costs such as wires, substations and even customer service. That could range from $60-$90 per month. CPUC is expected to make a decision on this before the end of the year.