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The United States at night seen from orbit, city lights glowing from coast to coast.

For California homeowners. Not a utility. Not a government agency.

Know what's true before you go solar.

Plain answers on solar and backup power. When you're ready, we'll check your home and tell you if it fits.

Check my home

Or read about your utility: PG&E, SCE, SDG&E

What happens when you check your home.

  1. Answer a few questions.

    Your home, your bill and your roof. About a minute.

  2. See your roof's sun.

    If we can map your roof, we text you a satellite view: gold where the sun lands, purple where it doesn't.

  3. Talk it through.

    A short call about your bill and your rate plan. No pressure.

  4. Get a real quote, if your home fits.

    In your home, from a licensed installer. You sign with them, only if you want to.

Check my home
Example roof sun map: a satellite view of a house with its roof shaded gold where the sun is strongest and purple where it is weakest.
Example roof sun map. Yours shows your own roof.

California homes pay almost twice the US average for power.

Price of power for homes, June 2026

34.74¢ per kWh in California

Source: EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, June 2026

Almost 2x

California's home rate went from 16.99¢ per kWh in 2015 to 32.54¢ in 2025.

Source: EIA electricity data, 2015 and 2025

$24.15

The fixed monthly charge for most homes, billed no matter what your panels make.

Source: CPUC Decision 24-05-028, 2024

About 75%

How much lower NEM 3.0 credits for power sent to the grid are than before, by one estimate for SDG&E homes.

Source: EnergySage, checked September 2026

A quiet California street at dusk with the houses dark except one with its windows lit.

When the power is cut on purpose.

California utilities can shut off power during high wind and fire risk. Panels without a battery go dark with the grid.

Read the outage guide

Sources: CPUC on power shutoffs. Grid-tied inverters must shut off in an outage under UL 1741 and IEEE 1547.

A mother cooks dinner while her teenage son sets plates on the counter in a California kitchen in the early evening.

Power costs the most from 4 to 9 p.m.

On the standard plan at PG&E, SCE and SDG&E, those five hours are priced highest. They are also when panels make the least.

Panels make power from sunlight, so they make little or none after sunset. A battery stores power for later, so a home can run in the evening on what its roof made during the day.

Sources: US Department of Energy, and the PG&E, SCE and SDG&E rate pages, checked September 2026

Why 4 to 9 p.m. costs the most

Plain answers.

Short guides to what California homeowners ask about solar and batteries. Every number links to its source.

All guides
A single-story stucco home with solar panels on its roof on a sunny afternoon.

NEM 3.0, explained.

How solar homes get credited now, and why batteries matter more.

 A plain white home battery mounted on a garage wall beside the electrical panel.

Does solar work in an outage?

What happens to your panels when the grid goes down.

 An electric meter on the sunny stucco wall of a California home, bougainvillea beside it.

How much have rates gone up?

Twenty years of California rate data, in plain terms.

 A woman reads a printed agreement at her kitchen table through reading glasses.

How to check a solar offer.

What to read, what to ask and what no one can promise you.

If solar doesn't pencil out for your home, we'll say so.

Solar is not free.

No one can promise your electric bill will go away. Most homes still pay the utility a fixed monthly charge.

You can change your mind.

California gives you 3 days to cancel a solar contract, or 5 days if you're 65 or older. CPUC guide

Check the license.

Look up any contractor with the Contractors State License Board before you sign anything.

Questions people ask first.

Is US Grid Relief a utility or a government agency?

No. US Grid Relief is a California marketing and consultation company. We are not a utility, not a government agency and not part of any state or federal program, and we are not affiliated with PG&E, SCE, SDG&E or the CPUC.

Do you install solar?

No. We look at your home, explain your options and set up your quote. If you move forward, a licensed California installer handles the design, the permits and the work, and you sign with them.

Is solar free?

No. Solar is not free, and no one can promise your electric bill will go away. Most homes with solar still pay the utility a fixed monthly charge. What you pay depends on your home, your usage, your rate plan and the equipment you choose.

Does solar work during a power outage?

Not on its own. Grid-tied inverters are required to shut off when the grid goes down, so panels without a battery stop powering your home. A battery with the right equipment and setup can keep power on. How much depends on the system.

What is NEM 3.0?

NEM 3.0 is California's current rule for how solar homes are credited for power they send back to the grid. Those credits are much lower than they used to be, so storing your own power for the evening matters more. The courts let it stand in 2026, so it is the rule going forward.

What happens after I check my home?

You answer a few questions. If we can map your roof, we text you a satellite look at its sun. Then we call. If your home fits, you get a real quote in your home. Only we contact you. No installer calls or texts you.

Do I need to own my home?

Yes. You need to own your home, because solar and a battery go on your roof and your walls.

Freedom starts on your roof.

Answer a few questions. If we can map your roof, we text you a satellite look at its sun. Then we call.

Check my home
A single-story stucco home with solar panels on its tile roof at dusk, porch light on.